THE CHURCH OF ST. LAWRENCE
The Corpus Christi Chapel
This is a large finely appointed building and some historians think its origins may be older than the church itself. Previous research established documentary evidence which showed that it was a separate building belonging to the Guild of Corpus Christi; one of the many religious guilds which from Saxon times played an important role in the lives of the church and the people. In the early 14th century the chapel passed out of the hands of the Guild and was converted into the Lady Chapel.
The architecture of the present building all dates to the early part of the 14th century and is of a higher quality work than the rest of the church with clunch and flint chequer work and good Decorated windows. The two windows to the south elevation each have two cusped lights with cusped spherical triangular heads in pointed chamfered arches. There are brick and stone angle butresses that to the west have been rebuilt in flint.
The west gable end is tile hung above a 14th century window that was blocked when the south aisle was rebuilt. To the east end of the south elevation a door was inserted in 1911 with an outer pointed arch and inner segmental head. The large 14th century window to the east end of the chapel has three lights with curvilinear tracery and is slightly off centre. This off centred window could be consistent with suggestions that in the early 14th century the original walls remained and were faced with the stone and flint.
In the 16th century, the Chapel was provided with a rood loft, which was taken down shortly afterwards by order of Edward VI. At a similar time the Lady Chapel was converted to a Chancel and the original Chancel became a Mortuary Chapel. Possibly to facilitate these changes a suitable opening was required from the Nave into the Lady Chapel; some of the walls in the north west corner were demolished, together with the original Chancel arch; the new Skew Arch was inserted but provided rather dubious support to the structure above.
