NHER 10523 (Building record) - St Margaret's Church, Hales

September 1960. Listed, Grade I.
Listing Description Excerpt:
"Former parish church, now in the care of the Redundant Churches Fund. Fabric of C12 remains almost intact with some C13 and C14 fenestration. Flint with brick and conglomerate, partly rendered. Limestone dressing. Nave and chancel thatched: roof hipped over east end. West tower, nave, apsidal chancel. Round west tower, possibly C11, with C14 bell-openings. Single light west window with raised cill. Later tower parapet with chequerwork of brick, flint and limestone."
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current listing details.
H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

before July 1982. Casual find during field visit.
From east end of yard bare of trees and other bare patches:
1 sherd Prehistoric flint gritted pottery
1 bowl rim, chalk tempered pottery, 12th century
6 sherds medieval unglazed pottery
Near North doorway:
1 rim with fragmetn of pouring lip, late medieval glazed.
Recorded fully in HER Notes (S6) and noted on record card (S5).
E. Rose (NAU) 27 July 1987. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

post-July 1982. Casual find during field visit.
2 sherds medieval unglazed pottery
Recorded fully in HER Notes (S6) and noted on record card (S5).
E. Rose (NAU) 27 July 1987. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

September 1983. Casual find during field visit.
From east end of yard bare of trees and other bare patches:
1 sherd medieval unglazed pottery
Recorded fully in HER Notes (S6) and noted on record card (S5).
E. Rose (NAU) 27 July 1987. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

July 1987. Field Observation.
Church (redundant) has round Saxo Norman tower perhaps predating nave.
Both contain conglomerate and possible Roman brick.
Nave and apsidal chancel with elaborate scheme of Norman decoration, possibly on older core.
Windows and belfry about 1300, rood stair inserted in window ?15th century.
North porch gone.
Several wall paintings, good 15th century font, unusual ?19th century painting on Jacobean font cover.
Bell at KLM.
Information from record card (S5).
See HER Notes (S6) for full unpublished report. See also re-typed version (S7).
Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 12 June 2023.

January 2006. Research Report Summary.
S. Heywood 2004 (S33) and N. Batcock 1991 (S27) describe the architecture of the church, which has elaborate Romanesque details. The apsidal chancel is decorated with blind arcading. The nave doorways are considered to be among the best examples of Norman doorways in Norfolk. Both Heywood (S33) and Batcock (S27) interpret the tower as being contemporary or slightly later than the nave, Heywood (S27) concluding that the tower may have been added to an existing building. The tower has circular splayed windows, which still bear the imprint of basketwork left when the windows were constructed. However Pevsner 1999 (S28) returns to the theory that the tower is Saxon and the remainder of the church Norman. The church has a fragmentary 14th century wall painting of St Christopher, and another of St James (see HER Notes (S6) and unpublished report (S7)). Batcock (S27) states that St Margaret's is one of the most important 12th century churches in the country.
This church is also one of the 65 Norfolk churches selected for Jenkins' 2000 publication of England's Thousand Best Churches (S31).
See unpublished report Heywood 2004 (S33) and monograph by Batcock 1991 (S27) for more details.
S. Spooner (NLA), 25 January 2006. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 15 June 2023.

February 2006. Field Observation.
Inspection of the interior of the tower confirms the present belfry is a 14th century addition; the earlier belfry has internal Norman mouldings and Caen stone detailing; however there remains the possibility that the base is Saxon.
See unpublisehd report (S35) for further details.
E. Rose (NLA), 4 February 2006.

The church is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust (2006).