St George's Church, Shimpling
For a variety of reasons it has been a while since I posted a church visit but I had the opportunity on Saturday to go south of Norwich and thus headed for St George’s Church, Shimpling.
Now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, Shimpling may get its name from a Germanic settler (Scimpel) whose name means fool. The church was certainly in existence during the reign of Edward the Confessor and there is some evidence of Saxo-Norman work in the nave walls but much of this is now covered by rendering. The nave was re-modelled in the 14th to 15th century.
The chancel has no defined chancel arch but there is an exterior change in the roof line indicating the new work. This chancel was probably added around 1300. Some stained glass fragments from this period survive in the tops of the chancel windows where it was too difficult for subsequent iconoclasts to reach.
The round tower is one of 125 in Norfolk but there is some doubt about its date. The brick integral staircase on the south side suggests 14th century but blocked circular window openings found during a 1987 renovation suggest a Saxo-Norman date for the lower (round) part of the tower.
At some stage in the 15th century a brick octagon belfry was added and it is possible that the brick staircase had been added solely to reach this new level easier. However there were later doubts about the ability of the flint rubble round tower to take the weight of the new addition as sometime (19th century??) two substantial iron bands were added about half way up to prevent bulging or an actual collapse. Each band was made as a quarter circle, the quarters where bolted together to make halves and the halves were gradually tensioned with long bolts to ‘bite’ the tower and grip it. There are three bells, two cast around 1466.
Late medieval floor tiles (at a lower level) can be viewed by lifting two traps near the north door. These may have been manufactured near Bawsey on the other side of the county. Also of interest is the 15th century font decorated with evangelists and angels.
St George's Church, Shimpling
For a variety of reasons it has been a while since I posted a church visit but I had the opportunity on Saturday to go south of Norwich and thus headed for St George’s Church, Shimpling.
Now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, Shimpling may get its name from a Germanic settler (Scimpel) whose name means fool. The church was certainly in existence during the reign of Edward the Confessor and there is some evidence of Saxo-Norman work in the nave walls but much of this is now covered by rendering. The nave was re-modelled in the 14th to 15th century.
The chancel has no defined chancel arch but there is an exterior change in the roof line indicating the new work. This chancel was probably added around 1300. Some stained glass fragments from this period survive in the tops of the chancel windows where it was too difficult for subsequent iconoclasts to reach.
The round tower is one of 125 in Norfolk but there is some doubt about its date. The brick integral staircase on the south side suggests 14th century but blocked circular window openings found during a 1987 renovation suggest a Saxo-Norman date for the lower (round) part of the tower.
At some stage in the 15th century a brick octagon belfry was added and it is possible that the brick staircase had been added solely to reach this new level easier. However there were later doubts about the ability of the flint rubble round tower to take the weight of the new addition as sometime (19th century??) two substantial iron bands were added about half way up to prevent bulging or an actual collapse. Each band was made as a quarter circle, the quarters where bolted together to make halves and the halves were gradually tensioned with long bolts to ‘bite’ the tower and grip it. There are three bells, two cast around 1466.
Late medieval floor tiles (at a lower level) can be viewed by lifting two traps near the north door. These may have been manufactured near Bawsey on the other side of the county. Also of interest is the 15th century font decorated with evangelists and angels.