Baptismal Font - St Withburga's Church, Holkham Hall Estate, Holkham, Norfolk. NR23 1RW - Stone Church Artefacts on Waymarking.com

This Estate Church seems larger than it is, set on a mound to the south of the main A149 road in the Holkham Hall estate grounds it is very impressive when seen for the first time: the dedication of St Withburga is said to be unique. The mound is entirely sand and is thought to be a dune although the sea is some 1ml to the north, and it is said to have been used by Iron Age people, perhaps for burials or a temple.

The C13th tower on the south side is a tower porch this being the main entrance but is at the western end of the south aisle and replaces an earlier, possibly Saxon or Norman, tower which was at the west end of the nave, the foundations were found at the restoration. There is a core of a medieval building but it was extensively rebuilt in 1767 and again in 1868-71 by James K Colling. This latter rebuilding was paid for by Juliana, Countess of Leicester, but sadly she died in 1870 just as it was completed. Her simple effigy lies in the bare north aisle chapel.

Built in flint with limestone dressings the church is Grade II* listed. It has plain tiled roofs to the nave and chancel. There are flushwork panels in the parapets of the tower, the chancel and the aisles. The tower has set-back buttresses up to the first stage and two early C13th lancet windows in the south face, one lancet low down on the east face gives some light to the balustraded staircase to the ringing chamber, the bell openings have 'Y' tracery from the C14th. A C19th south door in the tower with double opening and quatrefoiled spandrel opens into a large porch with the main door into the church opposite and possibly of C13th. The embattled parapet has corner pinnacles.

The stone font is 'modern' of c.1870 by James K.Colling placed centrally at the west end of the nave. It is octagonal, carved on four of the faces with the symbols of the four Evangelists; St.Matthew, a Winged Man, St.Mark, a Winged Lion, St.Luke, a Winged Ox, and St.John, an Eagle. St.Luke is on the west face, going clockwise are St.Mark, St.John, and St.Matthew. the intervening panels are of foliage and flowers. The bowl is mounted on eight pink marble and one larger central pillars with stiff-leave capitals and joined inverted bell bases, the whole set on an octagonal plinth. The top edge is chamfered and crocketted.

Approximate Age of Artefact: c.1870 Relevant Website: Not listed

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