This charming little country church built of flint with stone quoins and dressings is typical of many erected in the early fourteenth century during the ‘decorated’ period. It stands in a very small churchyard on a slight rise, with the square, un-buttressed, battlemented tower adjacent to the west boundary. An unusual feature of the tower is the passageway from north to south, which may have been incorporated to allow for ceremonial processions around the church in the past.
The Bell openings have ‘Y bar’ tracery which suggests that the tower may have been completed in the fifteenth century,
Housed in the tower are two bells. They were probably cast by Richard Baxter and are inscribed ‘Missus Vero Pie Gabriel Fert Leta Marie’ and on the other ‘ Fae Margereta Nobis X Hec Munera Leta’ which translates ‘In truth Gabriel bore the message to joyful Mary’ and ‘Make these offices joyful unto us O St Margaret’. Neither is dated.
The north porch was added as a memorial to Beatrice Maude Springfield who died on November 29th 1910, and blends very well with the original flint work.
A drawing of the south aspect of the church, dated 1823, shows a thatched roof over the nave and there is evidence of this on the outside of the South wall of the tower.
The nave has three late fifteenth century square headed three light windows, two on the south side and one on the north. The roof was boarded over in 1890, and was originally lower than at present and probably of single rafter construction. The old wall plate remains, and together with fine carved heads it supported the old timbers.
The octagonal font is un-carved , which suggests it was originally made to stand out from the wall. There are three brasses in the nave, the oldest of which dates back to circa 1480.
The East Window was restored with sixteenth century Flemish stained glass in 1965 asa memorial to Emily Ketton - Cremer who lived for many years at Metton House.
In the chancel is a low piscine (bowl) and drain for washing the Communion Plate. The bowl is supported by a carved head. Adjacent is a dropped window sedilia, and jambs, having shallow trefoil archrs. The position of these suggests that the chancel floor has been raised at some time – or else, in common with all those low-beamed Norfolk Cottages, the church has sunk over the years!
In 1741 Metton was joined with the benefice of Felbrigg and in 1947 with that of Sustead. These three parishes were grouped with Roughton in 1979, and sunsequently with Bessingham and Gunton with Haneworth during the 1980’s to form the present United Benefice.
You are looking for a camouflaged specimen pot a little larger than a film pot. Please bring your own writing implement. There is a small off road parking area to the side of the church in addition to space for a couple of vehicles on the side of the road.
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