This is an almost complete example of a late C14th to early C15th, Late Decorated to Early Perpendicular, parish church, known variously as the 'Queen of the Marshlands' or the 'Cathedral of the Fens'. The previous church was almost completely swept away in the flood of 1337, the only part remaining of that church is the early C14th base of the west tower. The church was built as the result of the great wealth generated after the fens were drained leaving an extremely rich and fertile agricultural land, probably the richest in England. The new church initially comprised the tower with a nave and chancel, north and south aisles having been built to the full length. A new chancel extending the church to the eastern limit of the consecrated land was added later. The old combined nave/chancel became the new nave but as they were of virtually identical width it is difficult to see where the demarcation was. Looking carefully three holes can be seen at the third bay of the nave, the sockets for the rood where the old chancel started, also it can be seen that the eastern nave piers are set at a smaller distance. The church is built of ashlar-facing over brick and rubble with rendering over brick in the chancel and north aisle, all with lead roofs. Restored in 1898 it is now Grade I listed.
The four stage west tower, externally of three stages, is much plainer than the rest of the church, the base is early C14th so must have survived the flood, with the upper part c1360. There are angle buttresses with a polygonal stair turret to the south-west. The arched west door has undercut mouldings below a string course, the two-light arched west window is also early C14th. In the buttresses to the right and left are trefoiled statuary niches, small lancets to what was the ringing chamber, and a string course below two-light transomed belfry windows with quatrefoil above. The parapet is crenellated with gargoyles. In the tower is a ring of six bells hung to enable ringing in the English style. The bell frame is a modern steel replacement for the original timber frame placed in the tower in 1950 when the bells were overhauled by the Loughborough Bellfoundry.
The north and south aisles have stepped side buttresses which are angled at the corners, three-light aisle windows with embattled transoms and rising supermullions, four-light windows to the east and west ends. There are crenellated parapets to the aisles and clerestory, all with panelling and corbel tables, the latter studded at intervals with animal head gargoyles. The two-light closely set clerestory windows are under stilted arches, each window separated by stepped pilasters of such- weight as to appear as flat buttresses.
On the south side is an elaborate two bay, two storey early C15th porch with stepped side buttresses and angle buttresses to the south face. The heads of the buttresses are gabled. The entrance is a four-centred arched opening below a square hood, the spandrels with punched roundels containing coats of arms. Above this is a frieze containing a nine-bay arcade of cusped arches also with heraldic devices. A three-light window lights the upper room and is flanked by canopied statuary niches to right and left. A crenellated parapet with panelled arcading obscures a gabled roof. On the east and west are two open two-light side windows to each storey with rebates for glazing. The stone vault of the porch is in two bays with moulded tierceron ribs, a full set of bosses carved with religious scenes ( Assumption, Last Supper, Pieta ) and animals ( a dog gnawing a bone, a muzzled bear, etc. ) and figurative motifs, each a meticulous example of C15th stone carving, all resting on tiny niches in the corners with seated figurines. The inner south door is arched and moulded with the original double oak timber doors, c1435, with tiers of carved arcading.
The simple north porch is gabled with a crenellated parapet. It has square corner pinnacles with crockets, diagonal buttressing and one window to the east and west faces. Further along is a polygonal rood stair turret in the junction of the north aisle with the chancel with roll moulded edges and spirelets and supported at its base by a little man, Atlas?. There is a copy of this turret at the junction of the south aisle and chancel, stairways having tiny trefoil-headed windows under square hood-moulds and the turrets tiny doors to the aisle and chancel roofs.
The five bay chancel has stepped buttresses which are angled at the east end, these having a square pinnacle over. In each bay is a three-light arched Perpendicular window, the cills stepping up to the east end. The crenellated parapet has panelled arcading and there is a sanctus bell cote with a telescoped pinnacle at the gable head, Gothic detailing at its best, holding a small Sanctus or Sacring bell. The east window is of seven-lights with stained glass in memory of Rev.Philip Salisbury Bagge containing many local and regional references.
On the outside south wall of the chancel under the third-bay window is a sundial dated 1747 and carrying the words 'Abi Fugio' in Latin, rough tr. 'Fly Away'. It is complete with gnomon and hours marked from 6.00am to 6.00pm. The main hour marks run from a central inscribed 'square' which carries the date. In a double line round three sides of the field are subsidiary marks for the half and quarter hours, the half marks extending towards the middle a short way and marked at their inner end by three small dots.
Beneath the east bay of the chancel is a vaulted passageway, the 'bolt hole', with entrances in the shape of a depressed four-centred arch and with a two bay tierceron vault with twelve bosses of foliage and some figurative carving. The real purpose of the pathway is unclear but it probably survives from the time when the church was not as long as now and it was an ancient processional route which no-one dared divert when the church was rebuilt as a consecrated space was still required east of the church and without this there would be no such space. The overall effect is to raise the chancel end by a total of fifteen steps above the floor of the nave. Fixed in the walls are C18th and C19th rings to which horses would be tethered during services, perhaps the origin of the name 'bolt hole'?
The seven-bay arcade is of quatrefoil piers with continuous hollows between the lobes on moulded polygonal bases and with polygonal moulded capitals. The piers have fillets to the cardinal points and the pointed top arches are of roll mouldings retaining the pre-Black Death mobile Gothic form within the Perpendicular building. The nave roof is of moulded tie beams on arched braces dropping on wall posts to head-corbels. The moulded curved Queen struts rise to moulded principals, one tier of butt purlins and a ridge piece. The north aisle roof is of alternating large and small arched braces to the principals and two tiers of butt purlins. The south aisle roof is of 1812. The stilted tower arch has deep double hollow chamfers and internal corbels carved with grotesque figures.
A C17th timber screen, c1630, extends across the nave and aisles at the west end forming a partition and turning the rear of the nave into a kind of foyer. It was used as a meeting place, village hall and local court for many years. Since 1924 these functions have been taken over by the village hall across the road. It has three pedimented openings with fluted pilasters, arched leaf trail panelling runs below an openwork balustrade of turned shafts in turn below a frieze of continuous circles with floral patterns. The doors would have been locked during celebrations in the church. Also early C17th the tower gallery has turned balusters.
The roll moulded chancel arch is on circular responds and there are Decorated ogee-headed doorways to the rood stairs, north and south. The dado of the C15th rood screen survives in six bays to the right and left of a central opening to the chancel, each bay with badly [re-]painted painted figures of saints and apostles. The south chancel arch pier has a three-light arched window from the rood stairs looking down into chancel. The chancel dado is of a cinquefoil roll moulded arcade, each bay of which has miniature rib vault, with a string course running beneath the chancel windows. Between each window is a nodding ogee canopy with pierced arcading sitting above a statuary niche. Shallow tall niches to the right and left of the east window also have token rib vaulted canopies. The stepped sedilia and piscina in the south wall have mutilated rib-vaulted canopies, damaged and removed c.1730. The plain 1812 chancel roof is of two tiers of butt purlins intersecting with principals on arched braces. Several chancel stalls survive with poppyhead ends, animal arm rests and misericords. One particularly fine misericord features a pelican pecking its own breast. Beneath a canopied niche on the south chancel wall is a monument to Robert Butler 1632, marble with inscription panel predella below an effigy of Robert Butler kneeling before an altar. A pair of Composite columns support a carved entablature.
The C15th parclose screen between the south aisle and the south nave chapel is of five bays with ogee tracery heads in each of two subsidiary lights, four tracery arches in each dado bay and a statue of St.James on the corner column.
The nave has a fine set of C18th box pews and C17th benches. In the south aisle three tiers of benches facing inwards are largely made of fragments from different periods, pierced C15th bench backs inserted into C17th poppyhead bench ends or vice versa, all with evidence of C19th restoration.
The fine hexagonal pulpit is dated 1620 and stands on a slender timber stem. It has panelled sides with an arcaded bottom rail, fielded diamond panels below the upper arched panels, the arches enriched by foliage carving, and a moulded cornice and was originally boxed in. Curving stairs bend round the nave pier against which the pulpit is erected having been moved here from adjacent to the chancel arch. Above is a tester with frieze and drop pendants.
The seven sacrament octagonal font is dated 1532 with the stem and bowl carved with nodding ogee headed panels all placed on top of a rather steep three-step heap of stone steps. Around the stem base an inscription to John Whetholme the parson and the date in both Arabic and Roman numerals, it was defaced during the reformation. The font cover is Elizabethan, late C16th, timber, of rim buffet design in three stages, a console lower rail, centre stage of paired carved pilasters framing arcaded panels which open to give access to the bowl, and a tapering pinnacle with a strapwork cornice below pierced arabesque work. Inside, on the ceiling of the cover are seven gilded rays, symbolising the Holy Spirit.
The huge chandelier in the nave is of 1701, probably Dutch. Of brass with a central shaft of ball and baluster turnings terminating in a globe and ball pendant, two tiers of opposing curved circular section arms, the candle holders numbered so that they may be returned to their correct positions after cleaning.
A poor box stands on a sturdy turned baluster, the box inscribed on three sides : 'Remember the Poore 1639'.
In the eastern-most north aisle window is a jumble of fragments of glass assembled in 1922, all that remains of the Medieval glass which was once in the northaisle windows. The chancel windows are c1900 by Hardman & Co.
Words variously from British Listed Buildings, Pevsner's Norfolk Buildings, Simon Jenkins 'England's Thousand Best Churches', Brian L.Harris's Guide to Churches and Cathedrals, and the Church's Illustrated Guide, amended and added to with own on-site observations.
Co-ordinates are for the south porch.