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| St Margaret’s dominates the medieval and old port of King’s Lynn. With its magnificent and unusual three towers, it was originally built as part of a 12th century priory. The Church's three towers rise high above the Saturday Market and the narrow streets around it. With its striking interior this is a church not to be missed when exploring the beautifully restored old town. |
 St Margaret is far bigger than any of the Norwich medieval churches, and is second in size in East Anglia only to St Nicholas at Great Yarmouth, which is the largest medieval parish church in England. From the west, the overall layout consists of two western towers separated by a west front, a clerestoried and aisled nave, a central tower above a crossing with transepts, and a clerestoried chancel. Pevsner, who has measured it, tells us that the building is 235 feet long from end to end. |
| The History of St. Margaret's Church |
 To understand it, it is best to consider the order in which it was built. A Norman Priory church came first, probably on the site of the present nave, but little trace of it survives. The Priory was founded in 1101, five years after Norwich cathedral, by the same man, Herbert de Losinga. The Priory's fortunes burgeoned, and about the middle of the 12th century the two massive towers were begun at the west end. They would take almost a century to complete. The south-west tower is pretty much in its original form, changing from Norman to Early English as it climbs. The tower to the north-west was either not completed, or was for some reason taken down and replaced, because what we see today is largely the work of the 15th century. The west front with its porch and massive window was completed, as was the north-west tower. Both towers were surmounted by steeples, and the church was now at the peak of its glory, spired, battlemented, replete with gargoyles and grotesques. It must have looked like a cathedral! |
| Inside St. Margaret's Church |
 And so, to the inside. This is one of the most welcoming of all urban churches. It is open everyday, and the people greet you warmly as if they're really grateful that you've come; which they probably are, because Lynn is a socially deprived area and benefits from tourism when it can. There is a little cafe in the south transept where you can get a cup of tea and a bun. It is possible to enter from the north porch, which is done out really well in a full-on 1960s style in modern glass and slate. There is a massive Norman pillar and arch facing south from the base of the north-west tower. The soaring chancel arch is surmounted by a Charles II royal arms, which looks a little lost up there. Most striking of all is the clerestory. Unusually, it has a walkway within it, the inner pillars being 13th century and the exterior windows 15th century, so the arrangement must have existed from the start. The south chancel aisle extends to the east end, tapering slightly, while that to the north is truncated. A Church certainly not to be missed! |
| More Churches |
| To explore some of the other fascinating Churches and Cathedrals in Norfolk, please choose from any of the links below. St. John's Roman Catholic Cathedral Norwich Cathedral St. Margaret's, Kings Lynn St. Mary, Brancaster St. Helen, Ranworth St. George, South Acre St. Martin, Thompson Round Towered Churches |
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