St Margaret's church in Kings Lynn

Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 17 Jun 2010

St Margaret's church (the church's full dedication is to St Margaret, St Mary Magdalene and All the Virgin Saints), situated on Saturday Market Place, is the second largest medieval church in Norfolk, measuring 235 feet (72 metres) in length. The church > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921926 was built on the site of a Norman priory church and whereas the south-west tower > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921902 of the building has survived in its original form, the priory, of which no trace remains, was dissolved in the 1530s. The church was further rebuilt and added onto during the 13th century but when the spire and top of the north-west tower collapsed in 1740 much of the nave was destroyed. The building was reconstructed in the 19th century, restoring the transepts, removing a row of shops on the north side and installing a clock > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921936 on the south-west tower which shows the time of high tides. Beside the west doorway there are a number of markers > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921940 recording the high water levels of 19th and 20th century town floods. Inside the church, the 14th century carved misericords > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921969 in the chancel are a reminder of the former priory status and the screens in the aisles > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921962 date from the 14th century also. The Flemish-style reredos > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921954 dates from the late 1800s. The stained glass windows > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921974 were installed in the 19th and 20th centuries, with the east window > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921955 being an unusual round shape. The glass it contains was made by Ward and Hughes. Two of the most famous and largest C14 brasses in England can be found in the south aisle > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921989 - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921996 - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1921997. They are believed to be of Flemish workmanship and commemorate wealthy merchants who were mayors of King's Lynn. The other brasses in the church (there is a record of over 40) were sold by churchwardens in order to raise money for repairs and some others were stolen by a gravedigger who, after having been accused of theft, hanged himself in the belfry.

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