St Mary Shelton
This unusually large church is nestled in the middle of South Norfolk, and its late 15th century origins also show signs of alterations during wider political changes in the royal court at the time.
This is an excellent example of a large perpendicular gothic 15th century church, of which there are not many in Norfolk – generally home to slightly smaller churches of various ages. It is typical to the late 15th century design style, commissioned by Sir Ralph Shelton on his death in 1487, who was a wealthy minor noble in the area and whose son was married to the aunt of Anne Boleyn, so the church has connections to the royal court. Immediately we can see this magnificent church had ambitious scope; with a flint tower and a window on the West side of the South aisle in the decorated gothic style being part of the original plans. What makes this church particularly special is the use of redbrick for a lot of structure, including the whole of the South aisle and the sacristies (at the East end of the church), as well as the notably stunning two-story porch with stone quoins and decorative mouldings used for the windows, door, and damaged pinnacles. This really gives a distinctive and imposing identity for the church as you first approach it – certainly different from the typical flint flushwork in other South Norfolk churches.
The most eye-catching feature inside is the large three-panelled stained glass window above the altar. This includes 15th century glass restored in the 1990s but displays excellent colours and allows us to note historical connections with the family. For example, we can see the Shelton family’s shield with a vibrant blue and gold cross as well as the boar of the Boleyn family. Also in the chancel we can find an incomplete Elizabethan family tomb chest, with unfinished stone mouldings stretching up towards the arcade – but tells us a possible story of restricted personal finances in a tumultuous period in the 16th century. In the South aisle there is a later Jacobean monument with impressive sculpt kneeling figures, for Sir Robert Houghton’s death in 1623.
The many large windows create a light and spacious atmosphere, with the aisle window tracery involving three panels made up of three stepped embattled horizontals just under the ogee (the pointed tip of the arch). Which is a little less common than the style of the nine nave windows, which follow ‘panel tracery’ styles. Also notable from the outside are the three gargoyles above the South aisle windows. The very tall arcades support the nave with a flat ceiling, where the wooden roof was removed in the 18th century, but the stone corbels remain where they would have supported the beams.
This magnificent church is nestled in the middle of South Norfolk just East of Long Stratton, where its size seems disproportionate for the quiet and small countryside around it. But upon inspection this really is an architectural gem, as is displays fine details on a large scale that is so rare in South and Eastern Norfolk outside Norwich: where the only churches of this grand style are found to the West around the Fens. I certainly encourage you to visit St Mary Shelton if you are interested in 15th and 16th century buildings in East Anglia.
Although there is no separate chancel, we can still find the surviving base of the rood screen, which would have run across the church creating separated chapels for the family monuments in the North and South aisles. The turret protruding from the North aisle allows for a staircase to the rood screen which would have towered above the nave, including with the (now removed) paintings on the screen: we can guess this would have been done along with the whitewashing of the church walls.
