Briningham

Briningham – St Maurice’s Church

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St Maurice’s Church at Briningham is one of the rare situations where the church tower is off-set to the nave for reasons not relating to space. The reason that the church history gives is simply that it’s likely just how the architect and mason constructed it as that was their preferred style. There’s certainly no shortage of space here that would have required them to be creative with where the tower went, but no-one is entirely sure of the reason. The village dates back to the Anglo-Saxon era and its name means “the homestead of the people of Brina”, although it confuses Google as it thinks that I’ve mistyped Birmingham.

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The church is reached by walking across the garden of the neighbouring rectory, which is likely handy for the security of keeping the church safe if nothing else. There’s been a church here since at least the Norman period, with the north wall likely being a survivor from that time.

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The porch and I always wonder about all the people who have walked through this door over the last few centuries.

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The nave.

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I was pleased I didn’t have to climb this ladder arrangement. It would be the getting down that would particularly confaddle me, there’s not much to hold onto.

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The font is perhaps plain and more focused on its function, but it dates to the fourteenth century so it’s seen a fair number of births over the centuries.

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The end window in the nave is oddly oversized.

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It’s evident that this seems out of place, perhaps it was the window for the end of the chancel that never got to be put in. It seems unlikely that this would be for lack of funds, more likely a lack of labour and so perhaps that dates this to around the Black Death period.

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Looking back to the main door, it’s an airy and minimalist church, not much has changed here in the centuries and I rather liked that. Although there’s a long article from 1903 which details all the work that was done modernising the building, which I’ll post separately.

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The altar, all neat and tidy.

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The wooden figures are modern replacements for the ones that would have stood in these niches until they were destroyed in the Reformation.

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The chancel and there’s no evidence of any rood stairs, but I imagine they would have had a nice rood screen going across here at one stage. More recently, they had a plasterboard screen across here until it was removed in the late twentieth century.

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And some sweets, which I think Richard really wanted to eat, but I was able to stop him.

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The exterior of the church. There’s an image taken by George Plunkett from around this spot in 1986 and I’m pleased that they’re removed that foliage from the building since he took that photo.

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The outside of the chancel.

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The church from the other side, it all feels well proportioned if ignoring that shed type construction shoved on the side (or the vestry as they would probably call it). This feels like a slightly forgotten about church on-line, there aren’t the same number of photos and documents that are usually available, I can’t even find a photo of inside from before 2000 of just to look at the plasterboard arrangement.