NHER 584 (Building record) - St Martin-at-Palace Church, Norwich

Church of St Martin-at-Palace.

Mentioned in Domesday Book 1086.

1954. Listed Grade I.
Listing Description Excerpt:
"Former church now redundant and used as store. 11th, 15th and 16th century. Flint with stone dressings. Lead roof. Towest tower. Nave and chancel with north and south aisles stopping short of east wall. South porch. Unbuttressed three-stage tower."
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 17 January 2018. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 8 November 2019.

1970s or 1980s. Building Survey.
Examined as part of Norwich Survey.
See draft report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 17 January 2018.

October 1971. Building Survey.
Church assessed by Council for Places of Worship in response to proposed declaration of redundancy.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 17 January 2018.

1987-1988. Excavation.
Excavation of nave and part of chancel by NAU prior to redevelopment.
Period I (10th century): Two phases of timber structure in the nave, orientated east-west, misaligned to present church. One burial with evidence of at least one more inhumation, possibly contemporary. Many post holes.
Period II (11th century): Rammed chalk, flint, gravel foundations of early church. Internal dimensions recorded as 13.30m west-east x 6.20m north-south in the nave and 2.90m west-east x 6.25m north-south in chancel. The chancel was only partially excavated. The excavated wall displays long-and-short work which has generally been attributed to the date range 950AD to 1100AD. This implies that the wall formed the superstructure for the excavated foundations, but there was no stratigraphic evidence to support this, and the suggestion is based only upon architectural form.
Period III: Very wide date range post 1066. Pre-1830 burials. 47 burials were located, 27 of which were articulated and excavated within the nave and tower of the church. 12 more graves were identified in the nave nad 3 in the south aisle. 5 graves were identified in the chancel, but there was no articulated material in this area. Loose, friable soil suggests preiods of burial and reburial within the building. Some graves had evidence of coffins whereas others had no grave furniture at all. Coffin plates were found, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Burial shafts and vault of church constructed in brick were recorded. The vault had a tiled floor and barrel roof. Several fragments of decorated stone were recorded and attributed a 10th or 11th century date.
Period IV: Post 1830. Documentary evidence suggests that the church was extensively rebuilt at this time.
See published report (S5) for further details.
The finds recovered have been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.303).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 23 April 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 July 2019.