Saturday, 24 July 2021

All Saints, Panxworth

How ruined does a church have to be, before it doesn't really count? It's a question I have to ask myself in this case, where all that remains of Panxworth's church is a tower, part of the west wall, and a tower arch. However, unearthing its history has turned into a bit of a detective story, so here goes.

The village was actually one of the larger in the area at the time of Domesday, with 23 households - and a church. This was rebuilt in stone sometime later - the tower is 14th century. Clearly, the fortunes of the village had declined somewhat by the 17th Century, and in the 1840s a local newspaper commented that the church was ruinous, with - then as now - only the tower remaining. 

Yet, somehow funds were raised to rebuild the nave and chancel in 1847. Things get a little interesting here: Pevsner's Buildings of England gives the architect as James Weston, but the ground plan from 1846 (here) is signed James Watson. A case of mistaken attribution? No matter - the plan shows a substantial porch leading into a simple undivided cell, with three single light windows on the north and south walls, and a three-light east window. Watson (or Weston) provided square-headed windows with cusped lights beneath, matching those of the tower - and accommodation for an astonishing 23 pews! 

Alas, by the late 1960s history had repeated itself, and the church was declared redundant. Weston's nave and chancel were demolished in 1981 (again, Buildings of England says 1976, but fascinating photographs from 1978 by George Plunkett show the church still very much standing, albeit in very poor repair).

Today, all that remains is a small section of the west nave wall, and the thin, unbuttressed tower of flint with stone dressings. It has windows with cusped tracery, gargoyles and flushwork battlements, and the remains of the tall, narrow tower arch. However, it is clearly cared for, with a tidy graveyard and a noticeboard announcing services elsewhere in the benefice.

All Saints, Panxworth Church Road, Panxworth NR13 6JF

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