Our July meeting opened on a solemn note with a minute's silence in memory of Mary Manning, founder member and former Chairman and President of the Society.
Village resident Richard Barham then proceeded to deliver a beautifully illustrated story of the development of church architecture in Norfolk from Saxon times to the present day. The images were chosen from a base of 530 churches., beginning with typical Saxon archtecture at Great Dunham. Saxon elements continued into the Norman period when round arches are still found, as at Soth Lopham and Castle Rising
In Early English architecture pointed arches appear at Binham and West Walton, where the tower stands in front of the church. The Decorated period began in the 14th century. Adventurous tracery can be seen at Norton Subcourse, Elsing and the unfinished south transept at Cley. Building reached its zenith in the Perpendicular period on the back of wool trade profits. Worstead, with flying buttresses, and Cawston, with a cut stone tower are typical: Salle is the best example in the county.
During the Reformation images and colour fell out of favour. At North Elmham the face of the Virgin Mary was removed from the screen and similar destruction occurred elsewhere. Thereafter church building declined as “purgatory paments” fell out of favour and the wool trade diminished.
This 300 year period of neglect saw the collapse of several towers, including North Runcton and Wood Rising.
Two curious items were illustrated. At West Dereham a tombstone can be found commemorating a Napoleonic soldier, Emanuel Gaminari, who survived the retreat from Moscow and died aged 98 after a career there as a Norfolk publican. An astonishing feature at Stow Bardolph is a door in the family chapel which, when opened, reveals a “sentry box” containing a wax figure of the patron Lady Hare. This has been conserved with help from Madame Tussauds.
From the Victorian era onward more effort was put into restoration, notably the unusual twin towers at Booton. In the 1950s Bawdeswell church was rebuilt in New England style after being damaged by a crashing Mosquito aircraft.
These are just a few of the many beautiful examples we saw and are now inspired to visit.
Ray Jones