Record Details

NHER Number:10001
Type of record:Building
Name:St Nicholas' Church, Fundenhall

Summary

A medieval parish church with original Norman architectural details and a central tower. The Norman south door seems to have been inspired by Norwich Cathedral. The rood loft and stairs have survived, but the rood screen did not. The church was heavily restored in the 19th century.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TM 1526 9688
Map Sheet:TM19NE
Parish:ASHWELLTHORPE, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK
FUNDENHALL, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

(S1) notes a central steeple and a carved rood loft, the latter also noted in (S2).

1988.
Bells restored and tenor bell from Forncett St Mary installed. See (S3), copy in file.
Church heavily restored 1869. Some of the Norman details of the tower are original, most are restored. Good Norman south door. Rood loft retained but not the screen itself; internal rood stair. [1]
E. Rose (NAU), 5 October 1998.

South doorway inspired by Norwich Cathedral see (S4).

2004.
Church deemed unsafe due to falling masonry.
See (S5) for details.
H. White (NLA), 24 February 2010.

Photographs of southern respond of west tower arch under repair.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 9 June 2008.

2009.
Church re-opened after restoration work.
See (S5) for details.
H. White (NLA), 24 February 2010.

2009. Dendrochronological Survey.
Analysis of timbers from the Belfry Stage, door and door frame.
Three timbers from the belfry stage representing two trees were dated. One joist was most likely felled in the late 16th or early 17th century, whilst the other two main beams were felled in the early to mid-17th century. The timbers from the potentially original Norman door and its frame contained too few rings to be dated dendrochronologically.
See report (S6) for further details.
S. Howard (HES), 31 August 2011.

May 2010.
Church rededicated after restoration work above.
See (S5) for details.
E. Whitcombe (NLA), 4 August 2010.

Summer 2015
Original apsidal chancel found beneath stalls. (The north side only)
S. Heywood (HES), 24 August 2015

Monument Types

  • CHURCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SITE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • CHURCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • SITE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • DOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

  • Listed Building

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: TM 1596A,B.
---Designation: Historic England. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1306126.
---Photograph: I & RS. Digital finds image.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, B. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 347.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2010. Rescued church is an example to others. 1 July.
---Leaflet: Norwich School Local History Group. 1980. Some notes on the Parish of St. Nicholas, Fundenhall, Norfolk..
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2016. Celebrations at church as new look is unveiled. 10 May.
<S1>Documentary Source: Martin, T. c. 1700-1799. Collections of Church Notes. Norfolk Records Office. Walter Rye Collection. RYE 17.. c. 1740.
<S2>Unpublished Document: 1818. Excursions through Norfolk. 2.
<S3>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1988. The five are set to ring again. 29 July.
<S4>Article in Monograph: Thurlby, M. 1996. The Influence of the Cathedral on Romanesque Architecture. Norwich Cathedral: Church, City and Diocese, 1096-1996. Atherton, I. et al (eds). pp 136-157. p 156.
<S5>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2009-2010. [Articles on the reopening and further fundraising work for St Nicholas' Church, Fundenhall].
<S6>Monograph: Bridge, M. C. 2009. St Nicholas' Church, Fundenhall, Norfolk. Tree-ring Analaysis of Timbers From the Belfry Stage, Door and Door Frame. English Heritage Research Department Report Series. 86-2009.

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