Record Details
| NHER Number: | 7313 |
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| Type of record: | Building |
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| Name: | St Mary's Church, North Tuddenham |
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Summary
This imposing church consists of a 14th century pinnacled and battlemented west tower with chequered flushwork on its buttresses, an exceptionally wide aisleless nave, a two storey north porch and a chancel. The church was the subject to Victorian restoration, and much of the stained glass dates from that period (although there is also some fine medieval glass), as are the vividly patterned tiles that cover the inside wall to a height of six feet or more. Above these, rising to the roof, is elaborate stencilling. The octagonal font is 15th century, as is the chancel screen, which has eight surviving paintings of saints. A traceried piscina in the southeast corner of the nave is of the same date. Four reset late medieval painted panels in the tower screen are of uncertain provenance. In the chancel is a tomb chest to Katherine Skippe, who died in 1629.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 0559 1296 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG01SE |
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| Parish: | NORTH TUDDENHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
February 1978. Visit.
Decorated tower; remainder remodelled and rebuilt in Perpendicular style in much inferior flintwork. East window transomed. Piscina in porch. Stained glass dated 1467 which came here in late 19th century removed for repair (it was gone when [1] was here in 1950!). Much 19th century stained glass also. Interior inaccessible at time of visit. (S1) notes Perpendicular font; base of painted screen, and another in the tower, medieval tomb-chest; 17th century memorials; collecting-shoe; many tiles of 1880s; decorated paten of about 1520; chalice, Norwich 1567; chalice and paten London, 1682; these were presented in memory of Thomas Skip and were rediscovered in a Dereham bank!
E. Rose (NAU), 1 February 1978.
There was obviously earlier much stained glass here, for (S2) wrote 'The church is very lofty. All the chancel windows beautiful and have been finely painted, but now much defaced, and all the remaining glass is intended to be taken down, Mr Youngs the rector told me, because he pretends it hinders the light. Tho I never saw a more lightsome church in my life, especially as the whole screen is taken down as low as the pews' He noted five panes in the east window, and two windows each side of the chancel of three panes each. Inside were 'hollow singers seats'.
E. Rose (NAU).
1467 glass replaced 1983; it was bought in a Dereham scrap yard in 19th century.
E. Rose (NAU).
A figure in the glass of the chancel is St Blida of Martham according to (S3) but [2] says not.
1970s or 80s. Alan Carter Norwich Survey.
See (S4) in file, which includes (S5).
T.E. Miller (NLA), 19 April 2006.
1992. Churchyard. In soil from electricity cable trench about 15m north of north porch.
One base sherd Thetford-type ware.
Identified by A. Rogerson (NLA), 2 December 1992.
Rev. Armstrong refers to a new east window and organ being inserted in his entry for the 25th July 1875. 10th January 1877, he mentions the old glass 'recently' put in. A footnote in the 1948 reprint by the editor says that it was found in a stonemason's yard in East Dereham and came from 'another church'. The enry for the 28th February 1883 records the restoration being complete.
Information from (S6).
E. Rose (NLA), 17 September 1997.
A faculty to reroof church with `blue Holland tiles' (glazed pantiles) in 1779.
E. Rose (NLA), 5 May 1999.
Press cuttings (S7), (S8) and (S9) in file. Listed (S10).
(S11) argues that a proportion of the fragmentary medieval stained glass in St Mary’s church originally depicted the legend of the Miraculous Cornfield (otherwise called the miracle of the instantaneous harvest).
A. Beckham (HES), 27 November 2012.
(S12) and (S13) states that the stained glass at St Mary’s church can be divided into two groups. Group 1 consists of main- and tracery-light panels of c. 1420-1430 date from the same workshop, likely Norwich. This includes parts of a series of the lives of St Margaret of Antioch and St George of Cappadocia. The remainder are tracery-light panels showing parts of a series of Episcopal saints. Group 2 consists of a collection of miscellaneous tracery-light panels in different styles and of later dates. Previously it has been suggested that the glass may have come from Lyng or Billingford church. However, (S12) and (S13) argues that the size and shape of the glass plus its iconography and how this relates to St Peter, the church’s patrons and nearby King’s Lynn suggest that the glass most likely came from Wiggenhall St Peter church.
(S13) refers to the glass being restored by G. King & Son in their workshop between 1965 and 1983 with further restoration taking place c. 2005 the Canterbury Cathedral Studio.
A. Beckham (HES), 27 November 2012.
Monument Types
- CHURCH (Medieval to 21st Century - 1066 AD to 2100 AD)
Associated Finds
- POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- FONT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- PISCINA (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- ROOD SCREEN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| --- | Article in Serial: Lucas, R. 1999. Dutch pantiles in the county of Norfolk: architecture and international trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Post-Medieval Archaeology. Vol 32 (for 1998) pp 75-94. p 80. |
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| --- | Website: Knott, S.. 2006. St Mary, North Tuddenham. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/northtuddenham/northtuddenham.htm. 9 August 2006. |
| --- | Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, W. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 575. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Monograph: Pevsner, N. 1962. North-West and South Norfolk. The Buildings of England. 1st Edition. pp 275-276. |
| <S2> | Documentary Source: Martin, T. c. 1700-1799. Collections of Church Notes. Norfolk Records Office. c. 1740. |
| <S3> | Article in Serial: Gill, M. 1995. The Saint with a Scythe: A Previously Unidentified Wall Painting in the Church of St Andrew, Cavenham. Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History. Vol XXXVIII Pt 3 pp 245-254. p 253. |
| <S4> | Unpublished Document: Carter, A.. Building Survey. |
| <S5> | Illustration: Various. Various. Architectural plans. |
| <S6> | Publication: Armstrong, H. B. J (ed). 1949. A Norfolk Diary. Passages from the Diary of The Rev. Benjamin John Armstrong. pp 193, 203, 255. |
| <S7> | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1981-1983. [Articles and a letter to the editor regarding the stain glass windows at St Mary's Church, North Tuddenham]. |
| <S8> | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1983. Festival carries on in spite of dry rot. 8 September. |
| <S9> | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2005. St George comes clean over dragon slaying. 15 September. |
| <S10> | Designation: English Heritage. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1169192. |
| <S11> | Unpublished Report: Edwards, J. [unknown]. The Stained Glass at North Tuddenham - a Suggestion. |
| <S12> | Website: King, D.. 2012. A Scene from the Life of St Margaret of Antioch.. |
| <S13> | Website: King, D.. 2012. Norfolk: North Tuddenham, Parish Church of St Mary.. |
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