REGIONAL RUNNER-UP: Pennoyer's School, Pulham St Mary, Norfolk

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• 1. Background
• 2. Regional Information
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Background

• Listing: Grade 2
• Date of building: 15th century
• Web: www.pennoyers.org.uk
• Pennoyer's School Gallery
• Pennoyer's School Virtual Tour

In medieval times the primary sources of income for the parish were its hat making and weaving industries. It is thought that a local guild of hatters who built the original chapel may later have had it relocated to the centre of the village to fulfil the dual role of chapel and guild hall at the heart of the community.

The church is of typical flint construction – a popular building material in this part of England at the time. The design is rectangular with stepped diagonal buttresses lending support to the walls, which it appears may once have been rendered. The original medieval masonry is intact but for the east wall which was probably removed at the time that the Victorian extension was added. The single storey chapel boasts a number of attractive medieval decorative flourishes, including finely-carved roses and lion's head label stops.

The hatter's guild was dissolved in the 16th century, and the chapel briefly served as a manor court. In 1670, a wealthy Puritan merchant, William Pennoyer, bequeathed funds to the parish to establish a free school in the former guild chapel. Minor additions were subsequently made to the school in the 17th century. Then in the 19th century the major Victorian extension and new roof were added.

Further internal modifications were added to both halves of the school in the 20th century. By the time of its closure in 1988, Pennoyer's School was the oldest functioning state school in the country.

Since the closure of the school, the chapel has remained unused and its condition has deteriorated, significantly blighting the centre of the village. It is hoped that restoration, as well as protecting the historic fabric of the chapel and preserving a rare living reminder of the working of a medieval guild, could return a valuable local resource to the community.

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