Nominal: 975.5 Hz Weight: 672 lbs Diameter: 30.75" Bell 1 of 5
Founded by Lester & Pack 1762
Dove Bell ID: 2893 Tower ID: 11953 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: turned Cracked: No
Great & Little Livermere: St Peter
Diocese of St.Edmundsbury & Ipswich
Church, 633204
http://blackbourneteam.btck.co.uk/Overview
Grid reference: TL 885 713
The west tower and chancel are now for the most part Decorated, but blocked lancets in the latter show a date of before 1300. The nave windows are also Decorated, but the simple north doorway might show a 12th century date. The north vestry seems to be late 18th century. The walls are of a variety of materials including rubble, flint, brick and sandstone. The chancel and the south wall of the nave are rough cast, but the tower and north nave wall are bare masonry. The nave roof is thatched, the tower is slated and the chancel is tiled; the vestry has a lead roof. The south porch is covered with pantiles.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
West tower, aisleless nave with south porch, chancel with north vestry.
Footprint of Church buildings: 296 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
The west tower and chancel are now for the most part Decorated, but blocked lancets in the latter show a date of before 1300. The nave windows are also Decorated, but the simple north doorway might show a 12th century date. The north vestry seems to be late 18th century.
Exterior Description
The walls are of a variety of materials including rubble, flint, brick and sandstone. The chancel and the south wall of the nave are rough cast, but the tower and north nave wall are bare masonry. The nave roof is thatched, the tower is slated and the chancel is tiled; the vestry has a lead roof. The south porch is covered with pantiles.
The west tower, although still quite tall, has been lowered (probably in the 19th century) so that it now rises hardly higher than the nave ridge. The original belfry stage has been replaced by a shallow weather-boarded stage with a pyramidal roof in the middle of which rises a tiny louvred turret. The lowest stage has a window in the west wall of two lights and a cross within a vesica in the tracery, and apart from tiny slits in the next stage anddiagonal buttresses at the corners, the tower is featureless.
The north wall is divided into three bays by buttresses; each has a two-light window, the main lights of which have cusped ogee heads with an unusual tracery feature of a vesica with ogee ends filled with four mouchettes. In the west bay is a round-headed doorway and a moulded surround, now blocked with brickwork. All the windows keep their stanchions and saddlebars.
The north chancel wall is for the most part hidden by a later vestry, but has a single ogee-headed light in the western part. The vestry, of c.1790, is rectagular with brick quoins surrounding panels of flint. The north wall has two blind round-headed windows with elementary Y tracery of wood, and the walls are crowned with brick battlements. The window in the east wall has three lights, is also round-headed and has wooden intersecting tracery.
The east window of the chancel has three lights and flowing tracery, all renewed. It is under a four-centred arch, and must be in origin late-Decorated; the tracery between the ogee heads of the three main lights and the arch above falls between reticulated and flamboyant. A panel above is pierced with a quatrefoil. In the south chancel wall is a window towards the west matching that in the north wall; a small priest's doorway comes next to the east, then a blocked lancet close to a late three-light Perpendicular window with cusped heads and intersecting tracery; there are no buttresses to the chancel.
The south have windows reflect the design of those in the north wall, but in addition between the two western ones is the entrance to the church. This is sheltered by a porch with a two-centred outer arch carried on attached half-round shafts. In the side walls are decayed two-light Perpendicular windows, but the battlements to the parapet over each side wall bear witness to a late-18th century or 19th century reconstruction. An elegant iron gnomon for a sundial stands over the door, but the figures have disappeared. The porch roof is of three bays, with arch braces from side to side and semi-circular wind-braces against the wall; the roof is panelled and plastered. On the floor of pamments stand stone benches against the side walls.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
The only stained glass is two late-mediaeval florets in a south chancel window.
Interior
Interior Description
The aisleless nave is large and light, with a curved plaster vaulted ceiling which for one bay at the east end is replaced by a higher open roof with plastered panels between the rafters. The tower arch is of two chamfered orders and is closed by doors in the French 17th century style. The ladder to the belfry has the date 1681 carved upon it.
Five mediaeval benches survive at the back of the nave, and the box pews which succeeded them have been replaced by 19th century benches, the doors now forming a dado round the walls.
Low by the south doorway is a cusped stoup, without a bowl which was no doubt sheared off when the box pews were erected. In the north wall, towards the east end, are two contrasting niches. One is plain and oroughly round-headed while the other has a crocketted ogee head against a rectangular panel. The head is enriched with rudimentary vaulting and considerable traces of colouring survive.
The chancel arch has attached shafts on the inner side with moulded capitals, and corbels high up at each side show the position of the rood beam. The screen which closes the lower part of the arch is of a heavy design.
The chancel is notable for the big east window and the roof which is made effective by the simple lines of the moulded beams against the plaster but especially because of the richly carved wall-plates with spiral mouldings, stylised leaves and other motifs and a pierced band of Geometrical figures, differing in each of the five bays. Small attached columns stand on corbels along each wall. A fragment of wallpainting of a spiral design on the south wall shows how the features of the woodwork must have been amplified by other decorative elements.
The floor is paved with stone, and the chancel is lit (apart from the east window) by a spacious south window which casts a flood of light upon the Georgian arrangement of three-sided Communion Rails (supported on twisted balusters of slender elegance). The spiral turning is repeated in the legs of the Communion Table and some more parts have been made up into a prayer desk nearby. This suggests either that the pulpit once (when it was higher) had stairs with spiral banisters, or else that the Communion Rails might have encompassed all four sides of the Table, an arrangement which has seldom survived. Under the Table are three black marble ledgers, and upon it is a pretty brass cross and a pair of brass candlesticks. These are set against a reredos of green material hung within a frame of more re-used 18th century woodwork. The reredos blocks the lower part of the east window, which is flanked by big ogee-headed niches (of which the north has survived less well, having lost the florets from the cusps). In the north wall towards the east is a very tall late Perpendicular recess with foliage carved in the spandrels. Within it is the much later door to the vestry.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
The altar table is of oak, Victorian, but incorporating four spiral twist baluster legs with the same Corinthian capitals as the reredos and altar rails.
Reredos
The reredos is a frame for hangings, the end supports each made up with two spiral-twist half-columns with Corinthian capitals; the straight cresting is clumsy, but uses a row of leaf finials and six oval leaf-carved paterae which seem 18th century.
Altar
The altar rails are on three sides of the altar table. They are of oak with finely turned spiral twist balusters, widely spaced, with stouter and taller balusters at the corners (where the rail is upswept) with Corinthian capitals. They date from the mid-18th century and the centre gate retains its brass bolt.
Panelling
18th Century
The east wall has a dado of plain 18th century fielded panels.
Stall
The choirstalls incorporate on the north side remains of two stall ends each with bold leaf crockets; one end had good tracery in late 14th century style, but the other is defaced.
Screen
The screen is straight-headed with a central opening and two openings on each side with ogee traceried heads with crockets and finials; the cresting rail is carved with quatrefoil cusps in two rows (perhaps re-set) with remains of gilding. There are further remains of gilding on the cusps, finials and spandrels of the tracery. The lower part of the screen on each side has tracery-headed panels and again some traces of gilding, together with traces of colouring. The west face has applied pinnacles and buttresses to the uprights.
Pulpit
c.1700
The pulpit is made up of the remains of a three-decker arrangement of oak.
Organ (object)
The organ stands in a Gothic case of c.1840, with a front of painted dummy pipes. A brass plate states that it was 'rebuilt by Norman Bros. and Beard of Norwich'. There are two anvals and pedals, with tracker action and an electric blower. There are eleven speaking stops of good tone.
Font (object)
14th Century
The font is 14th century, with a plain shaft and panels of differing tracery round the bowl.
Bells
Nominal: 1473 Hz Weight: 336 lbs Diameter: 24" Bell 2 of 5
Founded by Lester & Pack 1762
Dove Bell ID: 22578 Tower ID: 11953 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: unturned Cracked: No
Nominal: 1319 Hz Weight: 420 lbs Diameter: 25.44" Bell 3 of 5
Founded by Lester & Pack 1762
Dove Bell ID: 22579 Tower ID: 11953 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: unturned Cracked: No
Nominal: 1229 Hz Weight: 476 lbs Diameter: 26.75" Bell 4 of 5
Founded by Lester & Pack 1762
Dove Bell ID: 22580 Tower ID: 11953 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: unturned Cracked: No
Nominal: 1097.5 Hz Weight: 560 lbs Diameter: 29" Bell 5 of 5
Founded by Lester & Pack 1762
Dove Bell ID: 22581 Tower ID: 11953 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: unturned Cracked: No
Churchyard
Grid reference: TL 885 713
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
The churchyard has war graves.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Quinquennial Inspections
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