Record Details

NHER Number:2354
Type of record:Building
Name:St Nicholas' Church, Shereford

Summary

An early Norman parish church, with a round tower which was heightened in the 12th century. Former north aisle. Double-splayed window in south wall of nave. Very fine early Norman doorway with en delit shafts with volute capitals. The rest of the church dates mainly to the 14th and 15th centuries. The church has a very unusual south porch with a 19th century canopy.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 8872 2962
Map Sheet:TF82NE
Parish:DUNTON, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK
SHEREFORD, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

CHURCHYARD FINDS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED UNDER THIS NUMBER ARE NOW RECORDED UNDER NHER59577.

St Nicholas' is a Saxon church with a round tower, which was heightened and altered in the 12th-century and altered again c. 1300 when a north aisle was added with reset Early English door. The main building material is flint with some carstone and stone dressings, a leaded tower, slated nave and tiled chancel roofs. This was demolished in the early 18th century and the doorway and windows were reset in the nave wall. The round tower was situated at the west of the nave, south porch and chancel.
See (S1) and (S2) for further information.
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 28 June 2013.

December 1991 and January 1992. Field Observation.
Carried out by E. Rose for excavations of drains which revealed the foundations of aisle and also two north buttresses and diagonal buttresses at the angles. The north buttresses appear to have been transferred to the nave wall opposite their original positions.
Pipe trench also revealed west wall of the aisle, which is aligned just to the east of the nave, suggesting that it was joined onto the chancel wall, which overlapped the corner of the nave. The aisle was found to certainly cut through the north wall in 1300; this is indicated by the arcade and the reset windows. There were no remains of the chancel wall which then suggests that the refacing may have taken place since demolition. A sample of Sample of conglomerate now in Norwich Castle Museum.
The tower battlements have been suggested to have been a 15th century addition; however the present top tower dates to after 1850 as do the nave and the chancel roofs. Alterations continued to take place in the 1300 and continue into the 14th century. As shown by the towers west window, which is medieval and could certainly be as early as the 14th century or as late as the 16th century. Internal alterations seem to have taken place in the late 19th century.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3) and (S4).
E. Rose (NLA), 12 December 1991 amended by M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 28 June 2013.

June 1995. Fieldwalking Survey.
Carried out by A. Rogerson, who discovered a large subterranean vault near the west end of the nave, near the north end of the south door. The vault was over 2 meters deep and about 2.5m sq. Two coffins were visible with collapsed joists and stone slabs. The vault was backfilled.
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 28 June 2013.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • CHURCH (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • COFFIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • DOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • DOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FLOOR TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FONT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PISCINA (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

  • Listed Building

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). TF 8829A-B,L-N.
---Article in Serial: Plunkett, G. A. F. 1979. Norfolk Church Screens - 1865 Survey. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXVII Pt II pp 178-189. p 186.
---Monograph: Bryant, T. H. 1900. Hundred of Gallow. The Churches of Norfolk. Vol VI. pp 141-143.
---Publication: Cautley, H. M. 1949. Norfolk Churches. p 5.
---Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1998. TF 8829R - V.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Publication: Messent, C. J. W. 1931. The Ruined Churches of Norfolk. p 213.
---Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, W. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. pp 643-644.
---Publication: Taylor, H. M. and Taylor, J. 1965. Anglo-Saxon Architecture.
---Leaflet: Butler- Stoney, R. 1992. St Nicholas Church, Shereford.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Late Saxon. Dunton.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Miscellaneous. Dunton (Shereford).
<S1>Unpublished Document: E. Rose. 1991. Building Report.. Building Report.
<S2>Designation: English Heritage. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1049293.
<S3>Article in Serial: Nenk, B. S., Margeson, S. and Hurley, M. 1993. Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1992. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XXXVII pp 240-313. p 274.
<S4>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1993. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1992. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLI Pt IV pp 522-532. p 526.

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