A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF ST. ANDREW'S
St. Andrew’s, Great Ryburgh is a cruciform round tower church believed to date back to the very early Norman period Both the tower and the church walls however demonstrate evidence of building techniques that hark back to the Saxon period before 1066. The South transept in a shortened form appears to be part of the footprint of the original building and the fuller length transepts as we see them today by the 14th century. The octagonal belfry dates from the 15th Century as do the tall perpendicular windows of the nave. It is one of the older round towers in the Diocese and visitors are fascinated by the shape of the church, each arm of the cross being almost equal.
The windows were an early part of the Victorian restoration and are the work of William Wailes from the mid 1860s onwards.
At the time of the restoration during the early decades of the twentieth century, the floors were lowered to their original level so as to do justice to the proportions of the building and particularly to the Norman arch at the West end of the Nave.
Sir Ninian Comper reordered the chancel in 1910. Much admired are his scheme for the ceiling with its painted angels and his alabaster reredos of 1912. Comper was responsible for relaying the floor, using original fourteenth century tiles and pamments in the sanctuary and around the font.
The screen of St. Thomas’s Chapel was erected to the memory of those who fell in the First World War. It was entirely the work of Norfolk craftsmen and all but two of the saints depicted are of East Anglian origin.
There is a strong impression of colour when you go into the church, the Millennium Project kneelers worked by village residents matching the tones in the stained glass windows.
The bells were rehung in 1891 and are now rung regularly and well maintained.
The churchyard wall was built by subscription in 1869 to provide a boundary for the newly extended churchyard, the Rector of the time having given some glebe land to provide additional space for burials.
A Garden of Remembrance has recently been created in the angle between the South Transept and the Chancel, a sheltered and sunny spot for those who wish to linger, reflect or simply enjoy.
