Description

TG 31 SE WOODBASTWICK RANWORTH

5/106 Church of St. Helen.
25/9/62
I

Parish church, C15, of flint with stone dressings and lead roof. West tower,
nave, north porch, south porch and chancel. 3 stage tower with flushwork
on basecourse and on face of diagonal off set buttresses. Polygonal north
stair turret. Perpendicular west door and doorway with head label stops.
West window dated 1902. Rectangular traceried sound holes with hood moulds.
2 light bell openings with Curvilinear tracery. Gargoyles at angles below
flushwork battlemented parapet with battlemented finials. 4 bay nave with
Perpendicular traceried windows with 4 centred arches between off set
buttresses. Flushwork on buttresses. Ashlar battlemented parapet and verge.
2 storeyed north porch with blocked north doorway now used as a vestry. North
doorway with attached shafts. 1 light first floor gable window flanked by
niches under flat hood mould. 2 light ground floor windows and 1 light first
floor windows containing medieval glass fragments to east and west. Diagonal
buttresses and parapet gable. Perpendicular door and doorway inside to nave.
South porch with Perpendicular entrance with attached shafts and above, a
niche with ogee cusped head containing C19 effigy. North and south 2 light
windows containing Reticulated tracery. Diagonal buttresses and parapet verge.
Inside arch braced roof. C14 south double doors and doorway to nave. Plank
and muntin door with restored 'Y' tracery. Hood mould over door arch with
fleurons and to left, head label stop. 2 bay chancel with Reticulated 2 light
windows and central priest's door with C15 door to north, and 2 light Perpen-
dicular windows to south with stilted basket arches. Grotesques on label
stops. Off set buttresses. Restored, Reticulated, 3 light east window.
Parapet verge with brick kneelers. Perpendicular tower arch with attached
shafts. Rood loft stair in north wall. King post roof c.1901. Perpendicular
chancel arch with attached shafts. Remnants of Easter Sepulchre and aumbry
on north chancel wall. Angle piscina with ogee tracery and fleurons in
rectangular spandrels. Dropped sill sedilia. Arch braced roof. Shields at
junction of purlins and at base of wall posts. Roll moulded sill beam. One
of England's finest painted screens encloses the chancel and continues to
north and south forming reredos and enclosing ends of side altars. Projections
at sides of altars end in octagonal candle holders. Central section of 8
single light openings with 2 bay central opening with traceried heads, some
with crockets. Dado with traceried panels. Fan vaulting in timber up to
moulded and carved rood beam, though pendant section of vaulting and rood
loft balustrade missing. North and south reredos have traceried panels with
Perpendicular tracery above with niches. Attached shafts with crowned capitals
between panels. Battlemented dado rail on north reredos. Much of the original
paint scheme survives depicting angels and saints within the dado panels.
Floral patterns with raised decoration and much gilding. Wide use made of
stencilled patterns. Chancel side of screen also painted. Medieval floor
tiles under south section of screen. Fine C14 choir stalls against screen
with misericords and desks with poppy-heads. C17 sanctuary rail with turned
newels with ball finials and balusters. C20 benches with medieval ends with
poppy-heads. Medieval 2 sided lecturn on octagonal shaft with base and
capitals, and original paint scheme depicting on one side the eagle for St.
John, and on the other, plainsong and verse. Octagonal font of Purbeck marble,
with blind arcade of semi-circular arches and fleur-de-lys. Bowl on heavy
octagonal base. Several small brasses. Wall monument to Thomas Holdiche
of Ranworth Old Hall, died 1579. Pediment and entablature supported of fluted
pilasters over a niche with tudor arch containing inscription. Fragments
of C14 stained glass in chancel and in north nave windows. C19 organ loft
on north nave wall.

Listing NGR: TG3560414770

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Helen at Wikipedia
• Church of St Helen official website
• Wikidata Q14912692

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record