Church of St Michael

CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, ST MICHAEL'S CRESCENT

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1304980
Date first listed:
23-Jun-1960
List Entry Name:
Church of St Michael
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, ST MICHAEL'S CRESCENT
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Location

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Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.
Date:
2001-09-08
Reference:
IOE01/05332/07
Rights:
© Mrs Janet Johnston. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1304980
Date first listed:
23-Jun-1960
List Entry Name:
Church of St Michael
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, ST MICHAEL'S CRESCENT

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, ST MICHAEL'S CRESCENT

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Norfolk
District:
Breckland (District Authority)
Parish:
Great Cressingham
National Grid Reference:
TF 85214 01750

Details

TF 80 SE,
10/15

GREAT CRESSINGHAM,
ST.MICHAEL'S CRESCENT,
Church of St.Michael

23.06.60

I

Parish church. Medieval and later. Flint with ashlar and some brick
dressings. Lead, slate and pantile roofs. West tower; aisled nave with south
porch; chancel. Mid C15 west tower designed by James Woderofe. Diagonal
buttresses and a stair turret to north east. West doorway with dying mouldings, traceried spandrels and a traceried frieze above with letter 'M'
alternating with blank shields. Tall 3-light panel-traceried window above.
Clock face to second floor with cusped ogee-headed single-light windows to
north and south. 2-light bell openings with cusped soufflets. Crenellated
and blind-traceried parapet with corner finials. C15 south porch also by
James Woderofe. Ashlar faced to south and west. Moulded entrance arch on
shafted responds with niche above. Mutilated carving of St. Michael in niche.
Flushwork plinth frieze of letter 'M'. Moulded south doorway with a late
medieval 2-leaf door. South aisle with five 3-light panel-traceried windows.
Similar north aisle with a blocked doorway of two hollow-chamfered orders. Eight
fine 2-light clerestorey windows in Decorated style with multi-cusped
soufflets. Chancel has eight 2-light windows with simple cusped tracery suggesting
a late C13 date. Priest's doorway and blocked leper's window to south.
Exceptional 5-light Perpendicular east window with staggered carved transoms,
mouchettes and daggers. C13 clasping buttresses surmounted by grouped shafts,
resembling late C12 and early C13 pier forms, themselves topped with pinnacles.

INTERIOR. 4-bay arcades of 1885 in Perpendicular style. Western responds,
some polygonal bases and the south eastern respond survived the restoration.
The south-west respond and bell capital are C13 with grouped shafts and a C14
or C15 heightening re-using the original deeply carved capital. Massive tower
arch with mouldings dying into plain jambs. Hollow-chamfered chancel arch
on triple shaft responds: the north respond and arch have been renewed.
Restored C15 north aisle roof with roll-moulded principals. Hammberbeam nave
roof with hammers to alternate principal trusses. Carved hammers and wooden
wall post corbels representing angels, prophets and prelates. Wall plates
with brattishing. Chancel with four bays of C13 wall arcading consisting of
single, practically freestanding, shafts on water holding bases supporting deeply
moulded bell capitals and very pointed plain chamfered arches. There is some
evidence to suggest that these arcades were at least intended to open into
aisles. Surviving rood stair to north which served also as a squint from north
aisle. Fine C14 multi-cusped piscina. Jacobean panelling in south aisle and
some late-Medieval poppy-head bench ends. Medieval brasses.


Listing NGR: TF8521401750

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
221012
Legacy System:
LBS

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St Michael

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 02-Jul-2026 at 03:22:38.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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