St Etheldreda's Church, Norwich
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| St Etheldreda’s Church | |
|---|---|
 St Etheldreda’s Church in 2006 | |
 St Etheldreda’s Church | |
| 52°37′22.04″N 1°18′7.41″E / 52.6227889°N 1.3020583°E | |
| OS grid reference | TG 23641 07933 |
| Location | Norwich, Norfolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | Æthelthryth |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 26 February 1954 |
St Etheldreda's Church is a Grade I listed redundant parish church in the Church of England in Norwich.[1] Located on King Street,[2] It is one of three surviving round-towered churches in the city, the others being St Julian's and St Benedict's.[3] From 1981 it has been used as St Etheldreda Artist Studio.
Closure and redundancy
The church is medieval, dating from the 12th century.[4] The church is dedicated to St Etheldreda,[5] who founded and died at Ely Abbey, a precursor to Ely Cathedral, during the 7th century.[2] Ely is known to have owned a 'fortress' or 'fortified place' (in all likelihood a stone house) in Norwich by the reign of William I;[5] the abbots of Ely had to provide men for the garrison of Norwich Castle, and St Etheldreda's Church may have been associated with a lodging that was built for them.[2]
In 1883, new vicar Nathaniel Bolingbroke initiated a major restoration of St Etheldreda's, recruiting architect Edward Boardman for the task.[2] Boardman's work resulted in the obstruction of much of the church's early detail, adding new windows and a new tiled roof,[4] which replaced the thatch being used up until that point, as well as adding buttresses, refacing flintwork and renewing the existing windows in the late 14th century decorated style. This refurbishment was intended to be in an idealised 'medieval' style, a decision influenced by the Oxford Movement.[2] The church contained an organ by Norman and Beard which dated from 1884.[6] 1884 was also the date at which the parish was united with that of St Peter Southgate, leading to St Peter's being demolished that year.[2]
In 1961, St Etheldreda's final vicar Selby Strong died, and falling residential numbers after extensive bomb damage in the area in 1942 led to the closure of the church that year. In 1962,[2] the organ and the church bell went to St Francis, Heartsease.[6][2] By 1970, the church was derelict, though in 1973 it became part of the parish of Parmentergate and was thus declared redundant.[2]
St Etheldreda Artist Studio
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From 1975 extensive repairs were carried out. An upper mezzanine floor, north roof light, lavatories and kitchen were added in the 1980s to accommodate artists' studios. This was St Etheldreda Artist Studio, a non-profit cooperative set up in 1981 by individuals from Norwich Art School (now Norwich University of the Arts). It was the first studio group to set up in the city, and is rented from the Norwich Historic Churches Trust.[2] It has been used as a sculptors' workshop.[4] As of 2010[update] it was still being used as an artists' studio with 12 artists active at the time.[2]
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