NHER 7472 (Building record) - SS Michael and All Angels' Church, Booton

1984.
Remarkable and unique Victorian church of 1875-91 on site of 13th - 15th century church of which some fragments including large statue remain.
Finds from yard.
Context 2: medieval seal matrix.
Context 3: 12th to 13th century figurine (S10).
See report (S1) and press cuttings (S3), (S4), (S5) and (S6) in file.
E. Rose (NAU) 31 October 1984.

See copy of church guide in file.
D. Gurney, (NAU) 28 October 1984.

Church, churchyard wall , church shelter, all listed (S7).
E. Rose (NLA), 21 December 2004.

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

This is one of the sixty five Norfolk churches selected for (S8).
D. Gurney (NLA), 17 February 2006.

A remarkable 19th century church, which is an entire rebuild of an earlier medieval church (which it partly encloses). A 13th century figurine of St John was found in the churchyard. The rebuilding took place between 1876 and 1900. It was planned and overseen by the incumbent rector, Reverend Elwin, a descendant of Pocahontas, who had no qualifications in architecture but great enthusiasm. Edwin Lutyens described the church as 'very naughty but built in the right spirit'.
The current church is in an eccentric French Gothic style, with slender twin west towers, nave chancel, north porch and south chapel. The nave is very large, with gigantic wooden angel figures holding up the roof. In the north porch stands a medieval headless statue, which was discovered when the old church was demolished.
P. Aldridge (NLA), 4 August 2005.

Press cutting (S9) in file.
P. Aldridge (NLA), 12 November 2007.