St Mary's Church, Snettisham
St Mary's Church is the parish church of Snettisham in the English county of Norfolk. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church is late-14th-century Decorated and partly later reconstruction. It is Grade I listed.
History
The church was built in the late 14th century in the Decorated style, a phase of English Gothic architecture characterised by elaborate window tracery and rich ornamentation. The listing description suggests that it is the best example of a Decorated church in Norfolk. It is built from flint with stone dressings and a stone spire. The spire reaches to and was traditionally a navigation feature for mariners in The Wash. The tower with spire is above the transept crossing.The design was originally cruciform: the 40-foot-long chancel was demolished by Sir Wymond Carye before 1600, and the north transept was reduced in 1597. There is a galilee porch to the west. The church was restored by Frederick Preedy in 1856.
During the First World War, the church sustained damage from a bombing raid by the German Navy Zeppelin L 4 on 19 January 1915. A bomb landed nearby, reportedly striking part of the structure.
Features
There is a 15th-century pulpit, with painted panels; the font is also 15th-century.Bells
The church has a ring of six bells, originally dating from 1710 and cast by Thomas Newman. In 1958 they were overhauled and three of the six were recast by John Taylor & Co. A 13th-century sanctus bell is also displayed in the church.Stained glass windows
Stained glass in the east window was installed by Frederick Preedy in 1855–56. This was destroyed by a Zeppelin bomb in WWI. It was replaced by Percy Bacon Brothers in 1920. That window is a five-light depiction of the Crucifixion. The west window is six-lights, depicting scenes from the Old Testament, and is an early work by William Warrington, dating from before 1850.The windows in the nave are by Preedy, M & A O'Connor, and Burlison & Grylls, with a modern 3-light window by Paul Jeffries of G King & Son, depicting the Blessed Virgin with the symbols of the four gospel writers.