Church Of St Edmund

Church of St Edmund

Parish church, dating from the early 14th century with later additions. The building is constructed mainly of uncoursed broken flint, largely rendered, with stone and brick dressings and a slate roof. It comprises a west tower, nave and chancel in one structure under two roofs separated by a gable parapet, with a north porch.

The tower is unbuttressed and incorporates some limestone and erratic stones, with stone dressings and a stone cap to the plinth. The west window has been partly renewed and consists of 2 cusped ogee lights beneath a larger multi-cusped eye. Small brick-dressed lancets face north, west and south; the east face shows the line of a former roof. Bell openings in brick contain 2 uncusped lights under a plain pointed arch, with tracery lost to the south. Above the bell openings are brick dressings to the quoins, and an embattled parapet decorated with brick and flint flushwork panels. A brick string course runs below the parapet with two gargoyles to the west.

The west nave is furnished with full-height wide shallow buttresses; the southern buttress incorporates Roman tiles to its quoins. The north porch is single-storeyed with a gable parapet, constructed in flint with brick dressings. It features a continuous double hollow chamfered arch in brick (formerly rendered) with a brick hood mould and double chamfered rear arch. The returns contain basket-headed openings, now blocked with brick. The interior is rendered. The south doorway has continuous double chamfered moulding with large figure stops to the hood facing inwards—a crowned head to the left and a mitred head to the right. A stoup recess sits to the right.

The north nave is rendered and contains a 4-centred Perpendicular opening of 3 cusped lights with panel tracery and hollow chamfered mullions. Three stepped buttresses rise here; the centre buttress to the nave has some brick dressings, whilst those to the west angle and west chancel bear stone dressings.

The chancel is rendered with its roof at a slightly lower pitch than the nave, topped by a gable cross. Two stone-dressed lancets face north and south (those to the north with brick hoods). A brick priest's door sits to the centre north, featuring double chamfered jambs and a 4-centred moulded arch. A 3-light east window has renewed tracery.

The south nave is rendered and contains 3 wide stepped buttresses in flint with some Roman tiles and flint quoins incorporating some brick. An opening here matches that to the north nave. The south doorway has a triple hollow chamfered arch in brick (formerly rendered), with its lower part blocked in brick and upper part glazed.

Interior

The roof dates from around 1800 and is constructed from reused old timbers. It is plastered with staggered purlins, small arch braces to the ridge, some irregular ties, and nave rafters arch-braced from wall posts. A 14th-century chancel arch has semi-circular responds and a double hollow chamfered arch with hood mould.

The chancel contains a plain pointed piscina and a larger plain pointed recess to its left. Several black Tournai marble ledger slabs of the 18th century are present, including a heraldic example dated 1708. The south nave wall shows a blocked 11th-century lancet to its centre and a blocked 11th-century doorway high to the west. A large wall painting of St Christopher occupies this wall, with a small wall painting of St John to the north of the chancel arch.

An early 15th-century octagonal font displays evangelistic symbols on alternating faces with symbols of the Holy Trinity, arms of East Anglia, instruments of the Passion and arms of Edward the Confessor (the church's patron). The bowl is supported by eight angels. The octagonal stem is decorated with 4 seated lions, and the base bears a black letter inscription to the Guild of St John the Baptist at Caistor. The octagonal base features quatrefoils on its faces.

A shelly marble slab occupies the centre of the nave, with an indent for a monumental brass to a civilian dating from around 1500. A canvas achievement to Queen Anne hangs over the tower arch. The floor is laid in 23-centimetre yellow brick tiles.

The church occupies the south-east angle of the vallum (defensive earthwork) of the Roman town of Venta Icenorum.