NHER 10331 (Monument record) - Site of St Mary's Church, Holveston

Site of St Mary's Church.
Consisted of chancel and nave in one, south porch, round west tower. The east window was a lancet and the other windows lancets and circular. It contained an aumbry, Norman piscina, sedilia, and rood screen, and was thatched. 22,m (24 yards) long by 7m (8 yards) wide. After demolition the materials were used to repair the road.
Information 'from an old manuscript' quoted by (S1) in (S2).
E. Rose (NAU), 19 July 1977.

NAU air photography.
Revealed cropmark of church showing chancel possibly slightly narrower than nave, and round west tower, but slightly to the north of antiquity symbol on (S3).
D. Edwards (NAU), 28 November 1980 and E. Rose (NAU), 16 June 1981.

(S4) refers to church ruins being demolished 'within living memory' and used to repair drive to hall. But hall itself, apparently 16th century contains very much ashlar and Norman or Early English colonettes and mouldings. Was church therefore ruinated at Reformation? See NHER 20118.
E. Rose (NAU), 6 March 1984.

1990. Metal detected finds. Site of St Mary's Church.
Medieval bronze buckle with barrel-shaped tongue rest. See (S5).
Groat Henry VIII (after 1542) with REX at end of legend on obverse.
S. Margeson (NCM), 19 December 1990.

June 2007. Norfolk NMP
Cropmarks of a medieval church are visible on aerial photographs (S7-S9). The grid reference for the church has been amended from TG 3041 0307 to TG 3041 0308. Clear cropmarks of showing the buried walls and foundations of the church are visible on aerial photographs. The cropmarks show that the church had a round west tower with a rectangular nave measuring approximately 9m by 6m. A rectangular chancel with corner buttresses is present and has dimensions of 6m by 4m. This overlies a smaller and earlier apsidal ended chancel. A rectangular porch is present on the south side of the nave. The plan of this church is similar to the cropmarks of St Peter’s church, Ormesby St Margaret (NHER 8648) and the complete example of St Margaret’s church at Hales (NHER 10523). It is likely that it is of early 12th century date (S6).
J. Albone (NMP), 15 June 2007