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St
Edmund, Swanton Novers Swanton Novers was an estate
village for Melton Constable Hall, and not even the
coming of the railways that turned Melton Constable
upside down in the 19th century could shake Swanton
Novers out of its feudal sleepiness. The hills and
woodlands encroach; the only sound is the impatient
calling of the sheep in the pastures. The narrow lane
from the village twists and dips, and, just before it
turns into a sandy track, there is St Edmund. It really
feels as if you might fall off the edge of Norfolk if you
go any further. The graveyard is long, opening to the
east where there is a curious little 19th century
red-brick structure with ecclesiological features.
If the
exterior of St Edmund is a little characterless, this is
because the body of the church was rebuilt in the 19th
century, and the tower was rebuilt as recently as 1961
(apparently, locals used to say that one good kick and it
would have come down). There was a discussion at the time
about abandoning St Edmund, and building a new church up
in the village, but this never happened. There are
features in the exterior of the church, notably the north
doorway, that are also plainly 20th century, so perhaps
it was more than the tower that needed replacing. There
is, however, a 15th century image niche set in the west
wall of the tower - is it in its original place? Or has
it been reset there?
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Despite
its remoteness, we found St Edmund open and
welcoming, as so many churches are in north
Norfolk. Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming feel of
the interior is a Victorian one, but this was
obviously a moneyed place in the 15th century
when the font and the piscina were installed.
Both are decorated with a monogram which is
probably just an elaborate W, but looks
disconcertingly like a Volkswagen badge. Medieval
corporate sponsorship, perhaps? The best
feature of the 19th century restoration is the
window in the south side of the nave depicting
events in the life of Mary of Magdala. First, we
see Christ with Mary and Martha, and then the
raising of Lazarus. Finally, Mary washes Christ's
feet in perfumed oil. It is a sensuous, mature
piece, and it would be interesting to know who
the artist was. Thank you to John Salmon for his
image of it, which you can see on the left, along
with a detail that he kindly took for my
daughter, who is also called Martha.
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Simon Knott, November 2005
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