NHER 10511 (Building record) - St Gregory's Church, Heckingham

19 July 1978. Visit.
Norman; west tower, nave and apsed chancel. Thatched. Base of tower round with small conglomerate fragments and pieces of reused stone, some carved; upper and larger portions octagonal with brick quoins, and brick hoodmoulded west lancet. 17th century? Apse has flat buttresses, small Norman window to northwest; northeast now similar but pointed, but this was once much larger. Probably shortened to match other in the restoration, originally an Early English lancet. East window 19th century Gothic Revival (though mullion seems old) as are north and south chancel windows. Chancel arch recent. Very fine Norman south nave door; north door only fragments, reset in aisle wall. Compare Hales church. Aisle cut through Norman north wall around 1300 (intersected east window, Y tracery west and one north window). Other north windows have been blocked up externally to slits when exterior of wall rebuilt in red brick in ?18th century. At east end aisle rasied brick altar-platform with tombslab of 1666 - base of east window cut away for altar, also west chancel. Nave south windows Early English lancet (much cut about for rood stair) and Perpendicular. Perpendicular south porch in brick and flint with shields in spandrels and blocked niche; date 1866 on northeast corner suggests restorations. Doorway has bar hole. Arch braced roofs. Those in nave and porch more recent than that in aisle. Norman font on colonettes. Old poppyhead bench, and parts of another in reader's desk. Some old stained glass. Stone coffin. Several 17th to 18th century floor tombs, all with the same skull incised suggesting a local family of masons. Brass plaque on ledger stone. Two coffin shaped stones in north aisle, one with 17th century inscription added.
Gothic revival organ. Chalice, Norwich 1567; paten, and another London 1733; cup 1832, by Barnard.
E. Rose (NAU).

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