NHER 4767 (Building record) - St John the Baptist's Church, Coltishall

May 1961. Listed, Grade I.
Listing Description Excerpt:
"Parish church, largely rebuilt in 1865, but with C15 tower, porches and Cll fragments in the north wall. Built of flint with stone dressings. Thatch and lead roof. West tower, north porch, south aisle, south porch, nave, chancel and south vestry. 4 stage tower with diagonal buttresses and flushwork base course. Perpendicular west door with fauna in the spandrels."
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current listing details.
H. Hamilton (HES), 5 December 2022.

July 1975. Field Observation.
A detailed visual survey of the building was undertaken.
Saxon windows and site of door in wall of original church containing Roman brick. Remainder mainly 14th century but tower and porch 15th century.
Information from HER Record Card (S2) and later unpublished report (S4). Original unpublished report has not been retained.
Photograph (S3) is undated but may have been taken during this survey.
H. Hamilton (HES), 5 December 2022.

May 1983. Field Observation.
A further detailed visual survey of the building was undertaken.
Possible cross base in yard.
Information from HER Record Card (S2) and later unpublished report (S4). Original unpublished report has not been retained.
Photograph (S3) is undated but may have been taken during this survey.
H. Hamilton (HES), 5 December 2022.

November 2004. Field Observation.
Medieval parish church, with a variety of building phases.
Saxo-Norman north nave wall with two circular windows, a blocked round headed door, and much Roman brick.
Main body of church dates to about 1300. Blomefield (S5) states that the church was dedicated in the 1280s, which would make this an important and early example of Y tracery.
Tower and porches added in late 15th century, again an important dated example.
Overall restoration from 1865 to 1877.
Contains a large number of grand 18th/19th century monuments; Norman font.
Good churchyard.
Possible crossbase in yard is actually an erratic.
See unpublished report (S4) incorporating and superceding notes of 1975 and 1983 for further details.
E. Rose (NLA) 13 November 2004.

March 2006. Field Visit and Watching Brief.
The site was visited following removal of the boiler house and works to open out the south porch and lower its floor.
The outline of the boiler house and chimney were visible on the west wall of the aisle. The area had been back-filled and workers reported only rubble had been visible in the disturbed area. However, some projecting footings are now visible below the south plinth and some additional details of construction phases are now visible.
In the south porch, details of the south aisle doorway are now visible along with a few other architectural details which confirm that the south doorway is contemporary with the aisle of around 1300 and the porch was a later addition. The west wall of the aisle appears to overlie the tower buttress whcih may suggest that it was rebuilt, perhaps in the 19th century which is the date of the surviving window.
Excavation of a sceptic tank located to the south of the porch was observed. Objects recovered from the fill included:
1 square floor tile with green glaze on the edges, likely Flemish (ca. 1400), and a second possible fragment.
Several post-medieval peg roof tiles.
Large quantities of 18th to early 19th century flooring bricks.
A few bone fragments.
Redeposited human remains were encountered in the trench leading to the sceptic tank. The remains represented several individuals and indicate a higher level of previous disturbance of the churchyard than anticipated, perhaps relating to works to install the heating system in the 19th century.
See unpublished report (S6) for further details.
E. Rose (NLA), 3 April 2006. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 5 December 2022.

August 2006. Field Visit.
The nave roof was inspected following removal of thatch.
The majority of the roof is likely of early 19th century date and at the west end of the tower there are four later rafters which are likely associated with the removal of the dormers somtiem after 1821. However, some of the brick in-fill to the ashlar pieces supported by the feet of the trusses bear diagonal skintlings and therefore likely date to before 1780. In additon, two thick planks laid on top of the wall above the join between the early section of north nave wall and the later section to the east may be of medieval date.
See unpublished report (S7) for further details.
H. Hamilton (HES), 5 December 2022.