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Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	10523
Type of record:	Building
Name:	St Margaret's Church, Hales

Summary

One of the most perfect and important Norman churches in the country, due to the lack of significant alterations since it was built in the 12th century. The church has a round tower, with circular splayed windows which retain the impression of basketwork from their construction. The apsidal chancel is decorated with blind arcading, and the elaborately decorated nave doorways are among the best examples of 12th century doorways in the county. The church also contains 14th century wall paintings of St Christopher and St James, and a fine octagonal 15th century font with carvings of angels, Tudor roses and lions. Late prehistoric and medieval pottery have been found in the churchyard.

Images

Location

Grid Reference:	TM 3834 9610
Map Sheet:	TM39NE
Parish:	HALES, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

September 1960. Listed, Grade I.
Listing Description Excerpt:
"Former parish church, now in the care of the Redundant Churches Fund. Fabric of C12 remains almost intact with some C13 and C14 fenestration. Flint with brick and conglomerate, partly rendered. Limestone dressing. Nave and chancel thatched: roof hipped over east end. West tower, nave, apsidal chancel. Round west tower, possibly C11, with C14 bell-openings. Single light west window with raised cill. Later tower parapet with chequerwork of brick, flint and limestone."
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current listing details.
H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

before July 1982. Casual find during field visit.
From east end of yard bare of trees and other bare patches:
1 sherd Prehistoric flint gritted pottery
1 bowl rim, chalk tempered pottery, 12th century
6 sherds medieval unglazed pottery
Near North doorway:
1 rim with fragmetn of pouring lip, late medieval glazed.
Recorded fully in HER Notes (S6) and noted on record card (S5).
E. Rose (NAU) 27 July 1987. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

post-July 1982. Casual find during field visit.
2 sherds medieval unglazed pottery
Recorded fully in HER Notes (S6) and noted on record card (S5).
E. Rose (NAU) 27 July 1987. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

September 1983. Casual find during field visit.
From east end of yard bare of trees and other bare patches:
1 sherd medieval unglazed pottery
Recorded fully in HER Notes (S6) and noted on record card (S5).
E. Rose (NAU) 27 July 1987. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

July 1987. Field Observation.
Church (redundant) has round Saxo Norman tower perhaps predating nave.
Both contain conglomerate and possible Roman brick.
Nave and apsidal chancel with elaborate scheme of Norman decoration, possibly on older core.
Windows and belfry about 1300, rood stair inserted in window ?15th century.
North porch gone.
Several wall paintings, good 15th century font, unusual ?19th century painting on Jacobean font cover.
Bell at KLM.
Information from record card (S5).
See HER Notes (S6) for full unpublished report. See also re-typed version (S7).
Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

January 2006. Research Report Summary.
S. Heywood 2004 (S33) and N. Batcock 1991 (S27) describe the architecture of the church, which has elaborate Romanesque details. The apsidal chancel is decorated with blind arcading. The nave doorways are considered to be among the best examples of Norman doorways in Norfolk. Both Heywood (S33) and Batcock (S27) interpret the tower as being contemporary or slightly later than the nave, Heywood (S27) concluding that the tower may have been added to an existing building. The tower has circular splayed windows, which still bear the imprint of basketwork left when the windows were constructed. However Pevsner 1999 (S28) returns to the theory that the tower is Saxon and the remainder of the church Norman. The church has a fragmentary 14th century wall painting of St Christopher, and another of St James (see HER Notes (S6) and unpublished report (S7)). Batcock (S27) states that St Margaret's is one of the most important 12th century churches in the country.
This church is also one of the 65 Norfolk churches selected for Jenkins' 2000 publication of England's Thousand Best Churches (S31).
See unpublished report Heywood 2004 (S33) and monograph by Batcock 1991 (S27) for more details.
S. Spooner (NLA), 25 January 2006. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 15 June 2023.

February 2006. Field Observation.
Inspection of the interior of the tower confirms the present belfry is a 14th century addition; the earlier belfry has internal Norman mouldings and Caen stone detailing; however there remains the possibility that the base is Saxon.
See unpublisehd report (S35) for further details.
E. Rose (NLA), 4 February 2006.

The church is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust (2006).

Monument Types

SITE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
CHURCH (Late Saxon to 19th Century - 851 AD to 1900 AD)
ROUND TOWERED CHURCH (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1539 AD)
SITE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
SITE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
SITE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
BRICK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
DOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
PISCINA (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
WALL PAINTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
WALL PAINTING (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)

Protected Status

SHINE
Listed Building

Sources and further reading

---	Secondary File: Secondary File.
---	Slide: Various. Slide.
<S1>	Designation: Historic England. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1169239.
<S2>	Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Hales.
<S3>	Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Hales [2].
<S4>	Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TM 39 NE 19.
<S5>	Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
<S6>	Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S7>	Unpublished Report: Rose, E. 1987. 10523 - Hales. St Margaret's Church. Building Report.
<S8>	Serial: Blomefield, F.. 1808. An Essay Towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk.. Vol VIII. 548. p 16.
<S9>	Publication: Cotman, J.S. 1838. Architectural Etchings of the County of Norfolk.
<S10>	Publication: Cox, J. C. 1911. Country Churches: Norfolk. Vol II. p 41.
<S11>	Article in Serial: 1925. [unknown]. Journal of the British Archaeological Association. Second Series Vol XXXI. p 48.
<S12>	Article in Serial: Kent, E.A.. 1927. The Saxon Windows in Hales Church, Norfolk. Journal of the British Archaeological Association. Second Series Vol XXXIII, pp187-188. pp 187-188.
<S13>	Newspaper Article: Eastern Evening News. 1933. [unknown]. June 1933.
<S14>	Publication: Clapham, A. W. 1934. English Romanesque Architecture After the Conquest. pp 103, 130, 134.
<S15>	Publication: Messent, C. J. W. 1936. The Parish Churches of Norfolk & Norwich. p 98.
<S16>	Publication: Cautley, H. M. 1949. Norfolk Churches. p 203.
<S17>	Monograph: Pevsner, N. 1962. North-West and South Norfolk. The Buildings of England. 1st Edition. p 183.
<S18>	Publication: Taylor, H. M. and Taylor, J. 1965. Anglo-Saxon Architecture. p 278.
<S19>	Oblique Aerial Photograph: Various. ? - 2020. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Oblique Collection. TM3896/A-B; 12-JUL-1974 (NLA 12/ACU 19-20).
<S20>	Oblique Aerial Photograph: Various. ? - 2020. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Oblique Collection. TM3896/C-D; 02-AUG-1977 (NLA 56/ALE 25-26).
<S21>	Leaflet: Redundant Churches Fund. 1983. Guide to the Church of St Margaret, Hales. series 2, No 2.
<S22>	Oblique Aerial Photograph: Various. ? - 2020. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Oblique Collection. TM3896/E-F; 27-APR-1984 (NLA 150/AXD 18-19).
<S23>	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1987. Wall paintings found. 10 July.
<S24>	Oblique Aerial Photograph: Various. ? - 2020. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Oblique Collection. TM3896/G-H; 20-JUL-1988 (NLA 203/DSJ 6-7).
<S25>	Oblique Aerial Photograph: Various. ? - 2020. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Oblique Collection. TM3896/I-J; 21-FEB-1989 (NLA 216/DPW 14-15).
<S26>	Monograph: Davison, A.. 1990. The Evolution of Settlement in Three Parishes in South-East Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 49. pp 60-61.
<S27>	Monograph: Batcock, N. 1991. The Ruined and Disused Churches of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 51. Microfiche 5:G12. No 16; p 50.
<S28>	Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, B. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. pp 375-376; Pl 17.
<S29>	Unpublished Report: Halfacre, E.. 1999. Norwich Diocesan Advisory Committee Report on a Visit to a Church; Hales St Margaret. March.
<S30>	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1999. Photograph of St Margaret's Church. 7 September.
<S31>	Publication: Jenkins, S. 2000. England's Thousand Best Churches.
<S32>	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2001. [Photographs of St Margaret's Church, Hales]. 18 April.
<S33>	Leaflet: Heywood, S. 2004. St Margaret's Church, Hales, Norfolk.. The Churches Conservation Trust.
<S34>	Photograph: Norfolk County Council Historic Buildings Team. [unknown]. Photograph of St. Margaret's Church, Hales. Norfolk County Council Historic Buildings Team. print. colour.
<S35>	Unpublished Document: Rose, E. 2006. 10523 - Hales. St Margaret's Church continued. Building Report - site visit.
<S36>	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2009. Twelve churches are picture perfect. 3 April.
<S37>	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2010. A towering piece of Norman church architecture. 20 October.
<S38>	Unpublished Document: Randall, G.. 2010. WEA Norwich Branch practical church exploration course report for St Margaret's Church, Hales..