Set into the North Wall above the chancel step is the hatch to the Anchorites cell which is built into the thickness of the wall.

The cell was a hollow space measuring 3' by 2' and about 6' high. It would have been used in the 13th or 14th centuries by a priest or monk (although there were also women who were anchorites, namely St. Julian of Norwich).

Unlike hermits, Anchorites did not take themselves into the wilderness but became attached to a Church - where they were highly regarded for their wisdom and holiness. It is though that the hatch in the wall - pictured here - that the Anchorite could receive communion, speak to visitors and hear the Church services. (This hatch measures less than 3" high and only just over 8" wide.)

Whilst the Anchorite may have lived entirely within the confines of the cell it is thought that there was a larger shelter built into the outside wall of the Church. The outside entrance to the cell is now bricked up. However there have been human remains and a medieval lead coffin found near to the Anchorites cell (1931), which may belong to either a priest or an Anchorite.