|
May 3, 2003
Bawdeswell Church has had a chequered history.
In 1739 the tower fell down and ruined the church.
The four bells were sold to raise money to rebuild
it and a brick tower was built. But in 1828 it fell
down again.
Less than 20 years later, the church was in such a
bad state that a fund was formed to raise money to
build a new one.
At a public meeting in 1843 it was agreed to levy
a 6d rate on the parish, raising £150 towards
the estimated cost of £1400. The remainder was
met by donations.
Architect James Fletcher-Watson is now nearly 90, and
living in the Cotswolds. Yet the man who also designed
the Bishop’s House in Norwich still has clear memories
of Bawdeswell church.
 |
| Then and now – the parish church at Bawdeswell,
above, before it was hit by a Mosquito returning
from a mission in 1944 and as it is today. |
|
|
“It’s the centrepiece of a very attractive
Norfolk village, built in flint and brick which is the
usual material used,” he said. “There’s
a feeling of Georgian architecture in the whole village
and so I particularly wanted this to blend in with the
church.”
So James included a range of Georgian-style features
throughout, such as the beautiful stained-glass windows.
And he made some other interesting additions too.
“I particularly wanted them to have a three-decker
pulpit. That is a combined feature of a pulpit for the
parson to preach his sermon, a reading desk for him
to read the lessons and another reading desk to take
the service,” he explained.
“There are very few three-decker pulpits in England.
And the parish council were very worried about it. So
I said we’d design it so it could be dismantled
and broken up into three parts. They agreed to go ahead
with it – and consequently they’ve never wanted
to alter it. They’ve grown to like it.”
He explained there were also three types of pew in the
church, to make them comfortable for all. “The
ceiling is painted blue and there are star-shaped light
fittings sunk into it. Those light bulbs have never
had to be changed in all these years so it speaks well
of the manufacturers.
“The windows are big because I particularly wanted
to have plenty of light because I know so many medieval
churches are rather dim. This was all part of the design.”
James returned to Bawdeswell Church as guest of honour
on December 17, 2000 as villagers celebrated their Millennium
Project – the ‘completion’ of his church
with the installation of a tower clock and a toilet.
Back
to main story
|
