Church of St Mary
CHURCH OF ST MARY, HOLT ROAD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1306186
- Date first listed:
- 30-May-1960
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, HOLT ROAD
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2002-06-19
- Reference:
- IOE01/07614/13
- Rights:
- © Mr Cyril Bush. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1306186
- Date first listed:
- 30-May-1960
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, HOLT ROAD
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, HOLT ROAD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- Breckland (District Authority)
- Parish:
- North Elmham
- National Grid Reference:
- TF 98823 21500
Details
TF 92 SE NORTH ELMHAM HOLT ROAD
(east side)
4/45 Church of St. Mary
30.5.60.
GV I
Parish church. Medieval and later. Flint with ashlar and some brick dressings.
West tower, aisled nave with south porch and chancel with flanking
chapels. West tower begun in second half of C14. Angle buttresses with
chequered flushwork becoming diagonal buttresses at bell stage. Western
porch accommodated between buttresses. Entrance arch with dying mouldings
and fleuron decorated cornice with pair of flanking gargoyles. 8 part rib
vault with mutilated central boss carving of the Coronation of the Virgin.
Vault springs from 4 carved corbels. Doorway with undercut floral motifs
and salamanders entwined in dying mouldings. 2 leaf door with C13 trilobe
hinges. Large 3-light Perpendicular west window with embattled transom.
Middle stage with 4 large 3-light blind flat-headed windows. Filled with
knapped flint except for single lower middle lights. Embattled transoms
and quatrefoil upper lights. Top stage with Perpendicular 3-light bell open-
ings. Fleuron decorated cornice with gargoyles and crenellated blind arcaded
parapet with corner pinnacles. Nave C13, C14 and C15 with C19 knapped flint
facing. 5 2-light Decorated style north aisle windows consisting of paired
mouchettes with central dagger alternating with reticulating motif of single
soufflet flanked by half soufflets, 12 (plus one in east gable) 2-light
Perpendicular clearstorey windows - panel traceried beneath shallow heads.
North aisle door rebuilt out of C13 mouldings with 10 stiff leaf capitals
arranged above it beneath a flat hood. South aisle with one C14 small blocked
ogee headed west window.- 4 restored C14 2-light windows with quatrefoil
soufflets and ovolo moulded bars.One large flat-headed 3-light cusped window.
Porch with diagonal buttresses, flushwork and 4 centred arch with dying mouldings. Small single light side windows with mouchettes. Original 3-bay arch
Faced roof on carved stone corbels. South doorway rebuilt out of C13 mouldings.
Buttressed south side chapel with 3 3-light panel traceried windows. Priest's
door in angle between chancel and chapel. Angle buttresses to chancel. One
fine 3-light Perpendicular south window, one C13 plate-traceried 2-light
north window with uncusped rose and carved label stops. C19 5-light east
window in late Geometric style. North side chapel with one 3-light Y-
traceried east window with cusping in lozenge lights only. 5-light north
window with flat head and reticulated tracery. Interior. 6-bay nave with
an additional lower single bay between chancel and side chapels. Easternmost
responds of this bay of c.1100 with paired half-shafts, nook shafts and
cushion capitals. They support C13 2-centred arches with roll-moulded outer
orders. Contemporary circular piers to west now incorporated in later chancel
arch responds. Pair of small, deeply splayed, lancet windows (blocked to
north) directly above Norman responds. C13 alternating octagonal and circular
nave piers heightened in the C14 or C15 re-using the C13 arches and capitals.
Former roof line on eastern face of tower. Perpendicular moulded tower arch
with semicircular responds* Chancel arch also with semicircular responds.
Victorian arcaded fittings to chancel in late C13 style. East window retains
original rere-arch nook shafts. Dado of chancel screen survives with spandrel
carvings and 17 painted saints of high quality. Jacobean western screen
beneath tower arch with massive turned balusters. C15 arch braced nave roof
with single sets of butt purlins. Carved and painted altar table dated 1622.
Some surviving medieval stained glass.
Listing NGR: TF9882321500
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 220697
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 06-Jul-2026 at 05:57:31.
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All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.