Little Barningham gently straddles a small valley, with the Parish Church on a mound overlooking the single street, a steam passing through and some forty houses dotting the road. Both of the roads that run north/south pass at the edges of the village so that the amount of 'through' traffic is small. It has lost its post office, chapel and pub, but the little Village Hall is a revived centre of social life. At one time the local people all worked on the surrounding estates, and farming was at the heart of village life.
The church is dedicated to St. Andrew, the patron of Scotland and fishermen. The beautiful green mound on which the church is situated is a source of difficulty for the elderly, less able and the coffin bearers! At one time the church was thatched. The crows flew in one end and out the other.
There has been a church here for hundreds of years. The building is a late medieval fabric (c. 1500) extensively restored in the last century and consisting of a Chancel, Nave, West Tower and South Porch. It is built of flint with freestone. The windows are in what is usually called "the perpendicular style" - a type of Gothic architecture peculiar to England which flourished just before the reformation. All except the East and West windows have square heads instead of the usual arched ones - indicating windows of a later date. The Tower only has one bell now. In 1746 a Faculty was granted for the sale of the other two. One was cracked and the other unusable. The proceeds were given to restore the roof. The remaining bell has the following inscription - JOHN DRAPER MADE ME 1617.
Moving eastwards up the Nave, you reach the Font. The cover was made in 1896. At the same time, the Earl of Orford (of Wolterton Hall) gave the Pulpit, and had the Nave was re-seated. The North Door, which is never used, was restored at this time by a Miss F. J, Thompson. Various legends surround its original purpose. It is said it should be open at Baptisms for the devil to leave by when driven out of the child! It was also supposed to be have been used for the same purpose at the Consecration of the Church and is often called the Devil Door.
The main feature in the church is the Box, just north of the pulpit erected by Steven Crosbee. Its purpose is explained in the words carved round it:
“FOR COUPLES JOYND IN WEDLOCK AND MY FRIENDS THAT STRANGER IS, THIS SEAT DID I INTEND BUILT AT THE COST AND CHARGE OF STEVEN CROSBEE. ALL YOU THAT DOE THIS SPACE PASS BY, AS YOU ARE NOWE, EVEN SO WAS I. REMEMBER DEATH FOR YOU MUST DYE AND AS I AM SOE SHALL YOU BE PREPARE THEREFORE TO FOLLOW ME”
The carving is thought to be Crosbee' s version of the skeleton at the (marriage) feast. Sadly the original skeleton carving was stolen in 1996 having been in place for 400 years. There are two replacements. One fixed to the pew in the original position and another at the back of the church carved by a well-wisher.
Just to the right inside the South Door, there is a Holy Water Stoup which is now filled in. The Roof is tie beam.
No Rood Screen exists. There are not even traces of the stairs which may have led up to it. The Chancel was restored in 1878-9 when the Choir Stalls were erected.
The Sanctuary was panelled in oak in 1935 and inscribed:-
“IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM GEORGE LEE 1846-1918 AND HIS WIFE, MARY ELIZABETH LEE 1853-1932 THIS PANELLING THE GIFT OF THEIR CHILDREN WAS SET HERE IN 1935”
The Chancel has a hammer beam roof and there is a stone piscina in the South wall near the Altar. The organ is at the west end and is framed by the Tower arch. It was brought here in 1976 from the now disused Church of St. Margaret de Westwick in the City of Norwich at the expense of a local family. It was restored by a local firm of organ-builders and dedicated on Palm Sunday 1976. Enough can be seen of the Arch at the west end to know it is a good specimen of pre- Victorian Gothic.
The cache is not at the given coordinates but these will take you to a bench where you need to make a note of the date on the plaque: AB.C.DEFG
The cache can be found at: N52 51. (A+B )(C-A) (B) E001 10.(E-A-B) (A-B) (D+G)
You are looking for a micro container, a little bigger than a film pot. Please bring your own pen. Parking is available for one or two cars close to the church.
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro@gmail.com.
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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