Record Details
| NHER Number: | 3467 |
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| Type of record: | Building |
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| Name: | St Botolph's Church, West Briggs |
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Summary
An isolated little church, St Botolph's was originally the church of the vanished hamlet of West Briggs, but when Tottenhill's church fell into ruin, this one was taken over, despite technically being in Wormegay. The small west tower is 14th century and once had a steeple, but the earliest part of the building is the Norman nave, with a fine south door, blocked north door and lancet window in the north wall. The chancel arch is also Norman (though its outer band of decoration was renewed in 1877), with recesses on each side, rendered somewhat shapeless by 19th century remodelling. The east window survived this treatment and dates to about 1300. The plain octagonal font is 17th century.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TF 653 109 |
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| Map Sheet: | TF61SE |
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| Parish: | WORMEGAY, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Anciently the church of West Briggs, now appropriated to Tottenhill, though in Wormegay civil parish. Fine Norman south door with zigzag, and cross on tympanum.
North door (blocked) very early Norman with straight head and suggestions of long and short work.
Small Norman window to north. Pevsner describes a Norman chancel arch with hoodmould, renewed 1877, with recesses on each side. Other nave windows; southwest is debased Perpendicular. Southeast two lancets under one hoodmould, and north brick lancet; both the latter are probably 17th century. South windows wide-splayed inside.
Chancel a hotchpotch of stone, brick and carrstone. East window intersected, of about 1300; two south lancets probably modern.
July 1978. Visit.
Tower Perpendicular. Carrstone with brick stair turret; niche to west. The nave roof has been lowered and there is an odd brick strainer-arch joining it to the tower on north. 17th century brick south porch. Modern buttresses on north and one on south. On exterior south wall a large late 17th century tablet. Chalice and paten 1567.
Interior inaccessible at time of visit, but through windows looks poor.
E. Rose (NAU), 7 July 1978.
'Roman quern' noted in chancel north wall by [1]. A. Rogerson (NLA) noted lava in east chancel wall and tower north wall and south east buttress, but not the above.
E. Rose (NLA), 7 January 1991.
April 1985. Listed, Grade I.
See (S1) for the complete listing details.
The north door is identical to the stair door in the east wall of Norwich Cathedral north transept, and together with that at Marham is one of a group of three. See (S2).
E. Rose (NLA), 5 December 2000.
Monument Types
- CHURCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CHURCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds
- QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| --- | Aerial Photograph: TF6510 D-G. |
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| --- | Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, W. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 739. |
| --- | Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Wormegay. |
| <S1> | Designation: English Heritage. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1077838. |
| <S2> | Article in Monograph: Franklin, J. A. 1996. The Romanesque Sculpture. Norwich Cathedral: Church, City and Diocese, 1096-1996. Atherton, I. et al (eds). pp 116-135. p 120. |
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