Pulham St Mary Magdalene, Pulham Market

This church was founded as a Chapel-of-Ease to the mother church at Pulham St Mary the Virgin to serve the community which had grown around the open space where a flourishing market was developing.  The church ceased to be a Chapel-of-Ease in 1858 when the living was divided.

The existing building, possibly replacing an ealier structure, dates from the early fourteenth century to the late fifteenth.  The south arcade is ealier than the north, suggesting that the church originally consisted of nave and chancel, with succesive additions following the increasing prosperity of the market end of Pulham in the later middle ages.

Points to Note:

The Nave:
The outstanding item in the church is the arch-braced roof in natural oak.  The mouldings and enrichments of the roof are worth examination.  Th eastern panel, orignally a panoply of honour for the rood, was repainted in 1873. An unusual feature is the banner staff locker in the south aisle wall, it is an original medieval feature with a later door of 1902.  The aisle roofs are also original medieval work.  The font is victorian, the wooden cover modern.  The cross and dove from the top of the old font cover was restored in 1997, and is now placed in a window of the north aisle.

The Chancel:
Heavily restored in 1873, the windows replaced and the vestry added. The painting over the chancel arch, howing the Ascension was done in 1895, as a memorial to members of the Fellows family. The remains of the medieval screen have been places under the tower arch.
Note: some old bench ends were reused for later benches in the chancel.

The Tower:
Four Stages, built in the fifteenth century c:1435.  It is a fine piece of work, thought not amongst the most magnificent in the area.
There are eight bells which are rung regulary, the oldest being dated 1724.

The North Porch:
This is perhaps the finest part of the exterior, built with money left in a will of 1456.  It has flushwork planelling and finely worked detail.  There is a Priest's room above.  It is clear that the north aisle was added after the porch was built.

Stained Glass:
Fourteen and fifteenth century fragments are to be found in the west window of the North aisle.  Other glass is victorian, the most notable being the east window with panels depicting Mary Magdalene washing Christ's feet, the crucification and Mary Magdalene telling the disciples of Christ's resurrection.  This together with the other stained glass windows was inserted at or subsequent to restoration of 1873, donated by and dedicated to members of the Cole and Frost families whose forebears lived in the parish.

Present:
Pulham Market Church has services each Sunday and provides the meeting place for a Christian community seeking to worship God and live in the Christian faith in their daily lives.