St Mary's Church, North Pickenham, Houghton-on-the-Hill

Lying at the end of its own track amidst rolling fields, Houghton is an unlikely setting to find a treasure trove of rare early artworks, a fine reward for cultural pilgrims‍

Highlights

• Very early medieval wall paintings
• Church rescued after satanic use

Even satanic desecration can play a part in the lifecycle of holy places. At Houghton-on-the-Hill, it came in the form of a black mass, held amid the overgrown ruins of the abandoned church. A diligent local activist, appalled at the sight, decided to tackle the ivy and the devil worshippers with an ambitious restoration programme.

Quite unexpectedly, the work that followed uncovered some of England’s earliest medieval art. This treasure trove of ancient Christian wall paintings can now be seen in the lovingly restored little chapel. The images date from the late 11th century onwards.

In pride of place above the chancel arch is a depiction of the Trinity, unknown in such an early form. It shows God the Father seated, supporting Jesus on the cross in front of him, with the Holy Spirit as a dove in flight hovering alongside. The composition is known as the ‘Throne of Mercy’ Trinity. It opens a window on the faith of our ancestors: God is our judge, personally bearing the pain of his Son’s Crucifixion.

Until it was uncovered, the earliest known examples of such a Trinity scene dated from the next century, in a French manuscript of 1125. Quite how this remote, rural church in the middle of the Norfolk countryside acquired such an innovative work of devotional art is still puzzling the experts. These are among the earliest wall paintings in England and some of the most creative and unexpected.

All of this might have crumbled to nothing beneath the ivy and the weather if it hadn’t been for Bob Davey, the energetic churchwarden who stumbled on the desecrated ruins with his wife in 1992. He did a lot of the early restoration work himself, even paying to lay a drive up to the building.

As Bob’s work progressed, he gathered support, funding, and expert intervention as it gradually became clear what wonders lay hidden here. The church is now fully functioning again, used by several different denominations for services.

Bob and his restoration team were joint winners of the 1998 RICS Award for conservation – all the more remarkable given that the other winner was the £37m restoration of Windsor Castle after the fire. Bob himself received an MBE in recognition of his efforts. Prince Charles is one of many luminaries to visit.

Other painting fragments include the raising of the dead, the creation of Eve, and some saints or apostles holding scrolls. These latter figures have not been fully identified yet – the scrolls might once have had words written on them that made up a sentence or creed. There are similar images in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts, such as King Edgar holding the middle of a long scroll, in an 11th-century manuscript called Regularis Concordia.

All that is left of the paintings are the red and yellow keylines which were later filled with other paints. Traces of white, vermilion, red, and green have been found on the plaster, and a recreated version of the full scheme is displayed inside the church to help you imagine what colours once filled this interior.

The art, like the building, has been dated to around 1090, but might be older. It is termed Romanesque in style and placed firmly in the Norman era. But to some eyes, it has clear links with Anglo-Saxon imagery. Even the building uses a Saxon construction technique called long and short work, where long flat stones are laid horizontally, with short ones vertically.

Why so many pre-Norman features? Bob no doubt had theories about all such questions, and was often seen at the church he loved so well. He was there when I first visited, in what must have been his 80th year, explaining the significance of everything he and the team had uncovered with enthusiasm as if it were yesterday. He is much missed locally after he passed away aged 91 in 2021.

Directions‍

To the west of North Pickenham, post code for neighbouring farm: PE37 8FB

www.houghtonstmarys.co.uk

W3W: pulps.pesky.recitals

GPS: 52.6139N 0.7594E‍

Use only the postcode when trying to locate this church; there is another Houghton-on-the-Hill in Leicestershire. This one is next to North Pickenham, and the church has a postcode all to itself, since the village no longer exists. From North Pickenham, head east out of the village along Houghton Lane, which runs downhill beside the Blue Lion Pub. Continue half a mile down here to the T-junction and turn right, Sheading to South Pickenham. Keep going for 2/3 of a mile until you see a sign on your left up a track to St Mary’s Church. The church is at the end.

The church is usually open 2pm–4pm (daily in summer, weekends only in winter). Visitor information is on the church website, which has a gallery of images of the church, or online at www.saintmaryschurch.org.uk.