St Nicholas, Fundenhall, Norfolk

I Location

Site Location
Fundenhall
National Grid Reference
TL 153 969
County
traditional: Norfolk
now: Norfolk
Diocese
medieval: East Anglia
now: Norwich
Dedication
medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Nicholas
Type of building/monument
Parish church

II General Description

General view.

General view.

General view.

General view.

The church, comprising a chancel, central tower and aiseless nave, was partly rebuilt in the 13thc. and extensively restored in 1869. The Romanesque central tower survives, although in the interior neither of the original arches was kept and only the westernmost supports of the W arch have been retained unmodified. Of the two nave doorways, that on the S is Romanesque. Its ornament is restrained and rather elegant.

III Exterior Features

1. Doorways

(i) S doorway, nave

Round-headed, of two orders. Of fine-grained creamy limestone.

S doorway, R side, capital.

S doorway, R side, capital.

S doorway, arch, L side, detail.

S doorway, arch, L side, detail.

S doorway, general view.

S doorway, general view.

S doorway, general view.

S doorway, general view.

First order

Plain, square-section jambs support plain, hollow-chamfered imposts. The arch above has the same profile as the jambs. Some of the voussoirs have been replaced.

Second order

No bases are now visible. The nook shafts are coursed with the masonry of the jambs.

L capital: volute capital. The angle volute is damaged.

R capital: as L capital

Hollow-chamfered imposts.

The arch has a plain soffit and a prominent angle roll. On the face of the arch, the angle roll is followed by a half roll between wedges. Some of the innermost voussoirs of the S doorway are replacements. There is no label.

Dimensions
h. of opening 2.26 m
w. of opening 1.06 m
max. h. of opening 2.70 m

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

b. Tower/Transept arches

(i) Tower arch
Tower, general view.

Tower, general view.

Tower, W arch, L side, base.

Tower, W arch, L side, base.

Tower, W arch, R side, capital.

Tower, W arch, R side, capital.

The W arch of the central tower is Gothic but its supports are Romanesque. The W face has attic bases supporting coursed nook shafts, and cushion capitals with angle tuck.

VII History

Fundenhall, in the Hundred of Depwade, was held by Burghard the thane before the Norman Conquest. The will of 1033-1066 of Eadwine mentions Fundenhall church. At the time of DS, Fundenhall was held by Roger Bigod. Domesday Book records a church there with 24 acres of free land.

VIII Comments/Opinions

IX Bibliography

  • P. Brown, ed, Domesday Book: Norfolk, 2 vols, London and Chichester, 1984.
  • T. Williamson, The Origins of Norfolk, Manchester, 1993, 154.
  • N. Pevsner and B. Wilson, The Buildings of England: Norfolk: North-West and South, Harmondsworth, 1962, revised 1999, 2:347.