Built in 686? Exploring St Nicholas Church, Feltwell | Saxon Origins & Hidden History

Añadido: 2026-05-10

[00:00:10]Hi all, AD here from Hanson Chantry. As always, thank you so much for clicking on the video. I'm in deepest, darkest Norfolk. I'm in a little town called Feltwell and I'm at St. Nicholas Church, which is actually a redundant church and it's under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Very unique. You can see just behind me has a well, had a round her that's collapsed, but they kind of put a roof on the remaining bit. So, let's go and explore inside.

[00:00:41]There's been a church here since around the late 7th century, roughly around the year 683, so 683.

[00:00:50]So, when we walk in, we're stepping into over 1,300 years of history. Now, the church sits on a slight rise at the edge of the village and before the fens were drained, water would have come right up to the base of the hill. So, this would have stood out on the landscape almost like a landmark. It's dedicated to St. Nicholas, who is the patron saint of sailors and travelers, which makes that setting feel quite fitting.

[00:01:19]These beautiful iron oil lamps hanging above are very likely Victorian.

[00:01:26]They were no doubt added during the 19th century restoration when the church was brought back from a long period of decline.

[00:01:35]And this church really is a mix of different periods. The original Saxon church was rebuilt by the Normans around 1072 and parts of that still survive, especially in the base of the tower, which we will go outside and have a look at later. Then in the 15th century, the church was expanded with the aisles added and that's why it feels so wide.

[00:02:02]In fact, it's actually broader than it is long, which is quite unusual and that's because the chancel was removed in the 19th century, leaving the building with this slightly cut off appearance.

[00:02:15]On the altar here is a couple of crucifixes and I'm not sure which one of them, because I only found this out afterwards, but they were carved by an Ernest Bohar, a Boljar, I don't know how you pronounce his surname and he was a German prisoner of war, because the church was provided as a place of worship for prisoners during the Second World War and it's remarkable piece of sculpture as the only tool that would have been used was a penknife, because knives and sharp instruments were barred from the prisoners. And there's this beautiful Bible that has a local connection to a family. Isn't that wonderful?

[00:03:01]Just sitting here and then on the other side is another Bible that is 102 years old.

[00:03:13]It was presented by Reverend Cartwright in Eastertide 1924 and there is another significant Bible that we'll show you a little bit later on.

[00:03:27]The pulpit here isn't actually originally from this church. It was brought here from St. Martin's in Cambridge during the 20th century when the building was being refurnished.

[00:03:41]Although this is no longer suitable to be rung, the gleaners bell hangs above here and in the appropriate season, this bell would have been tolled twice a day to let the villagers know when they were permitted to start and finish gleaning the corn from the fields.

[00:04:01]The east window above with its attractive glazing pattern was saved and re-erected when the chancel was demolished.

[00:04:12]On the south wall here, we find a 13th century piscina and in front of that on the floor, I found a broken stone and I thought that's a bit odd to have a large piece of rubble just lying on the floor like that. But I later found out it was in fact believed to be a mensa or an altar, the original one from the church and it was in fact very sadly used in the porch and formed a step into the church.

[00:04:47]Heading back across the altar, just on the right here, I found another old relic and this is in fact an old Norman carved pillar.

[00:04:59]And then we come to the organ and this is a real gem. It's by G.M. Holdich, which is a well-known organ builder from London and it's dated from 1849.

[00:05:12]It originally came from St. Mary's Church, although the pipes were actually substituted for the original and I'm just going to play you a song now using my wonderful musical talents. I'm only joking. I haven't got a musical bone in my body.

[00:05:33]We're going to head into the north aisle and another beautiful Victorian oil lamp. And along the wall here, there's still a stone bench. Now, they used to say "weak to the wall" and that meant that the elderly or the infirm were actually allowed to sit down during services. Everyone else would have stood up. And this stone was found in 1977 outside and it says Robert Dyde August 1698.

[00:06:07]And he did actually, in fact, the family home was Hill House, which later on I'm going to show you some amazing photos and that will all make sense, but that would have been his original family home. So, that's an amazing connection to a local person. And this beautiful large stone coffin was dug up by the north door in 1830 when the church was being repaired. And from the shape of the coffin and because it's possible to trace a cross on the lid, this indicates that it was made for a priest burial.

[00:06:43]But after 1270, stone coffins no longer taped tapered towards the feet as this one does. So, we know that this one is really old, so it's probably at least 700 years old.

[00:06:58]Sadly, during restoration work in 1898, the bell tower actually collapsed, but they managed to save some of the bells and they kept the tongues and somebody's written a lovely poem about them. Five of us used to speak to you 200 years and more. We called you from your cottages and from the old fen shore. With lofty tower, one morn we fell in 1898.

[00:07:26]No more we'll call you to your prayers, for silence is our fate.

[00:07:33]Love that.

[00:07:35]And down here, I found I was very surprised to find this and the fact that it's unlocked as well, is a very unique Bible.

[00:07:49]So, it's extremely interesting because it's a Basket Bible, which was covered in goat skin and was actually printed in 1717.

[00:07:59]Now, John Baskett described himself as a printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty for Great Britain and the University.

[00:08:11]So, I'm just going to have a closer look at it.

[00:08:14]And the King would have been George the First.

[00:08:20]I didn't want to touch it.

[00:08:24]And to be honest with you, I wasn't really comfortable even closing it to have a look at the goat skin. I I'm always respectful.

[00:08:34]The font was actually from another church and it was actually moved here by the RAF, the Royal Air Force, because just right by the church here, you can actually see the domes of it in the distance, is one of the US's main air force bases in the UK called Lakenheath.

[00:08:56]So, I'm just having a look inside the tower and this bottom part they say was Saxon and you can see where they put a roof over where it had collapsed and I'm going to show you a little bit more of that as we head outside.

[00:09:13]I bumped into a local gentleman whose family has been in the village for hundreds of years and he actually has photos of what the tower looked like before it collapsed. So, if you wait for another few minutes, I'm going to show you those photographs towards the end of the video.

[00:09:37]And as we step outside and when I go around the corner here, I'm going to show you a mark. Now, this small carved mark is in fact an Ordnance Survey benchmark and they quite often used to put them on churches because the churches obviously weren't going to be demolished anytime soon. So, and they're quite often on higher points, so it's a great point of reference for an Ordnance Survey mark. And here you can see the Saxon stonework.

[00:10:15]And it's great to look at the tower again from the outside. So, the lower part is Saxon and you can see where they put a roof on it after it had collapsed.

[00:10:26]It's great to be able to look right back to those earliest phases of the building.

[00:10:32]And this building has been mentioned and recorded in the Domesday Book and it was the only church in this part of the area listed at the time.

[00:10:43]The building here has been at the heart of the community for well over a thousand years.

[00:10:50]I wonder how many generations of families are buried here.

[00:11:50]As I head back around to the south side, when the camera pans back up to the church, you will notice there are six stone panels in the flint work. And these were to commemorate benefactors or churchwardens at the time during the 15th century when the church was expanded.

[00:12:09]And I'm just going to speak to the most amazing gentleman now. This is just amazing. Thank you so much.

[00:12:18]So, 1898. So, did you get these from family? Yeah, all family ones. All family pictures. Oh, wow. Look at that.

[00:12:27]That's a sketch from Bloomfield's Norfolk the book.

[00:12:31]1808, what it looked like.

[00:12:34]Oh my god, they're amazing. I'm just I'm in the shadow.

[00:12:38]I can move it around if you want. No, no, no, no, it's me. I'm standing.

[00:12:42]So, this is Oh, yeah, that's just just here.

[00:12:46]That's the 50. That'll be 1960, that would be. Oh, look at that. Is that an army vehicle there? No, it's some car, isn't it?

[00:12:55]1960, something like that.

[00:12:57]That's a high tower, isn't it? This is the pub which was here before this modern one. In 1931, they knocked that down. Oh, look. Yeah, it's got its thatched roof.

[00:13:06]That was a dump and you'll see on the next picture. Oh, was it? There's your tower.

[00:13:12]Oh, look at that.

[00:13:14]And then It was one of the pubs.

[00:13:17]So, did they leave it exposed to the elements for a while before they put that roof on it?

[00:13:23]50 years. About 50 years. I don't think I can remember all the rubble line there. So, is this your house?

[00:13:30]Oh my gosh. And that's it.

[00:13:33]So, is your house been in the family for years? 1700, about 1700. And it's stayed in the family since then. Oh my gosh.

[00:13:42]Have you got siblings?

[00:13:44]No, it's just me. And I've got three kids.

[00:13:47]And four grandchildren.

[00:13:49]Are you going to ask them to keep it in the family? Well, me out. The eldest boy is the turn of the >> He's the one that's going to get it.

[00:13:56]Are you a Do you know who this lady is? Yeah, she's somebody who used to live in that house there.

[00:14:02]Hill House. Really? Oh my god, this is amazing.

[00:14:07]house this If you look at the end of it.

[00:14:10]Oh, yeah.

[00:14:11]Oh, so they were Oh, you can still see the stables, can't you?

[00:14:15]How amazing is that?

[00:14:18]Oh, I would love to have all my history like this.

[00:14:22]It's about 350 a week.

[00:14:25]I saw somebody on a bike. Oh, no, but thank you.

[00:14:27]>> They're down the street here, those ones. I've owned all all of them at one time or another. Have you? Yeah, yeah.

[00:14:33]You're a property magnet. Not really.

[00:14:36]Mainly land Mainly farming, you know, sort of. What do you farm? Just crops, you know. Crops.

[00:14:43]It's a tough tough game, isn't it? It is now, yeah. Oh, did we see that on the way in? Did we Yeah, that's the other church. That is. Is that Victorian?

[00:14:51]No, that's um 1400s. Is it? Yeah. It looked quite modern. Looks more modern, but it isn't.

[00:14:59]One side of it is Victorian. Look at them in their in their finery. The other side of it is Victorian.

[00:15:05]I did I drive We drove past the sign earlier that said rest in peace.

[00:15:10]Big one.

[00:15:11]To their farm. Thank you for killing killing our farm. Oh, they inherited it.

[00:15:16]>> Starmer, yeah. It's terrible, isn't it?

[00:15:18]You just got to keep lobbying. Yeah.

[00:15:21]Until they change it.

[00:15:23]They'll never change it. Not until they never find again. Yeah, never. Who are these? Are these family members? Well, yes, my father. Is it? It's on top of that church down there, right on the top. That's the If you look at there's a pivot as you go That's where they were on the top of the tower. Was it Oh my gosh. What is mates? And there's there's another There's a bit That's where That's the pivot bit where they all sit behind, that little bit right at the top.

[00:15:49]We were talking about this Oh my god, these are amazing.

[00:15:54]We've We've got or I've got family albums from my mom and dad and their their parents and you know. Yeah. And you won't get them anymore, will you?

[00:16:01]No. Cuz it's all digital. Yeah, and I I say that now cuz I I got These are amazing.

[00:16:09]when they were all young and where we went on holiday and that and my grandkids. She's got it all on her phone. If I want some, I have to ask her. Yeah, yeah. It's like all our pictures are are literally on our phones. So, we've got nothing you know, when we die and that.

[00:16:24]where I used to live when I was a child till I was 14.

[00:16:28]Was it Was it a business?

[00:16:31]I'm trying to see what I'm trying to see what the sign is of.

[00:16:34]down and that was That was a six-bedroom house when I lived Wow.

[00:16:38]You had loads of room then.

[00:16:41]Was it?

[00:16:43]I laid in bed one morning and the ceiling fell on me bed.

[00:16:46]The ice used to be on the inside of the windows. Oh, I do remember that.

[00:16:51]When I When I grew up, we used to have that cuz we only had like wooden frames where it's single panes cuz there wasn't even double glazing.

[00:16:59]Oh, this is I love it so much. street down here.

[00:17:02]That is. Oh, look.

[00:17:05]Butcher's. All the meat hanging outside.

[00:17:07]They wouldn't have that now, would No, no.

[00:17:10]Oh, these are amazing.

[00:17:13]Yeah, it's amazing, that, isn't it?

[00:17:16]Yeah, that's all the high street. I know someone very similar, but I'm not fanatic, but I've collected I've just collected No, this is a trea- This is an absolute treasure. Who's the lady with the bunnies? Oh, that was my grandmother's sister.

[00:17:31]Had a little shop down the street.

[00:17:34]And there's another one in there where they had another shop as well.

[00:17:38]Oh, look. Bike in the lines, too. Yeah.

[00:17:42]Oh my god, these are amazing. I could literally take this home with me. I won't, obviously. I won't steal it. I don't think I'll let you. I don't blame you.

[00:17:51]You need What you need I'm going to wrap the video up here. Thank you so much for watching. I really do appreciate it. And if you did enjoy it, if you could please hit the like, subscribe, and the heart button down below. It doesn't cost you a penny, but it really helps the channel out. But if you'd like to support the channel a little bit more, then you can hit the super thanks button down below or use the buy me a coffee link down below. And that really helps support the channel that little bit more and just allows me to travel a little bit further and helps me make a donation to these amazing buildings. This one is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust and I'll pop a link to their website down below. You can either read a little bit more about the work that they do or make a donation directly. But thanks again and I shall see you for the next one. Bye for now.