St Margaret's, Cley

St Margaret's is the Anglican parish church of Cley next the Sea, Norfolk, in the deanery of Holt, the Archdeaconry of Lynn and the Diocese of Norwich. The dedication is to St Margaret of Antioch. It is the largest church in the Blakeney Haven area, with a nave to match, and was rebuilt from the 1320s to the mid-1340s. Before the end of the 14th century, a large south porch was added. The north and south transepts are derelict. The style is mainly Perpendicular, with some Decorated, and an early English style chancel.^[1]

St Margaret's
St Margaret's Church, Cley next the Sea
St Margaret's
52°56′47″N 1°02′51″E
OS grid reference	TG 032 435
Location	Cley next the Sea Norfolk
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Administration
Province	Canterbury
Diocese	Norwich
Archdeaconry	Lynn
Deanery	Holt
Parish	Cley

It has an octagonal font, carved wooden bench ends and Decorated tracery, and a carved rood screen.^[1] St Margaret's is a nationally important building, with a Grade I listing for its exceptional architectural interest.^[2]

The church has a large number of war memorials.^[3]

White-crowned sparrow

In 2008 a white-crowned sparrow, an American bird not usually seen in the United Kingdom, was spotted in Cley. Visiting birders donated more than £6,000 to a collection for the church's restoration. To commemorate the event an image of the bird was included in a window at St Margaret's.^[4]

Gallery

• 
  The font and nave, looking towards the chancel
• 
  Nave, looking towards the font and the west door
• 
  Depiction of a white-crowned sparrow in window in St Margaret's

References

1. Knott, Simon. "St Margaret, Cley". Norfolk Churches. norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 25 Nov 2011
2. "Church of St Margaret, Bodham". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 10 September 2011
3. "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Cley Next the Sea".
4. Unwin, Brian. "White-crowned Sparrow boosts local tourism". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2014.