The Church of St Helen, Ranworth, Norfolk is a church of medieval origins notable for its collection of church paintings. Known as "the Cathedral of The Broads", the church dates from the 14th century, although with origins in Saxon times. It contains a major collection of medieval artefacts, in particular the church's rood screen and the Ranworth Antiphoner, a liturgical manuscript. The church remains an active parish church and is a Grade I listed building.

History Known as "the Cathedral of The Broads", Historic England's listing record describes St Helen's as of the 15th century, although other sources date it to the 14th. Pevsner records roof beams bearing the date 1370. Restoration took place at the end of the 19th/early 20th centuries to prevent complete collapse. A fire in 1963 destroyed the thatched chancel roof, but otherwise caused "little damage".

The significance of the church lies mainly in its late medieval decoration, particularly of the rood screen. Simon Jenkins considers the work "England's finest church screen paintings". The Twelve Apostles are represented in painted panels on the rood screen itself, with a total of 26 saints and bishops shown in panels elsewhere in the church. Pevsner dates them to the 1470s or 1480s and describes their "superb quality".

St Helen's remains a functioning church in the parish of Ranworth with Panxworth.

Architecture and description The church was begun in the Decorated Gothic style of the 14th century, although Pevsner notes the predominant influence of the Perpendicular style of a century later. It is of Rubble construction with Clipsham stone dressings. A three-storey tower, at the western end of the church, is followed by a nave, with two porches, and a chancel. The church is a Grade I listed building although, beyond the interior paintings, Jenkins considers it as "of limited architectural interest".

The interior also contains a field altar, used during World War I by the Reverend Teddy Everard, subsequently vicar of Ranworth, as well as a memorial panel commemorating the 14 men of the parish killed in the war.

Ranworth Antiphoner

The Ranworth Antiphoner is a 15th-century illuminated antiphoner of the Sarum Rite. It was commissioned for the church and is on permanent display there. The volume comprises 285 vellum pages of writing and illustrations, with daily services in medieval Latin and 19 miniatures.

The manuscript was probably the Antiphoner bequeathed to the church in 1478 by William Cobbe.Revd. H. J. Enraght, Proceedings of the Society during the year 1912, Norfolk Archaeology 18 (1912), xxxiv-xxxvii Previously thought to have been produced by the monks of Langley Abbey in Norfolk, examinations of the illuminations suggest that the Antiphoner was manufactured by a Norwich workshop – a basic antiphoner could be produced on spec, and personalised to order.P. Lasko and N. J. Morgan, Medieval Art in East Anglia 1300-1520 (Norwich: Jarrold and Sons, 1973), p.46 Two things may back this up: the insertion at the end, out of order, of the office of St Helen; and Revd. Enraght's suggestion of a terminus ante quem of 1443, owing to the lack of a feast of St Raphael, which was instituted in that year. Recent research has shown that it was not uncommon for churches to invest in liturgical music books by the later fifteenth century.C. Burgess and A. Wathey, Mapping the Soundscape: Church Music in English Towns, 1450-1550, pp.37-8

The Antiphoner survived the Reformation, probably thanks to the local Holdych family. It fell into private hands, including, in the 1850s, those of Henry Huth, and eventually re-surfaced at auction in 1912, where it was bought and returned to the church.

References

Further reading Kathleen Scott, Survey of Manuscripts Illuminated in the British Isles, vol. 6: Later Gothic Manuscripts 1390–1490. Kathleen Scott, Dated and datable English manuscript borders c. 1395–1499. A.I. Doyle, 'The English Provincial Book Trade before Printing' in P. Isaac, ed., Six Centuries of the Provincial Book Trade in Britain. P. Lasko and N. J. Morgan, Medieval Art in East Anglia 1300-1520 (Norwich: Jarrold and Sons, 1973) M. Williamson, 'Liturgical Music in the Late-Medieval Parish: Organs and Voices, Ways and Means,' in The Parish in Late-Medieval England, ed. Clive Burgess & Eamon Duffy, Harlaxton Medieval Studies, XIV (Donington: Shaun Tyas, 2006), pp. 177-242 C. Burgess and A. Wathey, 'Mapping the Soundscape: Church Music in English Towns, 1450-1550' (Early Music History, Vol. 19 (2000), pp. 1-46)

External links Norfolk Churches - An illustrated article on the interior of St Helen's http://www.broadsideparishes.org.uk/bspicons/manuscript.htm http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/ranworth/ranworth.htm http://ranworthantiphoner.blogspot.co.uk/p/ranworth-antiphoner.html