NHER 10760 (Building record) - Ruins of St Margaret's Church, Hopton on Sea

27 November 1954. Grade II listed.
Ruins of parish church dating from the late 13th and 14th centuries, constructed of flint with ashlar dressings and some brick. No roofs. The church comprises a west tower, nave, chancel and north aisle to both nave and chancel and a 3 stage square tower supported on diagonal western buttresses. Knapped flint. The church has a 2-light Perpendicular west window and small cusped 2-light belfry windows with square heads. There is a plain parapet and a 3-light reticulated north aisle east and west windows with fragments of tracery only in eastern one. North flank of aisle pierced by cinquefoil lancets. Lancets also to south nave. Interior of aisle east window flanked by ogee niches.
Information from listing.
H. White (NLA), 25 March 2010.

Wide aisle and nave/chancel, almost double-naved, with west tower. Much early brick.
Possibility of early work in chancel; otherwise mostly early 14th century with early 15th century tower and additions and later 15th century porch. Very poor condition.
See detailed report (S1) in file.
Newspaper cuttings (S2-6) and (S9) in file.
Listed (S7).
E. Rose (NAU), 27 September 1985.

Appropriate section from reference (S8) in file.

March 2010.
Plans have been put forward to re-open the church ruins and to transform them in to a community and arts centre.
See (S10) and (S11) for further details.
H. White (NLA), 25 March 2010.

August-September 2014. Trial trenches and excavation. [1].
Limited excavations within the ruins of the church by Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust. Planned investigations include keyhole trenches to study a blocked doorway and possible joint in the fabric of the south wall; a trench to uncover at least one former position for a lost octagonal pier base and an area of excavation to clean down and investigate an open area in the east end of the church to locate the position of a subsurface tomb and any former floor surfaces. Details to follow.
Finds recovered during the above work, seen by HES and entered on the PAS database:
29 medieval floor tile fragments, 2 roof tile fragments, 1 brick fragment, 1 decorated ceramic architectural fragment and a Caen limestone sundial fragment.
2 medieval/post-medieval roof tile fragments.
Information from PAS import.
A. Beckham (HES), 1 January 2016.