St Peter Mancroft, Norwich
When I ran the Greater Churches Battle on here many of you became quite enamoured by St Peter Mancroft and her fancy hat. Well, I got to lurk in, on, and under her after she closed for the day and I'd love to share the adventure (and some facts) with you all!
As with all good night time church adventures, this one started with a Great Big Key. Look at that chonker! Nobody will be breaking in here any time soon!
St Peter Mancroft is a fine example of English Perpendicular Gothic. She was built in the mid 1400's and, aside from the Anglican and Catholic Cathedrals, she's the biggest church in Norwich - a city with so many churches it's said that in the middle ages you would have been able to go to a different one every Sunday for a full year.
As part of the exploration I was honoured to be able to descend into the crypt and see the Norman foundations which date from the 1000's - no photos of that, however, because there were a load of bones and coffins lying about and I believe the dead were interred with a certain expectation of privacy and peace that we should respect.
After going down, we went up. The bell ringing chamber has a glass wall now, and through it you can see Mancroft's exquisite hammer-beam roof, with rows of angels on each side. The line between Nave and Chancel is marked by the appearance of gilded roof bosses and extra angels.
Inside the ringing chamber is the gorgeous Western stained glass window - in my opinion a tasteful balance of modern and historical, with a sense of a sunset about it in the gradient.
Also in the ringing chamber is this fabulous roof, and above it the bell chamber, containing the bells. I didn't see that because apparently the bell ringers get angry when people go in there and even the Vicar seems to be a bit scared of their wrath. (Bells can be very dangerous, so fair enough)
We carried on, up the spiral staircase, past a number of cool little windows, and a LOT of old graffiti.
Until finally we came to the top of the tower, and saw the city of Norwich spread out before us.
St Peter Mancroft’s “hat” which you all found so charming is actually what is known in England as a “flèche” - a small mini-spire or spike, often made of lead. It was added in 1845, because apparently someone thought the church wasn't already impressive enough.
I played with the exposure a bit in these photos so you can get a glimpse of the internal structure of the flèche, with wooden beams radiating outwards and helping it keep its shape.
Mancroft also has a small set of transepts (so extra for a parish church - I love it), the Northern arm is currently a small museum holding the historic silver collection - and the Southern arm is a small side chapel.
Bonus behind the scenes shots:
