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Record Details

NHER Number:8517
Type of record:Building
Name:St Lawrence's Church, South Walsham

Summary

Only the chancel and base of the tower survive from the church of about 1500, with much of the rest of this church destroyed in a fire of 1827. Repairs were made in 1832, which allowed the church to re-open, but it had fallen into disuse by 1946 and the tower fell down in 1971. Excavations on site in 1995 revealed several graves, remnants of the nave, which was destroyed by the fire, and the remains of a possible medieval reliquary area. Various Middle Saxon and medieval pottery sherds have been found along with animal bone and iron smithing slag of Saxon or medieval date.

Images

  • St Lawrence's Church, South Walsham. Photograph from www.norfolkchurches.co.uk © Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service

Location

Grid Reference:TG 3658 1326
Map Sheet:TG31SE
Parish:SOUTH WALSHAM, BROADLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

Chancel and base of tower only survive of church of about 1500; nave destroyed and chancel altered 1827 and 1832, tower fell 1971.
See report in file.
E. Rose (NAU) 27 April 1984.

May 1995. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of chancel. Excavation of two trenches revealed two graves and the remains of the probable chancel-arch foundation wall. A layer of loose rubble across the whole building was seen in both trenches and probably dates from the disastrous fire of 1827, which led to the removal of the ruined nave and the extension of the chancel westwards.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S6) and (S7).
A. Cattermole (NLA) 2 August 2005.

November 1995. Watching Brief.
Further clearance of rubble revealed more details of the pre-1827 arrangements, including the remains of a possible medieval reliquary area.
See report (S2) in file for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S7) and (S8).
A. Cattermole (NLA) 2 August 2005.

Appropriate section from reference (S3) in file.

November 2000. Excavation.
Excavation prior to construction of a toilet block extension. Contexts 100-177.
Most structural remains removed following fire of 1827. Demolition deposits contained fragments of brick, tile, worked stone, window glass, nails and lead. A sequence of floor surfaces were identified. Three graves identified. Robbed out remains of an undated wall my have been associated with the Late Saxon church.
Middle Saxon and medieval sherds. Animal bone and iron smithing slag may relate to either period.
See report report (S4) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S8).
A. Cattermole (NLA) 30 March 2004.

Two categories of finds from the 1995 excavation not previously entered.
A. Rogerson (NLA) 26 March 2004.

(S5) in file.
E. Rose (NLA) 15 May 2006.

An identical medieval armorial floor tile to that recorded in the 1995 evaluation was recorded at HER 10285 in 2004.
A. Beckham (HES), 2 February 2012.

Monument Types

  • CHURCH (Medieval to 21st Century - 1066 AD to 2100 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • SLAG (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • BALUSTER (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • DOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FLOOR TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • MORTAR (VESSEL) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SLAG (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FONT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • WINDOW (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • WINDOW (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

  • Listed Building
  • Listed Building

Sources and further reading

---Documentary Source: Various. Drawings, engravings and etchings, including numerous portraits, maps, etc, collected by Dawson Turner to illustrate Blomefield's "History of Norfolk" 1810-1847. Add MS 23024-23052. Vol XXIV (Add MS 23047).
---Map: Bryant, A.. 1826. Bryant's Map of Norfolk.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Monograph: Pevsner, N. and Wilson, B. 1997. Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. pp 668-669.
---Illustration: Ladbrooke. 1824. [unknown].
---Photograph: 1991. Photographs of ruins of St Lawrence's Church, South Walsham. Black & white.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide.
---Photograph: CLZ 11-14, FZC, FZN 31, HBJ; HJN.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1989. A tale of two churches and their parishes. 15 September.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1998. Community restoration is done at the double. 17 October.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1995. Grant aids restoration. 8 June.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1991. £40,000 appeal to save money. 25 March.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S1>Unpublished Contractor Report: Penn, K. 1994. Excavations at St Lawrence's Church, South Walsham. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 128.
<S2>Unpublished Contractor Report: Penn, K. 1996. Further Excavations at St. Lawrence's Church, South Walsham. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 175.
<S3>Monograph: Batcock, N. 1991. The Ruined and Disused Churches of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 51. Microfiche 5:G12. No 62; p 51.
<S4>Unpublished Contractor Report: Albone, J. 2000. Archaeological Excavations at St. Mary's Church, South Walsham, Norfolk. Archaeological Project Services. 128/00.
<S5>Photograph: Unknown. 2006. [unknown].
<S6>Article in Serial: Nenk, B. S., Margeson, S. and Hurley, M. 1996. Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1995. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XL pp 234-318. p 274.
<S7>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1996. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1995. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt III pp 397-412. pp 408-409.
<S8>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2001. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 2000. Norfolk Archaeology. XLIII Pt IV pp 707-728. p 724.

Related records

MNO4629Related to: Remains w tower of the Church of St. Lawrence. The Street SOUTH WALSHAM (Revoked)

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