Church Of St Ethelbert

Church of St Ethelbert

Parish church, primarily from the 15th century but with significant mid-14th century work, especially in the chancel. The building comprises a nave, chancel, north and south aisles, north chapel (now used as an organ chamber), north sacristy, south porch, and west tower.

The main walls are constructed of flint rubble, plastered except for the tower and porch, with freestone dressings including some fine late 15th century carved work. The nave, both aisles, and porch feature openwork parapets and parapet gables with quatrefoils framing shields and other emblems, alternating with open arches in each merlon. Crocketed pinnacles are positioned at intervals, and a pair of angel figures adorns the porch corners. The roofs are flat and leaded, except for the slated chancel roof which has a parapet.

The west tower is a three-stage 15th century structure with a possible 14th century core. It displays fine freestone parapets with corner pinnacles and angel figures, and contains sunk tracery throughout. A frieze of sunk panels bearing shields and emblems runs around the tower, including the initials I.B. for John Bacon, possibly the John who lived at the adjacent Five Bells Cottage and died in 1513. Beneath the two-light belfry windows are pairs of panels bearing similar shields.

The church contains a fine complete set of 15th century three-light windows in the aisles and clerestory. The south side of the porch is entirely faced in panelled freestone. The entrance archway is framed with St George and the Dragon in the spandrels, and above are three canopied and vaulted image-niches. The north aisle doorway dates to the 14th century.

The chancel retains several 14th century features: a fine east window with dagger tracery and an image niche above, a two-light south window, and a largely restored doorway (with the second window being a 19th century copy). The late 14th century chantry chapel has a square-headed east window and two disused grotesque gargoyles. The north aisle was remodelled and the chantry chapel was raised to provide a sacristy in the late 15th century. Beneath the parapet runs a frieze requesting prayer for John Hoo and his wife, John having died in 1491.

Interior

The interior displays good 15th century character. The four-bay nave arcade features deeply scotia-moulded piers with slender shafts. The cambered and archbraced tiebeam roof has moulded main members and a few badly damaged angels beneath the wall-posts. The aisle roofs are similar, with deep cornices. The chapel, added by John Hoo around 1490, has a similar roof with the refinement of embattling and moulded rafters.

The late 14th century chancel arch is followed by a late 15th century screen complete up to the roodbeam, retaining original stencilled colouring at the lower level. Loft stairs with two doorways provide access above.

A 14th century piscina in the chancel has an ogee hoodmould with crocketing, though it was largely reconstructed in the 19th century. A mid-14th century doorway into the sacristy retains an original plank door with ironwork. An original late 15th century ladder stair leads to the room above. An ornate mid-14th century cusped and ogee-headed piscina stands in the south aisle.

An octagonal font with sunk traceried panels is believed to have been made at Norwich around 1451 and was presented by the Hoo family in 1500. Two sets of nine square-ended benches are positioned in the nave with others in the south aisle. One south aisle bench is linked with a poppyhead end bearing a coat of arms dated to approximately 1525.

Fine and undisturbed late 14th century choirstall fronts display poppyhead ends and traceried fronts with carved spandrels, though the choirstalls themselves are altered; four good ends survive. The north chapel contains an 18th century wall monument to Thomas Aldridge Armiger and another with richly carved drapery and crown to Lionel Bacon (died 1651).

Significant 15th century wall paintings remain: St Barbara in the south aisle, The Seven Deadly Sins above Christ of the Trades in the north aisle, and St Christopher over the north doorway. Fragments of 15th century glass are retained at the head of several windows, sufficient in some cases to identify the subject matter.