One of the oldest Churches in Norwich this building comprises of a nave, chancel, chapels as well as a north and south aisle. Most of the building that you can see today dates from the 15th century with evidence that the south aisle was added after money was left for this work in 1490.
The church is referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086 and in the 1980's during conversion work foundations of an earlier Anglo-Scandinavian or Norman Church were discovered also their was evidence of two possible earlier, timber churches. During the war a lot of the widows, which still contain examples of Victorian stained glass by the William Morris workshop and by Heaton, Butler and Bayne were smashed during air raids But as far as possible they have been restored however this has resulted in some of the figures seeming lonely and isolated.
Built in an area originally known as The Liberty of the Priory because The Priory had jurisdiction of matters both civil and criminal over all who lived there. Norwich City Gasworks stood immediately to the north of the Church which was once occupied by the Calthorpe estate, Elizabeth Calthorpe's Chest tomb is in the north chancel aisle of the Church and part of her home was moved and now makes the East end of the building across the road to the West of the Church. Under the nearby courts buildings which still remains a medieval house dating from the 13th century and surprisingly there is evidence of what appears to be a flushing toilet. The Church was made redundant in the wake of the Brooke report (1975) and in the 1983 was leased to Norfolk Probation services to assist in the care and re-settlement of offenders.
One of the striking things that is first noticed about the tower is the contrast between the dark flints of the wall and the almost white long and narrow quoins. In 1783 a large part of the tower collapsed and in 1851 the chancel aisle on the north and a great deal of the chancel itself also collapsed but this was rebuilt a few years later, in about 1853-4, although the quoins of the north east corner of the chancel are in a style normally attributed to that of the Saxon era . In 1874 the top two sections of the tower were rebuilt and the lower section refaced. The south porch, was almost certainly rebuilt in the 19th century but defiantly dates from Saxon era. With all this work being carried out to with a great deal of care it can be difficult to tell what is Medieval and what is part of the Victorian restoration.
St. Martin of Tours was born in Sabaria, known now as Steinamanger In Germany or Szombathely in Hungarian, Pannonia (Hungary) sometime about 316 and died at Candes, Touraine, most probably in 397. He was as law dictated enrolled in the Roman army. He, like many of his peers in camp, was attracted to Christianity although his faith started long before the conversion of Emperor Constantine, unlike his comrades. It was by the gates of Amiens in Gaul that it is said that on a bitterly cold day he came across a near naked beggar , so moved was he by this man's plight He ripped his clock in two and shared it with the beggar.
. Inside above the south door is a text read 'How dreadful is this place. This is none other than the House of God and this is the Gate of Heaven.”
Congratulations GLOBETROTTER.UK for FIRST TO FIND “If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication. There is also a Church Micro Stats page found via the Bookmark list”