St Mary's Church is the parish church of Snettisham in the English county of Norfolk. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church is late-14th-century Decorated and partly later reconstruction. [1] It is Grade I listed. [1]
St Mary's Church is the parish church of Snettisham in the English county of Norfolk. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church is late-14th-century Decorated and partly later reconstruction. [1] It is Grade I listed. [1]
The church was built in the late 14th century in the Decorated style. [1] The listing description suggests that it is the best example of a Decorated church in Norfolk. [1] It is built from flint with stone dressings and a stone spire. [1] The spire reaches to 175 feet (53 m) and was traditionally a navigation feature for mariners in The Wash. [2] The tower with spire is above the transept crossing. [1]
The design was originally cruciform: the 40-foot-long chancel was demolished by Sir Wymond Carye before 1600, and the north transept was reduced in 1597. [1] [3] There is a galilee porch to the west. [1] The church was restored by Frederick Preedy in 1856. [1]
During the First World War, the church sustained damage from a bombing raid by the German Navy Zeppelin L 4 on 19 January 1915. A bomb landed nearby, reportedly striking part of the structure. [4] [5]
There is a 15th-century pulpit, with painted panels; the font is also 15th-century. [3] [1]
The church has a ring of six bells, originally dating from 1710 and cast by Thomas Newman. In 1958 they were overhauled and three of the six were recast by John Taylor & Co. [6] A 13th-century sanctus bell is also displayed in the church. [6]
Stained glass in the east window was installed by Frederick Preedy in 1855–56. This was destroyed by a Zeppelin bomb in WWI. It was replaced by Percy Bacon Brothers in 1920. That window is a five-light depiction of the Crucifixion. [7] [3] The west window is six-lights, depicting scenes from the Old Testament, and is an early work by William Warrington, dating from before 1850. [7] [1]
The windows in the nave are by Preedy, M & A O'Connor, and Burlison & Grylls, with a modern 3-light window by Paul Jeffries of G King & Son, depicting the Blessed Virgin with the symbols of the four gospel writers. [7]
The organ dates from 1885 and was made by Alfred Kirkland. [8]
The Anglican diocese of Fredericton in New Brunswick was established in 1845, with John Medley as its first bishop. [9] Medley chose St Mary's, Snettisham, as the model for the new Fredericton cathedral. [10] Before leaving England, Medley hired the Exeter architect Frank Wills to visit St Mary's and make detailed plans, which Medley had with him when he arrived in Fredericton. [11] With additional work by William Butterfield, the cathedral was consecrated in 1853.
There are annual illuminations of the church each December. [2]