Diameter: 24" Bell 1 of 1
Founded by Thomas Newman 1744
Dove Bell ID: 52822 Tower ID: 19433 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Cranwich: St Mary
Overview
Grid reference: TL 782 948
Small possibly pre-Conquest round-tower church in isolated rural location. Simple mostly 19th-century furnishings.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Church open regularly Grade I listed building Visitor parking nearby
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Round west tower; aisleless nave with south porch; chancel.
Dimensions:
[Approximate] Nave 10m (32ft) x 5m (16ft), chancel 8m (25’6ft)
Footprint of Church buildings: 182 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
The River Wissey meanders east-west 300 yards to the north and broadens to the north-west into an area of ponds known as Mill Covert, so this is a good settlement site which also has high ecological value. Grimes Graves (Neolithic flint mines) is 5 miles away, and there have been numerous surface finds of lithics in the area including an Upper Palaeolithic shouldered point, as well as reportedly “Belgic” and Roman pottery (Pastscape).
Cranwich is mentioned in Domesday, the church is not, although of course this is not conclusive. It was a reasonably sized settlement at this time, and it does seem likely that the church is pre-Conquest, if only just. The apparently round churchyard might however indeed be suggestive of an early site. Traces of a possible deserted settlement have also been noted in fields directly to the north of the church. William of Warenne held the village in 1086, previously Domesday records the Lord as St Etheldreda’s Abbey in Ely and Earl Harold. The nave may well also be 11th-century, being narrow and the walls not very thick; the south doorway is however clearly late 12th-century. The chancel appears later, judging by the piscina and east window of the 14th-century. The porch and some of the nave fenestration is late 15th-century.
The church was heavily restored in the early 19th century, with new buttresses and a complete new, very rustic set of furnishings, only the old font, bells and monuments being retained. A successful ICBS grant application for repairs was made in the 1950s and two more in the early 1970s, there are no plans or drawings in the archive. In 2011-12 extensive repairs were undertaken with grant aid from English Heritage, the National Churches Trust, and the CBC (Wolfson grant). The Parish of Cranwich is in Mundford benefice.
Exterior Description
An extremely picturesque small rural church with the unusual feature of thatched roofs, striking in its isolation and apparent simplicity. The fabric and architecture are however on closer inspection of considerable complexity and interest, and would repay detailed study.
The tapering west tower, possibly of the early 11th century, is of course the dominant feature. It lacks the typical strong coursing of Norman work. It has a circular monolithic ground floor west window, a similar arched first floor window and round openings above with interlace patterns to north, south and west, probably representing the original bell stage. The present bellstage above this has four undressed roughly arched openings with louvres and a late-Medieval crenellated parapet with 3 gargoyles (human masks).
The nave and chancel roofs are thatched, in good condition. South wall of nave with one 14th-century cusped lancet window and two 15th-century windows with flat heads of 2 and 3 cusped lights. Rendered south porch with arched entrance and cusped 2-light side windows. Late 12th-century south doorway with chamfered rounded arch on simple imposts supporting a hood mould with dogtooth decoration. North wall of nave with hollow chamfered doorway of two orders (blocked on the inside) with deteriorating plank door, and two 15th-century 2-light panel traceried windows. Early 14th-century chancel with two 2-light Y-traceried windows to the north and south walls and a 3-light Y-traceried east window. Victorian buttresses of ashlar clasping flint core, brick to the chancel, 20th-century.
Building Fabric and Features
Tower (component)
11th century round
Nave
11th century aisleless
Chancel
14th century
Porch
12th century south
Building Materials
Flint
11th century with some carstone to the tower
Ashlar
19th century buttresses
Brick
20th century dressings
Render
20th century porch
Interior
Interior Description
Moving inside, the interior is whitewashed, simple, calm, with dark-stained wooden furniture and panelling to a dado. The pews look like garden benches shoe-horned into the available space, perhaps they were; the word usually used for such a restoration is “rustic”. The tower arch has been filled in, with a modern doorway inserted. There is a small framed Royal Arms hung on the wall above this. Plain 14th-century font in the north-west corner hard against the small harmonium.
Looking east, there is no chancel arch excepting the remnants of a pilaster on the north side and the boarded end of the nave roof, which has moulded wall-plates and arched braces considered to be of Medieval date, largely obscured by the ceiling; the lower chancel roof is totally ceiled in.
14th-century piscina in the chancel south wall with a deeply moulded arch on a pair of engaged colonnettes with bell capitals, scalloped basin with hole. There is a carved frieze below the east window with mouchettes. 19th-century Commandment Boards within moulded pointed arches flank the east window. Brick floors, worn 18th-century ledgers at the east end of the nave and a Medieval mensa (altar) slab with consecration crosses set in the north side of the chancel floor. There are three memorial tablets on the wall above this.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century plain wooden table
Pulpit
19th century hexagonal carved oak with moulded stem
Lectern
19th century modern plain light-stained wood
Rail
19th century plain wooden rails
Font (component)
14th century octagonal stone font with plain sides, clustered stem
Plaque (component)
20th century WWI brass plaque with names of men who served
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Registers dating from 1691 held at Norfolk Record Office.
Churchyard
Grid reference: TL 782 948
Burial and War Grave Information
The church/building is consecrated.
The churchyard has been used for burial.
The churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
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
Sources
Showing 15 entries of 15 View All
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.