Geograph - photograph every grid square

Grade I listed

The church was built between 1454 and 1465, on the remains of a previous church. The tower was built about 50 years later.
There is a west tower, nave with aisles and clerestory, north and south transepts and chancel. The church is built of Barnack stone, brick, and Flint in the perpendicular style. The tower may have been freestanding originally, and the nave was lengthened is to meet it.
The tower was begun in 1485 with battlements added in 1533 with corner pinnacles. A Gothic lantern and lead spike was added in 1778, and rebuilt in 1897.
The battlements are decorated with St Peter's keys and St Paul's swords. There are eight bells, the eastern end of the nave has a small bellcote for the original Sanctus bell which is now gone.

The church is entered through west doors at the base of the tower. The nave has seven bay arcades with a 14 bay hammerbeam roof from the 16th century. There are 88 carved wooden Angels with outstretched wings which decorate the ends of the hammer beams, and are either side of the king posts. There are further Angels set along the wall plates on either side. The Angels bear shields showing the instruments of the passion.

The chancel arch once had a Rood screen, and fragments of earlier stone mouldings can be seen about halfway up.
In the Quire there are remains of mediaeval woodcarvings on the stalls. Some of these came from the family box pew of John Chapman, who was a benefactor and church warden of the church during its rebuilding. There is a legend of "The Pedlar of Swaffham" who dreamt of finding a pot of gold in his garden, the peddlar being John Chapman himself.
In the sanctuary there is a tomb with an effigy of John Botright who was a rector of Swaffham in the 15th century and contributed towards the rebuilding of the church.

The south transept is the Lady Chapel which was originally a Guilds Chapel and contains a piscina. There is a brass to Sir John Audley mounted on the wall, and there is a wall monument to Katherine Steward, died 1590, who was Oliver Cromwell's maternal grandmother.
The north transept was also once a Guilds Chapel and now houses the organ. There is a large squint towards the altar.

The font dates from the 19th century.

There are several stained-glass windows in the church, the north aisle windows contain fragments of mediaeval glass.

Created: Mon, 20 Jun 2016, Updated: Mon, 20 Jun 2016