!!!PLEASE READ DIRECTIONS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE BEFORE TRYING TO FIND CHURCH!!!
Welcome to Gunton St Andrew's Church
About the church
Because the church is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, services are limited to Christmas, Easter and Harvest with baptisms, weddings and funerals when appropriate.
Exterior
St Andrew's is constructed in gault brick, parts of which are rendered, with stone dressings. It is in the form of a temple with a tetrastyle (four columns) prostyle (protruding forward) portico. It is in Neo-Palladian style. The portico is set on three steps. It has four Doric columns along the front, and another similar column on each side, making it two bays deep. The architrave is plain, the frieze above it is decorated with four rosettes, and the cornice has dentils, as does the pediment. In the centre of the west end of the church is a doorway with a square-headed window on each side. Above each window and the doorway is a blank square with a recessed panel. The body of the church is four bays deep. On both the north and south sides are four niches, three square-headed windows, a plain architrave, rosettes in the frieze and dentils in the cornice. On the east side are three blank rectangular panels, the central one with a memorial tablet inscribed with the date 1665.
Interior
The doorway leads to a circular entrance lobby with two doors. The door on the right leads to a stairway. The other door leads into the church, which is paved in stone with black diamond-shaped inserts. At the east end of the church is a step, then two curved steps leading up to the altar. Behind the altar is an oak reredos with fluted Corinthian columns having gilded capitals. In the central panel of the reredos is a painting of the Virgin and Child and other figures. The pews have wrought iron candle holders, and at the west end of the church are two box pews with brass gas lamps. The west gallery is supported by fluted pilasters with gilded capitals. The west wall is panelled, and the other walls have ornate plasterwork. In the ceiling is an oval panel containing guilloché and a central rose. On the north, south and west walls are hatchments. In the west gallery is a two-manual organ.
ABOUT THE HALL
The estate belonged to the Gunton family in the 12th century, to the Berney family in the 16th century and later to the Jermyn family. The current house was built for Sir William Harbord, 1st Baronet in the 1740s by the architect Matthew Brettingham. In 1775 Harbord Harbord, 1st Baron Suffield, Member of Parliament for Norwich, commissioned James Wyatt to make significant additions to the house. The grounds were developed by Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield, employing William Milford Teulon as the landscaper. However, the hall was almost destroyed by fire in 1882 and lay derelict for nearly a century before Kit Martin, an architect, bought the hall in 1980 and converted it into individual houses.It is surrounded by a 1,000 acre deer park. The boathouse was rebuilt as a studio by the artist Gerard Stamp in 2004.
Although the grounds of Gunton Hall are private, there is access to the church which is signposted beyond the Hall.
We have visited this church many times as my wife Marie was into quirky old churches and loves finding them. We thought it would be lovely to leave a cache here so others could stumble across this absolute wonder. With thanks to Canon Heather Butcher's partner for allowing us to place this cache here. Also feel free to look around the Church it is open daily from 10am - 4pm.
You are looking for a small clippy tub big enough for swaps and to leave trackables in. Happy Caching.
DIRECTIONS
We find the easiest way to get to the church is by car as you have to travel through the private estate but the public have access to the church. Come off the A140 onto White Post Road. Then you will see an archway on a bend that says private road. Drive through the arch way and follow the track and you will go over a small bridge where the road splits, take the road to the right and you will pass the stunning Gunton Hall on your left then you will see a sign to the church. Park in the car park and Continue on foot. Once continuing on foot please obey all the signage regarding which bits are private and what not.
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please look here
http://churchmicro.co.uk/
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html
