A description of the history and architecture of St Peter and St Paul's Church, Scarning

The parish church of St Peter and St Paul has occupied its prominent position in the village of Scarning since the 12th century, but there was also an ancient chapel in the village, known as St Botolph's. Records show that in 1210, William de Draiton. who lived at Drayton Hall, one of the village's three manor houses, presented the mediety (or share) of Scarning Church to the Abbey of Waltham Holy Cross in Essex. Shortly afterwards, the Abbey was assigned a piece of land in Scarning known as Sponesbrugge (later Spoon Bridge) and a meadow between the chapel of St Botolph and Sponesbergh.

An extract from the will of Walter Jenyor of Skerninge, (the village has for centuries been known by many different spellings) dated 22 June 1504, in which he left a small legacy toward the repair of 'Sainte Botulphe's Chapell', and a donation from William Pynchebeke 'to the gilde of our lady in Skernynge,' confirms the existence of this little known part of the village's history. There is also reference to an acre of land at 'Saint Buttolphes lane' in the Court Books of Scarning Hall (located near Hill Rise), while in his will Thomas Hoo left six shiliings to 'the fratenite or gilde of Saynt Bothulph'.

Dr Augustus Jessopp, who was Rector of Scarning from 1879 to 1911, recorded that the village then comprised a few significant properties and about fifty hovels. Since then Scarning has expanded towards Dereham and now has a population of around 2400.

There have been Rectors of Scarning since 1299. In 2006 the Dereham and District Team Ministry was created to serve the parishes Dereham, Scarning, Swanton Morley, Hoe, East Bilney and Beetley. The benefice is serviced by a team of clergy and lay readers led by the Rector and Vicar.

Scarning Hall, immediately to the west of the churchyard, was the former rectory. A new house was built but was never used as a rectory because of the re-organisation of the parishes. Both houses are now privately owned.

The churchyard was levelled and re-seeded in 1970 and Scarning Parish Council contributes to its upkeep. On the south side of the church there are the graves of some members of the family of Admiral Lord Nelson. The family had a small estate in Scarning and several children from the family attended the village school. Dr Jessopp's grave stands in the south west corner of the churchyard.

view of interior as it was in Dr Augustus Jessopp's time.

view of interior during the 2010 flower festival.

The whole building, which is mainly in the perpendicular style, was extensively restored in 1869, when the gable of the chancel roof -was raised to its original pitch for £1000. In 1894 the tower was restored, the nave buttresses were entirely rebuilt and new churchyard gates were fitted - all at the expense of Dr Jessopp. The double gates were replaced by the PCC in the 1980s. The single gate was replaced in the 1950s by the Mothers' Union. It was refurbished in 2007 in memory of Fred and Lilian Hoskins.

Taking a tour round the outside of the church, starting by the porch, the nave has three windows on the south side. These are all perpendicular in style, the centre one having elongated quatrefoils in its head. Two brick buttresses, the diagonal one having stone facings, can be seen on its south-east corner. These were probably built for reinforcement as the rood stairs are situated within the wall at this point.

The chancel has two windows on its south side. They are originally 14th century and were restored in 2006. In between these windows lies the vestry which was built in 1576. It used to have two storeys. The lower storey was a chapel, and the upper one was occupied for some time by Michael Denby who was a curate and later the rector. His name can be seen on a plaque in the vestry.

The window to the upper storey, which must have been more like a garret, can still be seen. Until the 1970s new tiles on the west side of the roof showed where the old chimney had recently been removed. The east window of the chancel is a Victorian renovation which was refurbished in 2006. The north sides of the chancel and the nave are very similar to the south sides. In the chancel there are two more restored windows and in the nave the three windows are replicas of those on the south side. In a letter from Kings (Glaziers of Norwich) of October 1984, the chancel is described as having five fine Victorian windows of William Wailes, who was once a colleague of Pugin.

The north door is 14th century with two head stops.

The tower, built in the perpendicular style is particularly fine. It has two stepped battlements with carved figures on the corners. The upper storey has late perpendicular windows and there are sound holes fitted with tracery. The base of the tower has flint arcading. This dates from the 12th century and is the earliest part of the church. There is also some attractive patterned flint arcading on the second stages of the diagonal buttresses. The turret stair winds up the south side of the tower with little openings with different patterns giving light to the inside of the tower.

The south porch was built in the 14th century. The sundial above the entrance arch is dated 1861.

We pass through the massive south door into the nave. Opposite on the north wall near the font is a list giving particulars of the six bells in the tower. The first bell weighs over five hundredweights (254 kg) and the sixth over fourteen hundredweights (710 kg). The sixth bell is inscribed "Charles Newman made mee 1703." It is believed that the bells are very unusual in that they were all cast on site by an itinerant bell founder. The entrance to the turret stair can be seen on the south side through a very ancient wooden door opposite which is the frame of the "chimer" which allows one person to chime all six bells.

The font stands at the west end of the nave. The font is massive and dates from the 13th century and shows the Norman influence. The bowl is roughly square, having angle columns and standing on five octagonal columns. The font cover can be raised and lowered by a system of counter-weights and is Jacobean with a restored base.

The Royal Arms of George III, after the union with Ireland, hang over the north door.

The lectern is a fine copy in wood of the brass pelican lectern in Norwich Cathedral. The carved figures on its base represent the threefold ministry of bishops, priests and deacons. A silver plate records that it was a gift to the Reverend Doctor August Jessopp from his parishioners in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

In 2001 the first three rows of pews were removed to provide the area of open space and a suitable setting for the celebration of Holy Communion around the nave altar table. A new floor of hand made pamments was laid. The nave altar is a fine Jacobean table.

The rood stairs can be seen in the south-east corner behind the organ. These gave access to the rood loft and they appear to curve round inside the angle of the corner which is now reinforced by two outside buttresses.

The rood screen is good perpendicular with delicate panel tracery over one-light panels, Doctor Jessopp wrote in the parish magazine of 1904 that the screen must have been put up where it now stands at the beginning of the 15th century. It was intended to separate the clergy who conducted the service in the chancel from the congregation who were kept in the nave.

Above the rood screen was a platform reached via the staircase behind the organ. Life-sized wooden figures of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St John would have stood on the platform. Regrettably the platform was taken down and destroyed in 1864. A covering of whitewash was removed from the screen at the same time to reveal some of the original paintwork and gilding. This was restored in the 1960s but the original paintwork may still be seen in the lower panels.

The sanctus bell was rung during the consecration of the bread and wine in Holy Communion and it used to be outside the church: probably on the roof. It is now fixed to the south-east corner of the screen and hangs in its original frame.

The organ is a single manual instrument but it is noted for its fine tone which compliments the excellent acoustic in the church.

There are several items of interest in the chancel, The vestry is now a single storey and on either side of the window is an aumbry. These are recesses which were formerly used to house the communion plate and the reserved sacrament and they would have had wooden doors with locks.

A second altar stands behind the communion rail.

The splendid altar frontal was made as a project to mark the millennium. There is a smaller Jacobean table which is similar in style to the nave altar, In the south wall of the chancel, near the altar, is a perpendicular cinque-foiled piscine. This is a recessed perforated stone basin for carrying away water used in rinsing the communion vessels.

The vibrant colours in the stained glass give the east window a jewel-like quality. The window dates from 1870 and is a memorial to Phillip Norris Aufrere, son of the rector Phillip du Val Aufrere and his second wife, who are both buried near the south wall in the chancel. The window was restored and re-leaded in 2006. The scoinson arch of the windows is old and dates back to the 13th century. There are two nice corbels on the east wall in the corners.

On the north wall there is a memorial alabaster figure of a child reclining on a skull and an inscribed tabled for Edward Games, son of John Games, who died just 12 hours after birth on 14 May 1623. The north-west window with a brass plate below is in memory of the Revd Ellis Wharcup, RN, who was chaplain to HMS Pelorus. He died in Melbourne in 1860 and there is also a shield showing his boar's head in the southeast window.

On the south wall is a memorial plaque to the Revd Doctor Augustus Jessopp, author and historian. He was the Headmaster of King Edward VI's School in Norwich for 20 years before serving as Rector of Scarning for 32 years. He was also a Canon of Norwich Cathedral and a Chaplain to King Edward VII. He died in 1914.

The church plate includes one flagon of 1706 which weighs over 65 troy ounces and a further flagon of 1746. These items are no longer kept in the church. They are on loan to the Castle Museum in Norwich and form part of the collection of church silver which is regularly displayed in the Castle or the Cathedral. Scarning's ancient silver also includes a chalice which is used occasionally for Holy Communion services.

Several members of the Browne family lie buried under the high alter. They were a Royalist family, and one tablet to Marke Browne "born in Amsterdam in 1691 and deceased and interred in Scarning in 1693" speaks mutely of the connection and intermingling of East Anglia and the Netherlands in those days. The oldest floor vault still readable is a tiny one in the chancel to the daughter of Edward Blackhall, who died in 1658.

The Evans-Lombe family were patrons of St Peter and St Paul for many generations.

The work of caring for the building continues. The church and vestry were re-roofed in 1979. The clock is of the flat bed type and is wound automatically. Recent improvements include a PA system with loop induction and a ramp to help with access.

Switchgear and heating was replaced in 2007 with the help of a grant from 'Awards for All'.

Services are held every Sunday at 11. 15 and the church continues to serve as a focal point for village life in Scarning.

This is an ancient church, maintained and cherished over many generations. We hope you have enjoyed your visit and that you will come again.

Revd Canon Richard Ames-Lewis The Parish Office
Church Street
Dereham NR19 1DN
01362693143

2008 SR