NHER 6912 (Building record) - SS Peter and Paul's Church, Knapton

September 1976. Visited.
13th century octagonal font with cover dated 1704 bearing Greek palindrome inscription NIYON ANOMHMA MH MONAN OYIN ( Wash thou, not only my face, but my transgression).
Church 14th century with a very fine double hammerbeam roof of 1504.
See brief notes (S1) in file.
E. Rose (NAU), 16 September 1976.
Listed grade I. (S2).

This is one of the sixty five Norfolk churches selected for (S3). Press cuttings (S4) in file.
D. Gurney (NLA), 17 February 2006.

November 2014. Inspection
Report makes some observations not made elsewhere. The odd position of the tower was not the result of a change of plan but clearly deliberate from the first as demonstrated by the straight joint on the north wall close to the tower showing that provision for the tower was made. The slighly later building of the tower was separated from the nave at first - a practice commonly observed in other medieval churches where towers took long to build and tended to settle at a different rate from the nave. On aisled churches this is seen by a different span to the westernmost bay as at St Agnes Cawston for example (NHER 7468). The purpose of the of centre positon for the tower was to give prominence to the great west window of cusped 'Y' tacery. The heightening of the nave, the insertion of the nave windows with semicircular headed arches and the construction of the fabulous roof took place in the early 16th century. The double hammerbeam roof has painted figures which are almost certainly original in large part. Restored by George Gilbert Scott from 1882. In 1930 a tiebeam which crossed in front of the chancel arch was taken down and replaced with hammerbeams. The only evidence which survives in the building of this alteration is the slighly truncated brace to the easternmost truss. (A photo of roof before the removal of the tie beam can be seen in the guide book). Iconoclast damage occurs only up to wall plate level with the prophets' faces on the wall posts cut off and the angels on the aslaring. Eight medieval tomb covers survive lined up against the west wall and a ninth in the tomb recess on the south wall. Gibert Scott's plan shows them scattered about the church where they presumably covered actual graves. It was during the restoration and the re-flooring that the covers were moved. For further details and explanations (See S6).
S. Heywood (HES), 5 January 2015.