NHER 2062 (Building record) - All Saints' and St Peter's Church, Great Walsingham

March 1959. Listed, Grade I.
Listing Description excerpt:
"Mainly 14th century. Flint with ashlar dressings, with lead roofs. Comprising: nave, north and south aisles, west tower, north and south porches. Chancel destroyed. Clerestory windows are quatrefoils within circles...Large 14th-century west tower with diagonal buttresses on west corners, later rendered brick parapet...Perpendicular north and south porches, the south porch with niches flanking entrance. Interior: four-bay north and south arcades. Good arched brace nave roof with small collar-beams, and contemporary north aisle roof. Very good late 15th-century benches, almost complete, in nave and aisles. 17th-century altar table, and rails with moulded balusters and finials with central gate. 15th-century font with 17th-century cover. Pulpit dated 1613 incorporating earlier traceried panels. Some fragments of 14th-century stained glass in heads of north and south aisle windows."
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current listing details.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 March 2025.

May 1980. Field Observation.
Visited by E. Rose (NAU).
Chancel in ruins. Otherwise totally Decortated. 14th century except for porches. Brick putlog holes. Tall west tower (pyramid roof removed 1971, other restoration 1979) with Decorated bell openings (later altered using window mullions from chancel). Good doorway to stairs. All windows Decorated - remains of one on south side chancel indicate this was the same. Beneath it a low side-window. West window of south aisle blocked at base. Chancel and tower arches, arcades, doorways all Decorated. Clerestory of quatrefoils. Perpendicular (15th century) south porch with parvis, flushwork and two pedestalled niches; inside, one stone bench and one brick one, and half a round piscina. Old porch roof on solid arched brackets, end pair of these removed. The north porch is a copy of 1860. Floors are of red brick and pammet. Nave roof on solid arched brackets to high collar-beams perhaps Perpendicular also, as there is the mark of a higher one on the tower. The same applies to north aisle roof. South aisle roof on arched braces is later still, and has been repaired crudely at east end, cutting off the top of the internal rood turret. Marks of parclose screens at ends of aisles at east and of tower screen at west end. Decorated piscina at east end of south aisle. North aisle has aumbry with original door, a broken statue corbel, and another piscina. The blocking wall of chancel arch including reused stonework has two 16th century windows one above the other, between them a row of joists apparently from the rood loft. There are said to be hooks for the rood above. Mark of chancel roof visible on exterior. The chancel was ruined by 1583. Remains of nave gable cross. Wallpaintings including black-letter text and two consecration crosses superimposed. Mass dial on south exterior. Complete set of carved benches with inscriptions, figures, openwork backs, attached to wall panelling in aisles and with kerbs for rushes beneath - 15th century. Plain octagonal font of same date. Pulpit dated 1613 but incorporating Perpendicular work. 17th-century communion rails, altar in north aisle, and panelling behind it. Much stained glass of 1320-1360 (dated by Mr King). 17th-century chest. Ledger stones, two coffin slabs and a third of child size. Brass inscription of 1593, others 17th century. Good Manby tablet of 1845. Ironbound poor box. Organ of 1840 from West Tofts [1]. Royal arms, George I. Old commandment boards said to be in ringer's gallery. Plate according to according to Pevsner is chalice, Norwich 1567; Paten, Norwich 1679. According to [1] bells are three by Siliden of Lynn, 1330, in Britain's oldest bell frame.
Churchyard gate has quoins of reused stone.
Compiled by E. Rose (NAU). Information from file notes (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), P. Watkins (HES), 29 March 2025.

Before 9 November 2005. Stray Find.
Found while grave digging:
Roman pottery sherd.
See description in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 14 December 2005.

This is one of the sixty five Norfolk churches selected for (S3).
D. Gurney (NLA), 17 February 2006.