St Martin-at-Palace Plain

To the north of St Martin’s Church where the Magistrates’ Courts now stand, were Beehive Yard and the Beehive public house - an interesting little group of buildings. No 17 was a three-storeyed Georgian mansion with an unusual gabled roof line, while Nos 18 and 18a (once the Beehive tavern) were of mixed origin. The portion facing the church was of the eighteenth century, two storeyed, its walls a mixture of flint and brick, at one time rendered over with cement; sash windows, three above and two below, with a modest central doorway, and pantiled roof. In the yard to the east, however, was quite a different picture. Here was a large Tudor oriel of stone extending through two storeys - once part of a mediaeval house. Writing of this in the Local Miscellany column of the Eastern Evening News in 1938, “S.E.G.” (Colonel S. E. Glendenning) stated

… the big mullioned window is evidently the oriel of a “Great Hall”, and it is probable that the structure of the hall is incorporated in the present house, much of which is ancient. The late Mr W. R. Rudd, who was careful about his facts, used to refer to this as the city house of the well-known Calthorpe family, who, according to Blomefield, held property here in 1492 onwards. Jane, the wife of “Sir Phylyppe”, a virtuous lady, who “Gave to the Poore and prayd for the Rytche”, was buried in the church in 1550.

In 1962 the property was demolished, but the stone oriel was carefully dismantled and stored, to be re-erected some eight years later in the gable wall of No 10 Palace Plain, but a stone’s throw from its original position.

Further light was shed on the history of the site when in 1981 the Norfolk Archaeological Unit carried out excavations here. Details of the findings were published in Digging under the Doorstep. It is sufficient to say here that when the footings of Calthorpe House were located “the building proved to be but one wing of a larger, earlier structure built in the late 14th century above substantial flint foundations”. Digging yet deeper, the archaeologists made a completely unexpected discovery - the lower part of a rectangular Norman house (c.1140-70) situated at right angles to the street and measuring externally 17 by 9 metres (56 by 30 feet). So important was this find considered that arrangements were made for it to be preserved within a basement under the new Magistrates’ Courts.

The Wig and Pen public house (formerly the White Lion) presents a little puzzle. On either side of the first-floor centre window are two shields, illustrated and described in Muskett’s Remnants of Antiquity in Norwich as follows:

Two stone carvings of angels, supporting escutcheons, in front of the White Lion public house, on St Martin’s Palace Plain. The shields are quite plain, having neither arms nor date; their history cannot therefore now be traced.

Charles Muskett published his book in 1845, and at some time after that date the shields were given the arms that they now bear. I took my photograph in 1955; wondering whose arms they were and how they came to be put up, I made inquiries of Steward and Patteson, the brewers who then owned the house. They were unable to help except to say that they appeared on a photograph of the house of about 1890 that they possessed.

The neighbouring church of St Martin-at-Palace was another victim of redundancy, and after some interior reorganisation was officially opened as the Norfolk Probation Centre on 16th February 1990. Mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086, St Martin’s retains some long-and-short work in the eastern angles of the chancel that probably dates from that time. Apart from this, the church was largely rebuilt in the fifteenth century, the work supposedly being completed by Walter Lyhart, Bishop of Norwich from 1446 to 1472. Dr J. C. Cox, writing in 1911, mentioned that Lyhart’s rebus appeared on the south doorway, but it does so no longer.

The church now consists of a square western tower, a nave with north and south aisles, a south porch with room above, and a chancel. The upper part of the tower fell in 1783, and all but one of the five bells were sold to pay for the repairs. Sillett’s view of the church in 1828 shows it much as it is today, except that the tower was then somewhat lower; it was raised to its present height in 1874.

During the Second World War the building sustained some damage, chiefly to its stained glass. This was later repaired, and some of the old figures went into the new windows. On 3rd July 1952, Bishop Herbert officiated at a service of dedication to mark the completion of the restoration and the installation of some new furnishings. By 1973, the parish having been united with that of neighbouring St James’s, services were no longer being held here and the organ was transferred to the church of St Mary and St Andrew at Horsham St Faith. This was probably the same organ that was purchased in 1863 for £90 and renovated and enlarged in 1887. The single bell was at a later date sent to St Mary’s church, Happisburgh, who in 1985 had it recast into a treble.

The interior of the church, well kept when I took photographs here in 1938, had a number of features of interest to the visitor. At the east end of the north aisle was, and still is, the altar tomb of Elizabeth Calthorpe (above) with its several coats-of-arms showing her connection with many leading Norfolk families, including that of Anne Boleyn. In a glass case on its altar top was a great rarity, a chained book. The early fifteenth century font at the west and of the nave had an octagonal bowl with traceried panels and a stem supported by eight engaged shafts. Above it hung a splendid seventeenth-century spider candelabrum of brass.

On leaving the church we may spare a thought for the men buried here who were killed during the skirmishes of Kett’s rebellion in 1549. Among them was Lord Sheffield, four of whose knights were buried in the chancel of the neighbouring church of SS Simon and Jude. A tablet on the opposite side of the road indicates the spot where Lord Sheffield fell.

Full St Martin At Palace Plain photo archive

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