NHER 5911 (Monument record) - Site of St Andrew's Church, The Wilderness, Thetford

Site of church. Demolished in 1546. Churchyard made into garden in 1717 - font found? Worked stone now in edges of paths.
R. R. Clarke (NCM).

Despite the above unattributed reference, (S1) notes that in 1805 a Henry Cocksedge took up the foundations of the church to make a garden called the Wilderness. The garden walls were then built from the church foundations. Mature planting remains.
See (S1) for further details.
E. Rose (NLA), 14 July 1998.

Appropriate section from (S2) in file.

(S2) notes that the church stood at the northern end of the Norman borough, at the end of Whitehart Street. The foundations were dug by Martin in 1717 and he found human bones, freestone and probably a font. He described the churchyard as a 'pleasant wilderness' (information from (S3), cited in (S2)).
See (S2) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 7 August 2008.

October 2006. Visit.
Garden subdivided and two house plots made in the mid 20th century but the basic layout of paths present in the late 19th century is still traceable and a brick summerhouse survives. The paths are edged in brick kiln waste as was commonly done in 19th century gardens, and possibly some limestone but very overgrown. Original garden walls remain - they appear to be clunch rather than limestone but large stretches are obscured by ivy. Four large stone pinnacles are set in the garden, resembling 19th century gate post tops rather than medieval work. The trees still remain. Only the garden of the modern house called The Wilderness was inspected.
E. Rose (NLA), 9 October 2006.

Inhumations discovered a short distance to the north, on the opposite side of the road, may form part of the cemetery which once belonged to St Andrew's church.
See NHER 40819 for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 7 August 2008.

July 2024. Casual Observation.
Human remains disturbed during remedial works undertaken following collapse of section of boundary wall between the grounds of 2a London Road and of the Wereham House Hotel (24 White Hart Street).
These remains were encountered roughly 1.5m to the north of the boundary wall (at c. TL 8699 8329), within a trench dug to allow a digger to remove rubble that had collapsed against of the hotel. Several skull fragments were retrieved and vertebrae were apparently also visible within the hole - suggesting that an articulated burial had been disturbed.
An examination of the bones suggests that they are those of a young adult male. The condition and appearance of the bones indicates that they had been buried for a considerable period. It is therefore highly likely that the burial distrubed was medieval in date and had lain within the churchyard of St Andrew’s Church.
For further details see notes compiled by J. Percival (HES) based on information supplied by landowner (S4) and a short report on the human skeletal remains (S5).
P. Watkins (HES), 19 July 2024.

This record has been remapped to better reflect the likely extent of the churchyard of St Andrew’s Church. Its present extent is now that of the Wilderness garden as it is depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1:500 Town Plan map of 1883 (S6). Previously it was mapped as a point at TL 8702 8331, which is where the site of the church building itself had been marked on early Ordnance Survey maps (now Context 1).
P. Watkins (HES), 19 July 2024.