Record Details
| NHER Number: | 7749 |
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| Type of record: | Building |
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| Name: | All Saints' Church, Weston Longville |
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Summary
A large, very pretty and well-maintained flint, brick and stone church, consisting of a small 13th century west tower, a 14th century aisled nave with a clerestory, a 14th century chancel and a 15th century south porch. The church is best known for its association with Parson James Woodforde, who was Rector here from 1776 until the time of his death in 1803, and whose famous diaries of village life are still read today. His memorial can be seen in the chancel. However, the church also has a great number of interesting features that survive from centuries before Woodforde was alive. Over the porch is an empty niche, above which is a shield of the Company of French Merchant Adventurers, a company incorporated by Edward IV. The 14th century south door has long hinges and retains its original closing ring. Inside the tall 14th century arcades give a nice sense of space. The tower arch has a modern screen, glazed at the top to light the ringing chamber (the bells were restored in 1976 and are excellent). To the right of this is a portrait of Woodforde himself, painted by his nephew in 1806 from a sketch taken in 1785. The plain octagonal font is probably 13th century and is supported on four Purbeck marble columns. Built into the step to the west of the font is a probably Late Saxon crucifixion carving, the church's oldest feature. On the north aisle is a large and particularly good 14th century painted Jesse tree (a family tree of Christ). The chancel arch is flanked by two other 14th century paintings, one of St John the Baptist and one of St John the Divine.
The beautifully preserved 15th century rood screen has a dado with (much restored) painted panels of the twelve disciples under interlacing arches of tracery. Other features of interest include a rood stair, good 17th to 19th century floor tombs, a brass to Elizabeth Rokewood under a mat in front of the lectern, an Edwardian pulpit, a Royal Arms of George III, a box pew, an organ of 1906, some old stained glass in the south aisle windows and a fine piscina and a sedilia depicting two green men in the chancel. The building was restored in the 1800s.
Images
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 1134 1586 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG11NW |
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| Parish: | WESTON LONGVILLE, BROADLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
June 1978. Visited.
Much conglomerate in walls, and built into font steps very rough crucifixion carving, called Late Saxon by vicar.
Tower is 13th century, Y-tracery bell openings (a steeple fell in 1602).
Decorated chancel with flowing tracery (part renewed 1880) and finely carved sedilia and piscina. Another piscina and aumbry in north wall may be modern.
Nave arcades also 14th century (south arcade apparently built first) and in south wall exterior blocked window probably of this date.
Quatrefoil clerestory with original corbels at its west end exterior, and also on aisle eaves here.
Perpendicular south windows; north windows in Perpendicular style are completely of 1880 but east window of this aisle early Perpendicular.
East window of south aisle was three-light straight-headed, ?17th century, blocked in brick before 1718 (memorial on the inside).
South porch Perpendicular, flushwork, niche over and arms of French merchant adventurers.
Across west end north aisle a great tie beam held in place by huge wooden dowel in nave.
All roofs recent, nave is crownpost.
Stone edged putlog hole in south wall.
Pre-Reformation altar slab replaced on altar from nave 1880.
Font ?13th century, on Purbeck marble shafts.
Perpendicular painted screen.
14th century south door with hinges and lock.
Very fine 14th century (post 1350) Jesse tree wallpainting on north wall, and figure north of chancel arch; traces of another to south.
Rood stair.
Some old stained glass.
Good 17th to 19th century floor tombs. Brass 1533, and brass 1533, and brass plaque ?17th century. 18th century memorials including one to Parson Woodeforde, and a 19th century Gothic Revival one.
Bell 1624.
Good Victorian Edwardian pulpit with curving stair.
Walker organ 1906.
Royal arms of George III pre Irish Union.
One box pew, but original poppyheads noted by (S1) not found amongst copies.
Paten Norwich 1660; tankard, London 1773; paten, London 1807.
The worn tracery replaced in 1880 has been built into the southwest corner of the churchyard wall.
E. Rose (NAU), 14 June 1978.
May 1993.
Drainage works in churchyard observed.
No features of archaeological interest exposed, apart from the presence of a circular brick-lined well in the churchyard south of the nave.
See plan in file.
D. Gurney (NLA), 11 May 1993.
January/February 1995.
Pews and wooden flooring lifted, exposing slab partly under main aisle.
See report and sketch plan in file.
D. Gurney (NLA), 1 February 1995.
13 July 1993. NLA air photography.
Church visible.
S. Massey (NLA), 8 February 2001.
June 2001.
Foundation exposed in dry area trench.
See note in file.
D. Gurney (NLA), 16 July 2001.
There is a sedilia depicting two green men each side of a man carrying foliage according to (S2), who sees it as illustrating Rogation; but (S3) suggests it may represent bringing in the May.
E. Rose (NLA), 10 December 2001.
Monument Types
- CHURCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CHURCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- WELL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds
- ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- FONT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- PISCINA (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WALL PAINTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WINDOW (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1976. Chancel screen only half restored. 21 May. |
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1975-1976. [Articles on the restoration of the bells at All Saints' Church, Weston Longville]. |
| --- | Designation: English Heritage. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1372689. |
| --- | Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1993. TG 1115A - B. |
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| --- | Unpublished Document: 1979. A Guide to All Saints' Parish Church, Weston Longville.. |
| --- | Website: Knott, S.. 2006. All Saints, Weston Longville. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/westonlongville/westonlongville.htm. 24 August 2007. |
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2009. A country parson's diary entry to immortality. 19 December. |
| --- | Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, W. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. pp 767-768. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Monograph: Pevsner, N. 1962. North-West and South Norfolk. The Buildings of England. 1st Edition. pp 376-377. |
| <S2> | Publication: Basford, K.. 1978. The Green Man. |
| <S3> | Article in Serial: Hall, M. A. 2001. An ivory knife handle from the High Street, Perth: consuming ritual in a medieval burgh. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XLV pp 169-188. p 186. |
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