HISTORICBUILDING RECORD

ST FAITH'SMISSION CHURCH, ,,

JOHN SILBY BA MscrHBc ConsetuationPlanning Desi9n Trainlng

1gthJanuary 2011 PlannlngAuthorlty BroadlandDistrictCouncll PlannlngAppllcrtlon rcfersnca 20100628 HESrefer3nce CNF42942 NHERnumbor '1269s Ev.ntnumbcr ENF125rl40

Addr.33 St Falth'sChurch FakenhamRoad Lenwade Norfolk Posi codc NRgsOG Grld refcronca TG0989 1837 gtrtus Nota listedbuilding Notln a consgrvationarse

JohnSelby 67Westway, Wlmbotsham, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE34 3Q Tel 07708995 491 [email protected] 3

Contents

Listof lllustrations& Photographs page3 Summary 4 lntroduction 4 HistodcalDevelopmenl 5 ArchitecturalDescription 10 Exterior 10 TheNave 10 The SouthPorch 15 TheChancel 16 lnterior 19 The EntranceLobby 20 Th€V€stry 20 Th€ Nave 20 The Chancel 24 Ref€rences 27 Acknowledgements 27 AppendixA Fateof Filtings 2a AppendixB Photographs36 November2004 29

List of lllustrations& Photographs

Fronlcov€r: St Falth'sMbslon Church ftom th€ southea8l(Nov6mb6r 201 0)

1 1885Ordnance SuNey M€p p.5 Chancelw€st window 18 2 FoundatlonSton€ (16 Novgmb€r 6 2A Chancelwest6nd 18 2010) Drawingby LSlArchlt€cls,Tho Old 19 3 Fundralshg€ppe€lfrom R€vd. 7 DdllHsll, 23e Csttle Ms*€t Str66i, Gspp15h Jun€ 1999 NorwichNR1 3DY 4 The Flr3lAccounb(not deted) I 30 Entlancelobby from th€ nav€ 20 5 Lacey& UpcherExtension & 31 Nav€ looklng\N€st 10 chancel R€ord€rlngPropo3al 24n F€bruary acR6n 1927 32 "Nsve in Nov€mb€r2004 looklng 21 6 Nevs,soulh porch and bellturet 11 w€Btto chanc€lscreen end showing 7 Fl€mlshbond bdckwork, norlh Bld€ 11 lecternend pulpit to the l6ft of nevg 33 Nav6 roof 22 I Buttr€a8aoulh Bld6of nav6 11 34 Dadomoulding I Buttr€$coping deteil south Bide of 11 35 Windowmouldlng 22 nav€ 36 5116ofpulpit 23 10 T€recott6'6h brickventing the floor '12 37 Slt€of oEan vold on lh€ north slde 38 *OEan In2004 23 11 lliddlewindow south side of nav€ '12 39 V€stry scr€€n& font 23 '12 Mlddl€wlndow north Bide of neve 40 VeBlryscr6€n d€tall 23 13 Northsid6 ofth6 nav6 13 41 Font 24 '14 Th6 belltur€t wllheleckdaw sltllng 13 42 Fontcov6r 24 fier€ the cro$ finial used to be. 43 Chanc€lscraenand vlew €est lnto 24 '15 'The €ast end with door 10vostry 16 D€tsilof appli€dtimb€rframe, soffrt 14 Screenpanel wllh 'tree' tnc€ry 25 & barg€boerds 45 Og€€srch lo chancol6ntranc6 25 17 The6ast gable 14 46 " Figureof Chfut on chancel 25 18 Southwindow, €sst €nd 15 screenin Nov€mbor2004 '19 Door,east 6nd 15 47 l\,louldingto chancelarch 26 20 Southcross. sasl snd 15 48 Sh€lfand w€llmoulding in lhe 26 21 Th€ southporch 15 sanctuary 22 Southporch quarrytile floor 16 "Photographby MrsC Till€tt26 Novamb€r 23 South porchdoor fumiture 16 2004. Theothar photographs bythe author16 24 Chanc€lnorthside 17 November2010 25 Chancelsouthside 17 26 Chancelnorth side window 18 4

Summary

. Thechurch was built as All Saints mission church, a chapelofeaseto St NilaryGreat Witchingham, serving the growingpopulation of the hamletof Lenwade.lt was licensedfor worshipand not consecrated, henceexempt from Faculty jurisdiction. . lt wasbuilt on landowned by NewCollege, Oxford. The warden and scholarsof thatcollege held the advowsonwere lordsof the manorand majorlandowners in the parish.The landwas givenby Deedof Giftto the ReverendN P Geppto buildthe church. . The foundationstone was laidat Easter1888 and the churchwas built thatyear, financed largely by publicdonations. . The churchwas builtof red brickwith a ch'ancelof roughcastrender withapplied timber details. lt was orientatedwith the chancelat the westend. . lt compris€dnave and chancel under separate roofs with a vestryat the eastend of the nave(liturgical west), a porchat the southeastend and a bellturret above the vestry. . lt costabout e600 to buildand fit. The namesof the architectand builderare not recorded. . Proposalswere drawn by Lacey& Upcherof Norwichin 1927to extend and re-orientateit. Theseproposals were not implsmentad. c ln 1972it was refurbishsdand in 1973it was renamedSt Faith . In 2006it wasdeclared redundant and in August 2010, planning permissionwas grantedto convertit to a dwelling . At thetime of thissurvey (November 2010), the chap€l int€rior was devoidoffittings. The principalremaining f€atures were lhe chancel screenand font. An inventoryof the fittingsand detailsof th€ir whereaboutsis appendedas AppendixA to thisreport. o Thechapel is nota listedbuilding

lntroduction

St Faith'schapel is a Victorian'mission church', built as a chapelof easeto St lvlary'sGreat Witchingham. lt is situatedin the s€ttlementof Lenwadeon the mainFakenham to NoMichroad (A1067), within the parish of Great Witchingham,the rural deanery of ,the archdeaconry of Lynn and the dioceseof .

It becameredundant in 2006and in August 2010, planning permission was grantedby BroadlandDistrict Council to convertit for residentialuse. Condition6 of theplanning permission required a photographicand written recordof the building.The following is the recordto satisfythe conditionof planningpermission..

Therecord is a'Level2' recordingas definedby EnglishHeritage in UnderstandingHistoric Buildings: A Guide to Good RecordingPractice 2006, c

HistoricalDevelopment

GreatWitchingham is a smallparish to the northwestof Norwich.The village of GreatWitchingham is now a smallplace, comprising the imposingchurch of St Maryand a clustorof buildingsaround it. The hamletof Lenwad6,in the southof the parish,beside the riverWensum and alongsidethe mainNorwich to Fakenhamroad, grew in the nineteenthcentury and becamethe principal settlement.Lonwade railway station opened in 1882,the demandfor grav€l fromthe Wensumpits increased and J JamesSayer rebuilt the brickwatermill in 1888. A smallindustrial settlement was growingin Lenwadein the lata nineteenthcentury and the populationincreased.

By 1883,Lenwade had two non-conformistchapels (the Wesleyans arriving in '1838),but the settlementhad no Anglicanchurch, th€ parishchurch b6ing ovora mlleand a halfto ths north.

'1.i885 OS lvap(scale 2.5" to 1 mil6)

The rgctorof Witchinghamat thistims was the ReverendN. P. Gepp,who arriv€din 1866. He was a fellowof NewCollege, Oxford. The wardenand scholarsof thatcollege held the advowson,w€re lordsof tho manorand majorlandowners in the parish. lt was Geppwho was responsiblefor building a churchin L€nwado.His incumbencyat GreatWitchingham was lengthy, fortyfive years from 1866 to 1911.

NicholasParker Geoo was bornin Chelmsfordin '1842and followed his father,the Reverend.George Edward Gepp, to OxfordUniversity. He succeededthe Reverend.William Howard as rectorof Witchinghamat the age of twentyfour. He leftthe parishin 1911 , aged69, and becamerector of St Andrew'schurch in Northwold,Norfolk. There is a plaqueon the eastwall 6 of the chancelin Northwoldto the memoryof his eldestson, NicholasMelvill Gepp,who disd in the First World War at Gallipoli.In 1919,at theage of saventyseven and now an honorarycanon of Ely,he retired.Hediedin1925 in Kingston,Surrey.

The perceivedneed to buildnew churchesin VictorianEngland is well- documented(viz. Curl2002 p.20). Churchgoing was not universalin tho nineteenthcentury and the 1851Census domonstrated that the massof the labouringpopulation nsver attend6d a churchor chapeland there was a growinghostility towards religion in urbanareas. Alsothe astablishedchurch was losingits congragationsto non-conformistchurches in bothtowns and ruralareas. So by the mid nineteenthcantury, Churches were talking openly of missionaryactivitios at home,rather than in Indiaor Africa,and the rgsponsswas to investmuch capital in buildingnew churches, especially in the new urbanareas.

In tho contextof th6 parishof GreatWitchingham, with its medievalchurch distantfrom the growingpopulation of Lenwadeand the anivalof non- conformistchapels, the ne3dto takgtho missionof the Anglicanchurch to the centreof populationsoemed obvlous. Thus in 1888lt was decidsdto builda 'mlssionchurch' in Lanwadaand ReverendGepp was to ensu16it happ6ned.

Hisconnection with New College, ons of themain landowners in the parish, was to prov6useful. He persuadodthe Collegeto givea triangleof land (comprising36 perches)on thenorth side of FakenhamRoad for the purpose of buildinga church.The Deed of GifttotheReverend Gepp is datedthe 11n January1888. ltwill eventually pass to th€new owners.

All SaintsMission Church, as it wa8to be called,was a 'chapelof ease'to St Mary'sGreat Witchingham. lt was lic6ns6dfor worshipand thusexempt from the Churchof 'sfaculty systsm. Workbegan soon after the conveyanceand the foundationstona was laidat Easter1888. The stons with its fadinginscription is visibloat ths bas6of tho southwestcorner of the church.

AD DEIGLORIAMEASTER 1888' 2. FoundationStone (16 November2010) "A MissionChurch (All Saints) for the convenience of theparishioners at Lenwadewas opened there in 1888;it is a brickbuilding with a belltower, and comprisesnave and chancel." (White's Directory of Norfolk1890). Both architectand builder were employed, but their names have not been recoroeo.

Oddly,the churchis orientatedwith the chancelat the westend andthe main entranceon thesouth side at theeastern end. Thisseemsoerverse as the shapeof thesite would have enabled proper liturgical orientation.

Buildingproceeded apace during 1888, alongside the fundraising. On the 15'" June1888, the ReverendGepp sent a letterappealing for itemsto furnisha ParishStall at a forthcomingbazaar to be heldat WitchinghamHall on the 29tnand 30tn August "in aid of the Fundfor buildingthe Mission Church at Lenwade".lt wasto raisea sumof €90.8s.6d.

'' ' "" " ,,:,r i... : i.. .

Revd.Gepp 1srh June 1888

By Novembera fundraisingconcert was held, with further one in Novemberof the followingyear, after the churchwas completed.The first accounts,which arein thepossession of thechurchwarden, show that the building together withits furnishing and fittings cost just over e604 (though that also included a sumfor food!) and just over €574 was raised locally.

The principaldonor was l\.4issMary lsabella Howard, the daughterof the late ReverendWilliam Howard, Gepp's predecessor. She donated €260.8s.3d, almosthalf (45%) of the sumraised. MaryHoward was bornin Great Witchinghamin '1840and her eldest brother, Charles was Treasurer of the lvlissionChurch Building Fund and donated f5. ReverendGepp donated e10 himselfand raised a further€81 from county dignitaries, whilst his wife raised e72.1I s from 1heladies '. NewCollege Oxford donated 910 andthe Bishop of Norwiche5.

4. Th€First Accounts (not dat€d)

The buildingconhact with '6xtras'cost !473.8s and tha archltect(un-named in the accounts)receivad €36.2s. An organcost e 10 and a stove,e4. Piper& Co suppliedtho lamps,th€ NorfolkChronicle was paidtwo guineasand a goosecost fivs shillings.Ths compl6t6dchurch provided seating for 120 peopl6. (Theseating may have been in pews,but no p6wsfemain, wooden chairshave been used in recenttimes).

Subsequentalterations to the missionchurch are not r6cordod,since it was not subjectto Faculty.However, drawings survive of a proposedn6w chancel extensionand rsorderingofthe church. This proposalby Laceyand Upcher, architectsof Norwich,envisaged extending the churcheastwards beyond the vestryto creatoa newchancel and movingthe vestryand font to th6 'old' chanc€|.Thus the churchwould achieve correct orientation with the altarat the eastend. The dateofthe proposalis he 24rhFebruary 1927. The site olanshows a canoninstead of the War Memorialwhich was erectedin 1952. Lac6yand Upcherwas an activearchitect's practice in Norfolkduring the first quarterof th€ twontiethcentury and responsiblefor repairwork to a numberof churchesin Norfolkincluding nearby St Saviourin Norwich(1923) and Brisley St Batholomew(1 926). ArthurJohn Lacey practiced between 1885and 1896, whilstCecil Upcher, born in 1884possibly continued the practiceinto the twentiethcentury. Hediedin1972. Could it bethatUpcher was responsible for the extensionproposal and Laceywas the architectof the Mission Church?

5. Lacey& UpcherExtension & RoorderingProposal February1927 (Originaldrawing held by the Rector)

By the 1970sthe churchhad becomelittle used and a refurbishmentscheme of 1972sought to redecorateand providenew lightingand heating.On the 7'" October1973 the Bishopof Norwichattended a serviceand the churchwas renamedSt Faith's.The name was chosen as thatofthe redundantchurch at 10

LittleWitchingham and becauseLenwade was within the areaof St Faith's andAylsham Rural District Council.

At the time.the rector.Reverend Gordon James stated that the churchafter a periodof neglectwas usedfor worshipevery Sunday. Howeverthe rejuvenationwas briefand by 2005it was littleused, though the localschool, GreatWitchingham Church of EnglandVoluntary Aided Primary School, locatedin The Street,Lenwade, made use of the building.

The churchwas licensedfor worshipand it had a font. Funeralstook place here,but there were no burialsin the churchyard. Only one wedding was held here,by speciallicense.

TheQuinquennial Inspection carried out by James lvlacdonald of LSI Architects,Norwich in October2003 stated that though the churchwas well caredfor, therewere severalareas where major repairs were necessary.The conditionof the chancelwalls and dampin that areagave cause for concern as did the conditionof the roofs. Maintenanceworks and urgentrepairs to be carriedout withinthe forthcomingyear were estimatedto costover e44,800. As a resultthe Parochial Church Council, which is alsoresponsible for the gradeI listedchurch at GreatWitchingham, decided in 2006 that the mission churchshould b€ closed for worship and in August 2010, planning permission was grantedto convertth€ buildinginto a dwelling. ArchitecturalDescription

The churchcomprises a naveof red brickand a chancelunder a separat€ roof,r€ndered with applied timber decoration externally. There is an open southporch at the eastsrnend and a bollturrot ov€r the vestryat the eastend of the nave. All the roofsare st€eplypitched and coveredin plaintiles.

The churchyardis a smallopen grassed area around the church. Thereare no burialsand therefore no monuments.A warmemorial erected in 1952 stoodat theeast end of thechurchyard. ltwas demolishedin 2010and the memorialslab moved to St Mary'schurch at GreatWitchingham.

Thearchitecturaldescription is given using compass east and west and not theliturgical orientation.

Exterior

The overallappearance is a ratherfanciful Tudoresque style.

The Nave

The navecomprises three bays, each bay with a windowon bothnorth and southsides. The baysare dividedexternally by shortbuttresses and there are splayedbuttresses at the west end,where the navemeets the chancel. Thereare two buttresses(and the splayedbuttress) on the southside and threebuttresses (and the splayedbuttress on the northside). The positionof 11 the thirdbuttress on the eastend of the southside is occupiedby an open porch. The vestryoccupies the easternend. The naveand vestryare containedin a rectangularbuilding of red brickwith a red, plaintile roof.

6. Nave.soulh oorch and belllurret (November2010)

The brickworkis in Flemishbond laid in a limemortar which shows traces of black(?ash) pointing, notably on thenorth side and in the moulding around ths windowsand dooron the eastgable. The buttressestoo are of red brick andare capped with r6d clay moulded coping.

7. Flemishbond brickwork. 8. Buthess 9. Buttresscoping delail Northside of nave Southside Soulh side (November2010) (November2010)

Thereis a dampproof course of two coursesof slateat groundfloor level and terracotta(or mouldedbrick) air ventsin the plinthabove and belowthe dpc. Thosebelow ventilate the floorvoid and thoseabove venl intothe navevia verticalducts on the internalwalls (see photograph30 below). 12

10.'Tgr|acotta'alr brlck ventlng lh6 floor vold on the north side (Novemb€r2010) Eachof thesix navo windows aro of twollghts contained in a rectangular frameof mouldadr6d brick, b6n6ath hood moulding of simllarmoulded red brick.Theso two light windows are divided into four by singlesplayed mullionsand transoms. The square upper sections contain shallow archss withtrefoll heads and the soctions below are simple roctangles. Allths wlndowshavg diamond shapsd quarries held by leadc€mos. Th6splayed sills are formed wlth mouldsd brlcks, which match the buttrass copings.The sill is situatada singlebrick course above a stringof splayed brickin stretcherbond, which tops a plinthrunning beneath the wlndows and alongboth the walls and buttrBsses.

11.Middle window south side of nav€ 12.Middle window north side of nave (Nov2010) 13

The naveroof, of steeplypitched (45') plainred tilos, has exposedrafrer ends and dscorativored clayridge tiles. Th€ guttersand donwpipeson the south sideare of cast iron,whilst those on th6 northsids havebeen replacsd with plastic. Bothnorth and southroof slopeshava three triangular 'dormers' whichventilate the roofspace. Theseare framod in timbsrwith tils roofsand rendsrodtriangular panels.

Nov2010) Thebell turret rises at the6ast €nd with a pitchof 75' wlthlead roll coveringg to ths hlps,Abov€ ls a tlmborlouvrod balfry which i8 surmountedby a sloep spirowhich has sprocketed eaves ovsrsalllng tha belfry. The belfry louvres areof timborwith pairs of horizontalslats beneath an ogegshap€d d6tai,. Thesplro is cladin plainrad tiles with clay hips. lt wassurmounted by a lead coverodbutton wlth a castlron cros6, but this was taken down when lt becamounssfe and ls nowolacsd In th6 sDaca bgneath th6 tower of St Mary'sGreat Witchingham.

14.The b6llturret with a jackdawsitting wlr6r€ th6 cro6sfinial used to be. (November2010) 14

The west gableof the naveabuts the chanceland is builtof red brick. The roofverge is coveredby a timberbargeboard, painted white.

The eastgable is alsoof red brickto just aboveeaves level and then it is of roughcast renderwith applied timber framing, to give a half-timberedeffect to the upperpart. Thereis a deepsoffit at the vergeand simplepainted bargeboard.

'15.The east end with door to v€stry '16.Delail of appliedtimber frame, soffitand bargeboard (November 2010)

The lowersection of the eastend has a centraldoor, which leads into the vestryand thereis a singlelight window either side of the dooMay. Windows anddoor are surmountedwith hoodmoulding. The windowshave the same detailas thosoin the northand southwalls of the nave,except they are single withouta centralmullion. The doorway has a mouldedred brick reveal and a shallowfour centr€darch also of mouldedbrick. The plankdoor is ledgedon the inside.

17.The east gable (November 2010) 15

19,Ooor 20,South cross To theout6r slde of eachwlndow is a crossincised into the brickwork.These aroLatln crosses with crossl€ts and the incision is splayed. Th. SouthPorch Ths south porch i8 an open timbsr structure,2.5m6tros x 2.smatres, supportodon a red brlckplinth. The pllnthhelght and dotallmatchos the plinthwhlch runs around the restof the nave. A soleplate slts on top of ths pllnthand from it risestlmber studwork which meots th8 wall plate supportlng the roofstructurs. The roof is of redplaln, clay tlle with dscorative ridg€ tiles matchlngths restof lhe church.

21.The south porch (Nov 2010)

Th€ southalsvation of the porchcomprises an opendoorway with a round- headedarch, which is belowthe rooftie beam,with single light open sections 16 eitherside. The sectionon the easthas beenremoved, but it wouldhave matchedthe westernside, which has a transomlining-up with the baseof the doorwayarch and aboveit, a cuspedcinquefoil head. Abovethe tie beamthe framingcreatos two openlights, gach with a cinquefoilhead either side of a centralmuntin or stud,which rises to the apexof the roof,creating a cross effect.

The floorof tha porchis cov€redwith quarry tiles of red and blackset in a diamondpattern. The doormatches the vestrydoor in the eastgable and has a woodonlock and ironlatch - all original,with a moderndoor lock above. On ths outsldeto lhs 16ft(west) is a cast ironboot scrapsr.

22.South porch quarry tllE lloor 23.South (November2010)

Thc Chancol

The chancelis attachsdto ths naveat itswestgrn 6nd. lt is a smallerand lowerrectangular building with roughcastrondered walls sitting on'a red brick pllnthof Flemishbond with blackenedmortar. lt is at th6 sameheight and has the sam6detailing as thatwhich runs around the nave. lt has a stoeply pitchedred, plaintile roofwith decorative ridge tiles. 17

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24.Chanc€l north side (Novsmbd 20101

Th6roughcast rsndar is dlvidedinto elght panels on ths northand south sides by appliodtimbarwork. This ls in thaform of a falsewall plate running horizontally6ast-west, just below eav6s lsvel, with false studs rlslng from it to theeaves. B€low it panolsrun to anotherfalse plate sitthg on thebrick plinth. Theheads of oachpanel are cusped ctnqusfoil arch6s. Tho second and thhd panslswest of th6nave on bothsides aro occupied by a twollght window Thosewlndows have a csntralmullion and slngle transom, as in thenave, but areof timbernot brick, wlthout drip moulds and wlth cinquefoil rather than trsfollh€ads.

25. Chanc€lgouth side (November 20t0) 18

26. Chancelnorth side window 27. Chancelwest window (November2010)

The windowsara set in mouldedframes, flush with the €xternalwall. The westgable end of thechancol (liturgical east) has similar panelling of false framingwith cinquefoil heads to thelower sections. lt alsohas a similar windowof timber,but of threelights instead of two. lt also sitson the brick plinth,which is thr€€courses of brickhigher here, matching the window width. Allof thewindows aro glazed with diamond panad leaded lights of greenish glass,slightly obscured.

28. Chancelwest end (November 20'10) 19

Abovethe central west window, the false framing continues in a similar fashionto theeast gable.

Thebottom of thesouthwest corner of thechancel has a foundationstone. Thisis of limsstoneand bears the fading inscription AD DEIGLORIAM EASTER,I888. lnterlor

Thointerior of thochurch had been stripped of itsfixtures and fittings before planningpermlssion was granted. This required no formal consent and many of thefittings hava bsen relocat€d to otherchurches with Faculty approval. A photographicrecord of someof thefittings in situwas made by MrsCassie Tilletton the26m Novembsr 2004 and th6ir subs6quent relocation has boon documentedby the currant rector, tho RsverendSelwyn Tillstt. The list is appendedto thisraport as AppendixA andthe photographs form Appandix B.

_ varr(.1

? VAH, .F 17. FA,tTt1l GReAT \rrlTcnrH6HAl^' N ORFOLK . .JAN I?'7

29. DEwingby LSIArchitects, The Old DrillHall, 23a Caltle Market Street, Norwich NR'1 3DY 20

TheEntrance Lobby

30. Entanc€ lobby trom th€ nav€ (Novembsr2010)

Thelobby ls entarodfrom th6 south porch door (prevlously describod) The spac6ls narrow,2.8metres x 1.2mstres,,whlte palntsd abov€ a smallsklrting boardwith a plasterboardc€lllng. Opposlte th€ door is thewood panelling of thovostry, which has two coat pogs flxed to it anda swanneck lamp with a singlsbulb. The cupboard contalnlng the elochlcs 18 to theright (6ast) of the doorand a smallwall safe to thel6ft. A slidingpanelled door (2 obscuroglass panelsover 8lx wooden panels) slides towards the vestry and lgads Into the nave, Tho V.ltry Thevestry ls a plainroom, 4.7motres x z.7metres.lt hasttiree largo cuoboards.Th6 undersid€ of ths raftersis boarded.Th€rc aro no memorials onths walle,whlch are bara. The door in the6ast wall leads outslde. A bellrop€ hangs from the bellturret abov6. The b6ll camefrom Little Witchinghamchurch and is nowIn storage. ThoN.v. Thenava is approximat€ly11motres long and 6 metr€swido. At itswestem end,it is ssparatedfrom tho chancel by e decorativewooden screen and at theeast and from the entranc€ lobby and vostry by another,but plain scroen. 21

31.Nave looking west to chancolscrE€n (Nov 2010)

32.Nav6 in November2004 looking w99l to chanc€lacreen ' andshowlng l€ctem and pulplt to the l€fi. (photographby MrsCassie Tlllett)

The navoroof of darkstain6d, substantial timbor, comprises sets of common raftersrising from a wall plateto a ridgepi€ce. Thereare two throughpurlins. The principalrafters are archedbracsd to wall postssifting on plaincorbels. The ties connectthe principalrafters at lowerpurlin level and are arch brac€d 22 to the collar,which is at the upperpurlin level. Thereare no boasesor othsr decoration,but the wall platehas mouldingabove and below.

33.Neve roof (Nov 2010) Thenavs floor ls of slxInch wlds wooden floor boards and a plainskirting runsalong the base of thewalls, whlch In turn are palnted whlts. Onth6 walls to theloft of thewindows on the northsid€ and to thoright on thesouth slde ar6ventllatlon duc'ts (see photograph 10 above). There is a dadorail of plastermouldlng bensath the windows and running around the nava and chanc6l,and bolection hood moulding around each wlndow

34. Dadomouldlng 35.Wlndow mouldlng (November2010) All of the windowsIn ths churchhavs secondaryglazing with aluminium frames.The glass is texturadand slightly greenish in colour. 23

To the right (north) of the chancel screen is the site of the pulpit (see photographs31 & 35). The pulpit used to be in LittleWitchingham church beforecoming to Lenwadeand is now in GreatWitchingham church. Thgre are the remainsof red and blackquarry tiles in the floor.

37.Site of organ 36.Organ in 2004 (November2010) (Photolvr8 C Till€tt)

To the left (south)of the chancelscreen is the site of th6 organ(sge photos 36 & 37). lt was on permanentloan from th6 local MethodistCircuit, having come lnto St Falth'swhen tho Msthodlstchurch in LenwadeStreet clossd in tha 1970s. lt has now be€n folocated at Lenton MethodistChaoel in Nottinghamshire.

At the easternend of th€ navs is the vastryscr€an with the font on the north sid6. Tha scraonis of tongueand groovepine boarding rising up to the lowor purlinlevel. The framecontaining the boardsis chamferedwith stopsat each joint. The doorto the vostryis a plalnfour pan6ltype.

39 Vestryscreen and font 40.Vestry screen detail 24

41.Font 42. Fontcov6r (Nov6mber2010) Thefont ls an octagonalbowl of whitslimestons with pairs of blindpanels with trefollheads on eachof thaaight sid6s. lt hasa plainoctagonal 8t6m sitting on an octagonalbase with a priost'sstep runnlng back towards the vostry screen.lts cov6r is wooden, crown shaped wlth ogso rlbs and the pansls bgtwgencontalnlng a lyredeslgn in theform of a droplet.lt hasan urn shapedfinial. ThsChancol

43 Chanc€lscr€gn and view east into the nave (Nov2010) 25

The chancelis separatedfrom the naveby a full heighttimber scraen, which fillsth6 chancelarch. lt comprisesthr6e bays with a bay of two lightseither sideof the centralopening. lt is carvedon the eastside facing the nave. The screensits on a low plinthwhich also forms the stepup fromthe naveinto the chancel.The lowerpanels have carved heads with pairsof cuspedogee archesbeneath round headed arch€s which flow intothe dividingmuntin, givinga trae-likeeffect. Mouldingsurrounds the panels.Above, the headings to the lightsare cinquefoilcusped arches with three small sections abovs with trefoilheads. The centralopening is a fivs cusped0960 with trefoils above. The out6rcusps hava acanthus loavss carved in thsm. Tha top rail is mouldedand abovear6 two plainupright timbers either side of a contral timber,which is positionedin the centreof thisupper section of the scresn. A horizontalbeam close to the chancelarch head, gives a crosseffect in th6 centreand a figureof Christwas affixedto it (nowremovgd to St Mary'sGreat Witchingham).

44. ScreBnpan6l with 'tree' lrac€ry 45. OgOgeearch to chgncelentrance (Nov€mber2010)

FigureofChrist on chancelscreenin November2004 (photographby MrsCassie Till6tt) 26

The screenis setwithin thechancelarch, which is a shallowarch with mouldings.The roofto thechancelis lesselaborate than the naveand is withoutarch bracing.lt isa plainrafter roof with a throughpurlin which clasps plaincollars.

47.Mouldlng to chsncelsrch (Nov€mber20'10) Thechancel itself i8 a plainspace, s.smetros x 4motres.Th6 floor is concrste,covered by a blugcarpot, which also runs along the middle of the nave.lt hassingle two light timber window in bothnorth and south walls directlyopposite one another. A threelight window is in thewest wall, immodiatelybohind the position of thoaltar (now remov6d). Two steps lead upto ths sanctuary,which has a tiladfloor of blackand red quarry tiles. The altarhas been removed and moved to St Elizabeth,Eadham. Thers is a smallshelf on the northwall of thosanctuary.

48. Shelfand wall moulding in the sancluary (Nov6mb6r2010) 27

References

EnglishHeritage UnderstandingHistoric Buildings: A 2006 Guideto Good RgcordingPrcctice Kelly'sDirectories Directw of Noiolk 1892,19ll Census GreatWilchingham 1881 ParkerJ H & OxfordUnivorsity Calendat 1838 SlatterH While'sDirectories Dtectoryof Nonok 1845,1890 MacdonafdJ St Faith'sChurch, Great Witchingham: LSIArchitects, Norwich 2003 QuineuennialRepod DirsztayP ChurchFunishings: A NADFASGuide Roulledge& K€€ganPaul '1978 CurlJ Srevens PietyProclaimed HistoricalPubllcations, London2002

Websit6s: . nationalarchives.gov.uk . norfolkchurchos.co.uk . Northwoldchurch.org.uk

Acknowledgements Th€reis llttlswritten about St Faith'sMission Church, apart from brief paragraphsin tradesdirectories; nothing in ths NorfolkRecord Offics and only a briefstatement on the NorfolkHistoric Environment Rocord. So I was groatlypleased to maetthe ReverendSelwyn Tillott, the rector and Mrs Janet Houlston,churchwarden, who lat meinto the church and providod me with valuabledocumonts, without which this record could not have baan written. I am mostgrataful for their help and kindness. My thanks also to MrsCassie Tillettfor providingphotographs of thechurch beforo fittings were removed andMrs Jennlfer Thorp, archivist at NowColleg6, Oxford. JohnSelby Wimbotsham2011 2a

AppendixA: Fateof Fittings from St Faith's Altar givento St Elizabeth,Earlham Smallwooden table & cloth givento AllSaints, Weston Lonqville Altarand pulpit"Toc H'frontals givento ElaineBumphrey (diocesan textiles) Stonedishes for soaking linen qivento Morton& Swanninqtonchurches Incumbent'slarge chair qivento St Andrew,Attlebridqe Christmascrib qivento St Johnthe Baptist. Hymnboards and hymnnumbers qivento St Johnthe Baptist.Alderford Woodenwafer box qivento St Johnthe Baptist.Alderford Choirstalls oivento St Maroaret.lvorton-on-the-Hill Glasswine and water cruets aivento St Marqaret.Swanninoton Chaliceburses and veils given to St Peter, Rinqland Altarlinen givento Wigginfamily private memorial chapel(RC), Muros de Na16n,Spain Altarrails installedin SS lvlary& Margaret,Stow Maries,Essex, by Faculty. 250 donation Chancelscre€n moveto St l\ilary'schoir vestry ?? and woodworkfrom vestry awaitinoarchilect's comments Largewooden table from vestry movedinto St MaN's Hymn-booksend other books movedinto St Marv's Communionrail kneeler movedinto St Marv's Aumbrv& ciborium movedto Sl Marv'sbv Facultv Christin l/aiestvfiqure movedto St Marv'sbv Facultv Pulpitand steps movedto St Mary'sby Faculty St Mary'sold one thenconveded into bookcase FirstWorld War Roll of Honour movedto St Marv'sbv Facullv Crossfrom top of spire movedlo St lvlarv'sbv Facultv All embroid€redhassocks movedto St l\,,fary's:St Mary'sold blue hassocks so/d fo a church in Durham diocese- 220 Mothers'Union banner movedto vestrvat St Marv's Organ returnedto localMethodist Circuit and €ventuallyinstalled in re-orderedchapel at Lenton,Nottingham Smallori€-dieu and chair soldto dealerat ReeohamStation - f20 lncumbent'sstall and lectern soldto dealerat ReeDhamStation - f20 80 fr€s-standingchairs storesomewhere for generaluse (specificallyat St Mary's);may pass to St Marqaret,Swanninqton. for re-orderednave Bell(the original medieval bellfrom storedin Dickle Grice'sworkshop LittleWitchinoham) & sallv at MortonHall awaitino decision Fontand cover disposeof or burvwhen buildinq converted Blu€caroet throwawav when buildino converled Piano throwawav when buildino converted 29

AppendixB

Photos taken by Mrs CassieTillett 26 Nov 2004 30 3l