Our latest Coffee, Clean & Chat session reached Cockthorpe, All Saints on Tuesday 3rd March.
Once again we were delighted to welcome a group of willing volunteers who swept, dusted and polished this lovely little church which came into the care of the Norfolk Churches Trust on 1st March 1978. A big thank you to those who joined us, we do hope you had an enjoyable morning.
Dr John Maddison, Chair of the Trust’s Grant Committee was on hand to give us a guide to the church which although compact, contains much of character and interest.
Here John is discussing the details of the 15th century, arch-braced roof with its long carved wall posts which are divided by a quatrefoil carved frieze along the wall plate. Also, the very significant number of trees that would have been used in the process! You can see part of this roof within the image of the wall painting below.
The quatrefoils of the south frieze were reinstated as part of the extensive repairs undertaken by the Trust, with generous grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund, in 2016.
This campaign of work transformed the condition of the building and underpinned its long-term future.
The north wall contains the remains of a wall painting of St Christopher, donor figures can be made out at the foot of the image. This painting, along with a piece of black and white post-Reformation painted text were uncovered during repairs in 1990.
The font, with its carved shields, dates from the fifteenth century. From the same period are oak benches with poppy heads, one altered in 1649 which now contains carved initials from that time.
The south aisle contains two fine monuments, one a large tomb chest and the other an alabaster and mid-seventeenth-century marble wall monument to Sir James Calthorpe (died 1615) and his wife Barbara, who, according to the inscription, died in 1639 aged 86 having seen 193 of her descendants.
Therefore there is much of interest at All Saints, NR23 1QS which is open during daylight hours, so do pop in if you are in the area. There is more information on Cockthorpe, All Saints here.
Our next Coffee, Clean & Chat is taking place at Snetterton, All Saints, NR16 2LR on Tuesday 14th April from 10am to 12.30pm. We look forward to meeting you there.
Is your church thinking of setting up a Friends Group or a Coffee, Clean & Chat session?
As part of our Heritage Skills & Maintenance Day representatives of the Trust will be on hand at Hilborough, All Saints, IP26 5BU, on Saturday 18th April with advice on setting up a Friends Group and top tips for effective church cleaning. Find out more about this special event by following this link.
