St.Mary’s Church, Holme-Next-The-SeaThe
history of St. Mary's Church has been written on previous occasions, and in
the library at King's Lynn there is a small volume, published in 1901, devoted
almost entirely to this Church. Most of our information, however, has come
from the Rev.G.H.Holley, and we believe that a description of an imaginary
visit to the Church today based on this information, will prove most
interesting to our readers. For those who wish for something more detailed, an
excellent account of the history of the Church, in the form of newspaper
cuttings, is to be found, framed, on the West wall of the Nave. Let us walk
round the outside of the Church. The tower, eighty feet high, is in good
condition, and is one of the oldest parts of the building. The upper part of
it is of a more recent style of architecture than the lower. On the East wall
of the tower the position of the roof of the old South aisle can be clearly
seen, and if we look at the Church from the North side it is obvious that the
tower and the nave are oddly placed in relation to one another. This is the
result of several alterations to the building, and a brief account of these is
necessary at this point. The first mention of a Church in Holme is in 1188,
but there is no indication as to when it was built. It was over 200 years
later, when Henry Nottingham, a judge, came to live in 1391, that the story of
our present Church begins. Henry Nottingham lived in a house on the Thornham
road, and for eight years was Town Clerk of King's Lynn. He and his wife,
Agnes, were responsible for building of the nave, with North and South aisles,
and the tower. The Chancel was not completely rebuilt, and much of the old
walls and windows remains within the present walls. These remains, now
concealed, are the oldest part of the Church. At the East end of the South
aisle was the Lady Chapel in which Henry Nottingham and his wife are buried.
The nave of Henry Nottingham's Church, as we may call it, was double the width
of the present one, and it is understandable that the cost of maintaining such
a large building was heavy. In 1758, the Bishop gave permission for the lead
on the South aisle to be sold, so that repairs to the rest of the Church might
be carried out. Thirteen years later, we are told, the Church "being four
times to big for the population," the North aisle was demolished, and the
South aisle repaired. It is not surprising that in 1788 it was decided to take
down the Church and build a smaller one. The rebuilding was performed by John
Bond, of Ringstead, and the total cost was £331. The sale of materials from
the Old Church realised £280, so only £51 had to be found for the completion
of this work. Since the rebuilding, a number of renovations have taken place,
notably in the 1880's, when Mr. James Nelson had a roof put on the lobby,
between the tower and the West door, re-roofed the Nave, erected new pews, and
put in the present floor. Before metering the Church, notice the two‑light
window over the entrance. Below this window is the square stone which served
until recently as a sundial, and above the window you can see where the carved
stone head of Henry Nottingham was once to be seen. This head, complete with
judge's cap, was preserved by Mr. Thomas Nelson, and is now in the lobby, with
the original holy water stoup. Inside the porch, above the inter doorway, is a
canopied niche, once occupied by a figure of the Virgin Mary. There was a holy
water stoup in the North‑east pillar of the porch. Overhead on the
central boss in the beautifully groined roof, from which the lamp now hangs,
are Henry Nottingham's initials, and his armorial bearings are on the small
shields surrounding it. The only stained glass in the Church is in the West
Window, which is a memorial to Matthew Nelson Esq. The East Window is modem,
having been reglazed early this century mainly at the expense of Mr. Thomas
Nelson. On your left as you enter the Nave is the Font of Bath Stone, on
pillars of Irish and Devon marble, given by Mrs. Holley in memory of her
husband, the Rev. John Holley, in 1885. The old font, in which some of the
oldest inhabitants of Holme were christened, has recently been moved from the
lobby to the South‑east corner of the nave. The pulpit, also of Bath
Stone, teas given by Miss Blyth in 1887, when the Church was restored. The
brass plate in memory of Henry Nottingham and his wife, now at the East end of
the nave, was once thought to be the oldest in the county, but has since lost
that reputation. Until 1778, it was, of course, in the Lady Chapel. There are
numerous stones in the Church in memory of members of the Holley, le Strange
and Nelson families but the most striking memorial is one of
the blocked-up windows in the South wall of the chancel, where there is
a memorial to Richard Stone and his wife and thirteen children. This, and the
double piscina and triple sedilia, to be seen in the Chancel, are usually
mentioned in modern guides as the outstanding features of the Church. The
organ which occupies a large part of the North side of the Chancel, was
bequeathed by Mr. Thomas Nelson, and moved from Holme House, now occupied by
Mrs. S.C. Reed, on his death. Within the East wall of the chancel, according
to the Rev.Holley, are concealed the remains of the original wall, including
the jamb of an Early English lancet window, which was in existence before
Henry Nottingham came to Holme. In the Vestry are a number of items of
interest including a sketch of the Church as it was in 1778, copied by the
Rev. W.S. Harper a list of the Rectors and Vicars of Holme, and details of the
bells, and the inscription on them. The Church-plate is of great interest
consisting of Communion Cup, paten and flagon, all left to the Church by Clark
Spelman, who died at Congham, Norfolk, in 1684. The Cup bears the arms of the
Spelman family, and on the paten is engraved, "Holme-jux-Mare". As we have said a full account of the history of the Church, with details of the manors of Holme, and of past Rectors and Vicars, may be seen inside the Church. But we hope that this description will help all who read it to realise that our Church today is the result of the hard work and unselfishness of past generations in Holme.
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