THE CHURCH OF ST ANDREW

Fig. 1. General from south

Conservation Based analysis and Report With special emphasis on the north transept gable-end and the nave and south transept roofs

NHER: 7132 LPA: North Archdeaconry of Lynn. Burnham & Deanery (formerly Toftrees). Gallow Hundred Stephen Heywood FSA Heritage and Landscape Norfolk County Council County Hall

29th June 2010

St Andrew, Great Ryburgh

Introduction This report is required as part of the investigative stage of this grant-aided repair project which involves the stabilisation of the north transept gable-end and the repair and re-tiling of the nave and south transept roofs.

The church consists of a round western tower with a later 14th-century bell stage, an aisleless nave, extraordinarily long transepts and a chancel (fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Plan of 1860 by George Rayson (Architect and Builder).

Fig. 3. Nave north west quoins

The history of the surviving building begins with the early 12th-century round tower and associated masonry at the west end of the nave. The west door is an insertion of an undocumented but fairly recent date accompanied by disturbed flint masonry. The

2 lower courses of the tower are characterised by the abundant use of ferruginous conglomerate. It occurs even in ashlar for the dressings of the tower arch and the north west quoins showing that the stone was quarried in the early 12th century and at the time not just a field stone (Fig.3 and 4).

Fig. 4. Tower from north west (Simon Knott)

Other openings in the Norman fabric are only a loop at first floor level to the west and an arched window with modern dressings to the south west at ground floor level. There is no sign of the original bell openings suggesting that the upper parts of the tower were rebuilt when the octagonal bell chamber was added or that the bell openings were incorporated in a conical roof which can be seen in the tower of which is nearby and contemporary. The two towers also have their tower arches of similar design and built of ferruginous conglomerate ashlar. The surviving original quoins to the north west and a corresponding roof line show the extent of the late medieval heightening of the nave (fig. 3). The Norman church had a nave of the same width as can be seen from the surviving masonry on both sides and it was probably of the same length and had a shorter narrow chancel probably with an apsidal end.

The interior shows the very impressive tower arch which is of two plain orders built of ferruginous conglomerate ashlar and the arches springing from simple imposts (fig. 5). At the former first floor level there is a triangular headed door way which now leads onto the gallery. The sill is at the level of the tops of the original nave walls and

3 served as access to the ringing chamber and to the roof space from the ringing chamber. Of later works to the tower an apse was added to the rear of the tower arch very effectively providing an appropriate place for the font and its magnificent cover. The apse and the font cover were probably part of the works undertaken by Sir Ninian Comper in the early years of the 20th century. The tower also leaves evidence of a former masonry stair leading up the tower. This was certainly not an original feature and may have been contemporary with the insertion of the west door.

Fig. 5. The tower arch, font and cover. (Simon Knott)

The next principal stages of development took place during the 14th century. The octagonal bell stage was added in the early years of the century and has Y-traceried openings with only the north opening having cusped bars. It appears that the nave was not heightened until much later leaving the Norman nave with a steeply pitched roof as defined clearly on the west wall of the nave flanking the tower.

The transepts also belong to the 14th century. If, as it appears, the nave walls were not heightened until the 15th century, the transepts would have been built up to the same height as the nave thereby creating the possibility of a regular crossing with arches springing from the same height on each side including the nave. There is no way of

4 knowing at present if this was ever the case. It seems inevitable however that the roofs must have intersected, possibly with ridges being at the same height since the transept arms are only slightly narrower than the nave.

The south transept has a pair of straight joints quite close to the nave wall. The joints are too close to the nave to mean that there was an intention to build little more than a niche. It indicates perhaps the temporary, but planned, halt for a season or longer (Fig. 6). There are rubble quoins to the corner which would never have been intended to be a permanent external quoin. In contrast it may relate simply to the insertion of the late Medieval window.

Straight joint

Fig. 6. west face of south transept joining nave south wall

The transepts’ gable-end windows are exceptionally fine examples of curvilinear tracery with a reticulated version to the north and a more complex reticulation to the south with a further subdivision within each reticulation unit. This is related to the tracery of the Great Walsingham master who worked also at Tunstead. The south east aisle window at Beeston-next-Mileham is also very similar (figs 7 & 8).

5

Figs 7 & 8. North and south transept gable-end windows

Both transepts have piscinae for altars but this is no explanation for their great length. There were three guilds to St Andrew, St John the Baptist and St Thomas and the transept arms no doubt belonged to them. A chapel dedicated to St Thomas is also mentioned and lights to several other saints. Provision for all this would normally be in the aisles but in Ryburgh’s case transepts were used instead and the nave remained aisleless.

The 15th century brought the heightening of the nave walls and the instillation of four tall panel-traceried nave windows (fig.9). The roof had a slightly steeper pitch and its imprint can be seen against the tower (fig. 10). Also, most unusually small square windows were provided in the east gable just to the sides of the chancel roof. These were blocked with brick when the roof was lowered in 1860. The heightening of the nave walls enabled the transepts roofs to just fit beneath the eaves if their pitches were reduced. This did not happen until the 1860 rebuilding of the roof and Ladbrooke’s litho graph of about 1820 shows a messy join between the north transept and the nave eaves (fig. 11).

6

Fig. 9. Heightened nave with two 15th-century windows. Fig. 10. Imprint of former nave roof

Fig. 11 Ladbrooke’s lithograph c.1820

7 The chancel is essentially a 15th-century building also but underwent a full scale remodelling in 1860 and again, with more inspiration, in 1912 by Comper. Ladbrooke shows the east window with a Gothick three light window set in to the blocking of the medieval east window (fig. 11). Bryant shows the window after the 1860 restoration (fig. 12) with the little trefoil window above.

Fig. 12. Bryant engraving of c.1900

Comper gives his window four lights with two-light subarcuation and fills the heads with panel-tracery and a wheel at the top with spokes forming a cross of St Andrew (fig. 13).

Fig. 13. east window. 1912. Sir Ninian Comper. (Simon Knott)

8

Sir Ninian Comper also re-roofed the chancel or at least remodelled it giving it Baroque wreaths in panels and moulded cornices with angels (fig. 14). All this is contained within an earlier set of arch braced trusses on short wall posts on stone corbels. It is now painted white replacing no doubt a more colourful finish.

Fig. 14. Chancel ceiling

Fig. 15. Rood beam

9

Comper was also responsible probably for the rood beam and the south transept screen and if not designed by him they are very much within the spirit of Anglo Catholicism (fig. 15 & 16). The screen was added in 1921 to remember the fallen in the Great War

Fig. 16. Screen in south transept. (Simon Knott)

Comper also designed the carved alabaster reredos with delicately detailed part- painted figures and a Crucifixion (fig. 17).

Fig. 17. Reredos 1912

10 The Restoration The principal repair and the rebuilding of the roofs was undertaken in 1860-61 by George Rayson who styled himself as architect and builder. He undertakes repairs to roof, new east window, restoration of ten other windows, reseating (fig. 2) and other repairs as listed in the Incorporated Church Building Society grant application. There is no reason to believe that it was not Rayson who replaced the roofs rather than the specified repair.

The nave roof is of simplified arch-braced principal trusses with collars carrying king posts with raking struts (fig.18). The principal rafters have braces down to very short wall posts on stone corbels. The timbers are not moulded and the four sets of purlins are of simple boards which may pass over the tops of the principal rafters, if indeed they are the purlins rather than support for the ceiling boards. The ceiling boards render this detail invisible. There is a substantial ridge piece.

Fig. 18. Nave roof looking west-south-west.

The transept roofs are of a different design but probably contemporary and have the same wall post corbels and use similar boarded ceilings (Fig. 19). Both roofs have been designed so that they fit below the nave eaves and as a result have very shallow pitches. They consist of principal trusses with solid braces at their feet carried down onto short wall posts on stone corbels. There are three sets of purlins and all the revealed timbers have chamfered decoration.

White’s Directory of 1883 describes the roofs thus: The open timber roofs enriched with colouring and gilding and Bryant in 1899-1900 thus: The roofs, which are of open timber work, are enriched with colouring and gilding. The wording is so close as to suggest that Bryant had recently read the directory but it seems unlikely that he would use such a recent directory for information on the church. One would expect it

11 the other way round. Whatever the explanation, the description of the roofs as open timber work suggest that the ceiling boards were added to the roof in the early years of the 20th century and that beforehand the rafters and trusses were fully visible. Also it is sad to say they were enriched with colouring and gilding rather than the dark brown stain which they now have.

Fig. 19. South transept roof from the north-north-east. More recent repairs particularly relevant to the proposed works were carried by Andrew Anderson in 1988 with grant aid from English Heritage. These involved the re-roofing of the north transept where the tiles had been damaged by frost. Also the quoins at the north west and north east corners of the transept were rebuilt. The specification says: Open-up, rebuild and point full height cracks each side of north west and north east quoins for full thickness of wall. Clearly this work did not do the trick.

Conclusion This report has sketched a history of the development of the fabric. Of particular interest are the long transepts which take the place of aisles to accommodate the guild chapels; the nave walls being the same height as those of the transepts until the 15th century; the very high quality of the tracery on the transept gables; Comper’s sensitive work and the Romanesque round tower with its tower arch framing a western apse which accommodates the font and its gilded cover.

The roofs were decorated and open when first built in the 1860s and as such were no doubt worthy and in keeping with the otherwise colourful interior.

Stephen Heywood FSA 8 July 2010 Norfolk County Council Department of Environment, Transport and Development Historic Environment Buildings and Landscape County Hall , Norwich

12