St.Mary the Virgin, High Street, Whissonsett, Dereham, Norfolk. NR20 5AP - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

The Parish Church, dedicated to St.Mary the Virgin, is Grade II* listed. It is of C14th Medieval date with later additions and heavily restored and repaired in 1873. Built of flint with ashlar dressings it has slate roofs and consists of a west tower, aisleless nave with south porch, and chancel with vestry and organ outshoot to the north.

The early C14th west tower has diagonal buttresses, two-light cusped Y-traceried bell openings and small quatrefoil lights to the second floor. The inserted C15th west window is of two lights and has an embattled transom. There is a C15th crenellated parapet with corner finials, flushwork and blind traceried panels with shields. Six bells hang in the tower hung for conventional English-style ringing.

The nave has C14th moulded north and south doorways and six heavily restored two-light windows in Perpendicular style. In the chancel, C19th, is an east window in Geometric style, two Y-traceried windows to the south and one to the north whilst the chancel arch is probably also C19th in Perpendicular style. The south porch has a corrugated iron roof over timber which is in need of replacement, a C15th four-centred entrance with polygonal responds and two small cusped windows. Over the door is a niche with a statuette of the Virgin Mary and there is some medieval ironwork in the south door. The tower arch is plain chamfered of three orders.

There are a pair of plain nave piscinas, and in the chancel a re-set trefoil piscina and a C19th triple sedilia with cusped arches and detached shafts. A nave niche on the south side of the chancel arch carries the head of an Anglo-Saxon cross and part of its shaft, all decorated with interlace decoration of the Stafford knot type. It is a single piece of Barnack Rag Stone, also known as Upper Lincolnshire Oolitic Limestone. It was uncovered outside in the north part of the churchyard in 1902 when a new grave was being dug and is the only example of the interlaced wheel type cross in the county and may date from around 920.

In the chancel are three C19th stained glass windows. The east window has six scenes from Christ's life, one of the south windows shows the Presentation in the Temple with Simeon holding Christ as he declaims the Nunc Dimittis. Mary looks on with Joseph behind her. He is clearly modelled on Edward VII, who was a generous patron to many churches in north-west Norfolk. The second south window shows the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary. The C15th west window, in the ringing chamber, has fourteen C15th roundels set into modern glass. At the chancel arch is a low Victorian foiled chancel screen and to the left a stone pulpit in the Decorated style. The font is C15th octagonal, neat and not overpowering on a cross plinth, has a panel traceried stem and quatrefoil bowl panels and is placed in front of the tower arch.

Words from British Listed Buildings and Pevsner's Norfolk 2 Buildings with amendments and additions from own on site observations.

Coordinates are for the south porch entrance.