Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Norfolk

  • Little Plumstead – Walled Garden Community Shop and Cafe

    Little Plumstead – Walled Garden Community Shop and Cafe

    I hadn’t heard of this community project before, but it’s based at what was once the walled garden of Plumstead Hall and is marked as 173 in the above map (click to make it larger). This was a large residential property built in 1889 on the site of an earlier hall, with the building later being turned into a mental hospital. It was used in this manner from the 1930s until it was closed in the 1990s, with the site being partly used for a new residential development. Sadly, although the building didn’t have great architectural interest, what was Plumstead Hall was destroyed by fire in 2016. It was a common visiting site for urban explorers and there are numerous accounts on-line, including this one from 2010.

    Anyway, a community project has been unveiled for this site and there is now a cafe, shop and gardens that have been opened up. There are two primary parts of Plumstead, the villages of Great Plumstead and Little Plumstead, and they lost their only shop in 2016. It’s fair to say that this wasn’t entirely ideal for local residents as although it might only have been a small Happy Shopper that closed, it was the last retail premises left. But, this community project has changed that.

    This is the entrance to the gardens, suitable for those in wheelchairs.

    Current restrictions mean that the cafe can only be opened as a takeaway and I’m pleased to say that someone with some sense has been involved in this arrangement. There are clear menus before ordering, the prices are reasonable, the ordering process is simple, they accept cards, the staff member was friendly, it felt welcoming and nothing confused, annoyed or puzzled me. All really well managed. There’s a central counter which is used for the shop on the other side, and the cafe on this side, with everything being clean.

    Isn’t this all rather lovely? Customers can usually sit in these gardens to enjoy their cafe purchases, although that’s limited at the moment because of national restrictions. But there was a really friendly vibe going on here, with the volunteer gardeners performing various different tasks. This is a community project that I can see local residents would want to get involved with, something to make them feel included and to meet people. This is a wonderful opportunity for inclusivity, for people to feel they’re part of something and to get them out of the house. What a perfect way of helping people with mental health issues, and how quite apt that this was the site of a hospital which tried to improve the mental health of its residents.

    I got the last sausage roll, which was a relief, as I was quite in the mood for such a delicious pastry product. It was served cold, but it tasted fine with the meat having a richness of flavour and the pastry was light. For £2, I thought it was all entirely acceptable.

    95p for a can of Fanta, all quite reasonable. Looking at online reviews, it seems that others have also found their visits to be positive as well. What’s interesting for the future is that this is still all quite early stage, so there are lots of plans for what new facilities they can offer over the next few years.

    I really like this place, not just because there was a friendly welcome, but because of the concept and the community work that is going on here. And, this is run professionally, I can see their social media channels, their communications, their web-site and their operations are all slick and well managed. I shall positively endeavour to bring LDWA walkers here (and maybe some Ramblers if they’re well behaved) as projects like this should definitely be encouraged.

  • Norwich History by Parish : St. Julian (Section 2/2)

    Norwich History by Parish : St. Julian (Section 2/2)

    And a new little project that Jonathan and I are undertaking because this lockdown is clearly here for at least a few more weeks. It’s a bit niche (our project I mean, not the lockdown), I’ll accept that, but there we go. Effectively, it’s walking around Norwich, ancient parish by ancient parish and seeing what is there now compared to a map from the 1880s (the map above is from 1789, but the one from the 1880s is more detailed, which is why we used that). There’s a PDF of these boundaries to provide some extra background to this whole project.

    St. Julian (the exclave) is the ninth parish we’ve visited and as can be seen from the above PDF, it’s split into two separate areas, with St. Etheldreda in the middle and I’ve already covered the main part which includes St. Julian’s Church. This post is the southern part, and there is nearly nothing left from even 100 years ago. In the main, I’d say that someone who lived here 100 years ago wouldn’t be able to recognise what stands today, as the majority of roads in this section of the parish have been removed and changed.

    To start off, I’ll try and explain what is happening in this area and the above is a dual map, with 1920s mapping on the left and the current mapping on the right (click on the image to make it larger). There are a few constants here, which are Ber Street on the left of the map, Argyle Street in the middle and King Street on the right. The southern part of St. Julian’s parish doesn’t have a church in it, it’s at the base of the hill (so the buildings on Argyle Street) to the River Wensum.

    This collection of sheds is along the former route of Compass Street, which connected Argyle Street to Mariners Lane. This is what the council planners have delivered for the people of Norwich, here’s what was here before. Others can decide which they prefer.

    The base of the hill, this section was Arthur Street.

    This is standing on what was Compass Street looking towards Argyle Street, which is still there, although with no older buildings on it.

    Normandie Tower stands 16 storeys high and was completed in 1966. I’ve never been convinced that this entirely fits into the landscape of Norwich, but the city council likely thought it was a marvellous idea. It’s the same height as Winchester Tower, in another part of Norwich, which are the tallest buildings in the city with the exception of Norwich City Hall. Geoffrey Goreham took a photo of Normandie Tower being constructed.

    Argyle Street, and this is perhaps one of the better known streets in the country as it was the scene of a large squat between 1979 and 1985. The short story is that a decision was made to save this one section of the city from destruction, as great swathes of nearby residential developments were pulled down, in many case ignoring substantial local opposition. However, to cut a long story short, various council decisions saw the community shunted out and they were left with a squat. There were some initial plans to formalise this arrangement, but the Government wouldn’t let the council do this. After much faffing about, the bailiffs took control of the buildings and demolished them, replacing these Victorians buildings that had survived the slum clearances to be lost in the mid-1980s.

    Some of the council’s replacement buildings from the 1980s have recently been pulled down as there are subsidence problems in the area. There are now plans for a replacement development and I note that the city council is requiring:

    “The design of development must respect the adjacent wooded ridge and the setting of neighbouring listed and locally listed buildings.”

    I think it’s fair to say that the council finally and belatedly recognises the importance of this area, but sadly much heritage from the village on the hill has all now gone for good. There’s a much longer account of how the council managed to get into this fiasco at https://issuu.com/alstokes/docs/argyle_street_ which is written by Al Stokes.

    And here’s what the street looked like in 1962, which I think all looks quite attractive.

    The base of the ridge, which is the rear of the parish boundary.

    I’m not an expert in old walls, but this is probably a supporting wall from the 1960s, but it might have an older structure behind it as this slope is natural and not caused by building work.

    Moving away now from the Argyle Street area, this is Cannon Wharf which lies between the River Wensum and King Street. It retains the name of the previous building and it’s the final building in St. Julian’s parish before it becomes St. Peter Southgate parish. Norfolk Heritage Explorer notes:

    “An excavation in 1997 discovered buried soils dating from the early Norman period, demonstrating that intrusive modern development has not destroyed the earliest archaeological deposits in this area. These deposits were overlain by a medieval stone building which may have been partly destroyed during Kett’s rebellion in 1549. Finds from the site include Late Saxon and medieval pottery and 12th century leather working debris. Excavation in 2007-2008 has also recovered evidence of revetment and deposits laid in order to raise the level of the foreshore of the River Wensum in the 11th-13th centuries, as well as the possible remains of a landing stage. Later medieval and post medieval features included a flint boundary wall and further possible landing stages, and the remains of industrial buildings and services dating to the late 19th and 20th century were also uncovered.”

    This is one of only two older buildings in this southern section of St. Julian’s Parish, known as Cannon Cottage.

    The cottage is now used for holiday lets, which is a shame as it would have made for a nice residential property.

    The frontage onto King Street, although the interior has been heavily changed. The building was heavily restored to ensure that it survived and I like that it has been kept, at least something of a constant in an area that has nearly all been bulldozed.

    The original building date of 1847 is visible.

    The fenced off area is likely because there’s a hot tub in there and they didn’t want people watching from the bridge.

    Norwich is twinned with Novi Sad in Serbia and this bridge was named after that connection.

    The bridge is for pedestrians and cyclists only and not for road traffic (I approve), having opened in 2001. Constructed by May Gurney at a total cost of £800,000 it’s apparently an asymmetric cable stayed swing footbridge, which probably means more to my friend Liam (who is currently building a bridge, or more likely drinking tea thinking about building a bridge).

    There’s foot access to the Wensum by the side of the bridge, looking left towards Norwich Riverside.

    And looking right towards Carrow Road, which is Norwich City’s football ground.

    This has been the scene of much controversy and delay over recent years, the former car park of the Ferry Boat Inn in Norwich. The former Greene King pub shut a few years ago, meaning that every pub along the main part of King Street has now been shut down, with a new project called King’s Bank now underway here. This project means the structure of the pub will remain, but it won’t be used as a licensed premises, instead the site will have 41 homes on it.

    This is the former line of King Street, there’s now a junction here with Rouen Road on the left and King Street on the right. This is roughly where 195 to 197 King Street stood, a not particularly exciting building which George Plunkett photographed in 1936.

    The side of the Ferry Boat Inn, George Plunkett took a photo here in 1936 and he also has one from behind the pub dating from 1987. There’s a photo from AA King of this area from the 1940s, although taken from the other direction to my photo.

    And the pub itself, which is the only other building that survives in this part of the parish. It open as a licensed premises in the middle of the nineteenth century and closed, initially temporarily, in 2006. For a while in 1988 the pub’s landlord was Steve Wright, the Ipswich mass murderer. It’s a shame that this won’t continue to be a pub, as it once occupied something of an enviable river position.

  • Great Moulton – St Michael and All Angels Church

    Great Moulton – St Michael and All Angels Church

    The church of St. Michael and All Angels in the village of Great Moulton and the bulk of the building dates from the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. It’s reached by going down a relatively narrow lane and the church is set back some way from the road.

    The tower is neat, but unexceptional, and it was reconstructed in 1887.

    Although the core of the walls is older the Victorians faffed about here quite a lot with their restoration work, led by the architect Herbert Green and constructed by Grimwood & Bullen.

    This does though mean that the Victorian floor plan gives some indication about the interior of the building, which was reconfigured to seat 76 in the nave, 44 in the north aisle and 17 in the chancel.

    A bricked up early medieval window on the side of the nave and it can also be seen where the walls have been raised during a later stage of building work.

    A complex array of windows on the chancel, and this section of the church predates the nave.

    The chancel end of the church.

    Unfortunately, this was another locked church. The doorway is medieval and the porch itself is from the fifteenth century.

    A board inside the porch with the names of past rectors and vicars.

    This is a repurposed tomb from the fourteenth century, likely moved from inside the church. Norfolk Heritage mention that this was investigated and taken apart in 1999, but there is no burial beneath the tomb as there was natural clay. All slightly puzzling. Such is my poor knowledge of historic religious structures that I merrily walked by this without noticing it, it was only the listed building record that explained that it was there.

    It’s a rather attractive and spacious graveyard with daffodils abound.

    I took this photo from the churchyard and for anyone who is so minded to click on the above photo to enlarge it will see the wires of the London to Norwich mainline.

  • Wacton – All Saints Church

    Wacton – All Saints Church

    The Grade I listed All Saints Church in Wacton looks a little bit odd, a grand fourteenth century combined nave and chancel (which were once thatched), alongside a tower which is possibly late Saxon and which was reconstructed in the twelfth century.

    The south side of the church. This village was once known as Wacton Magna, and there was a smaller settlement nearby called Wacton Parva, which both had their own churches. However, the latter settlement became smaller following the Black Death and their church stopped being used for services in around 1500 and it fell down in the decades that followed.

    The north side of the church and the join between the tower and the nave.

    The tower has an odd two tier arrangement going on, where the top section is narrower.

    It’s not entirely clear to see on the photo, but a fair chunk of the glasswork is bent out of shape.

    The chancel window, which was altered in the seventeenth century and restored in the nineteenth century.

    The chunky south door with some old ironwork, but, no porch. This also isn’t a situation where the porch fell down, or someone pinched it or whatever, the church just never had one. This whole building is a mystery to me and there doesn’t seem to be that much history of the structure available on-line. So, this means I’ll have to make it up based on my very sketchy knowledge of church history.

    We know that the church was rebuilt in the fourteenth century, not least as the earlier tower is still standing. There’s also the not inconsequential matter of the Black Death which took place between around 1350 and this caused a slowdown in church building, as there was less money to pay for things and a lack of craftsmen to build things. Church towers were often replaced when finances allowed and the local residents would have wanted a decent one to look better than neighbouring villages, and it’s clear that there was some money to pay for the grand new nave and chancel.

    This all suggests to me (and, this is likely entirely nonsense, but it’s a theory and I’m sticking with it) that the tower would have been replaced in the late fourteenth century if the Black Death hadn’t taken place. By the time that it had, there wasn’t the money available and there was some steady depopulation in this area, evident by the subsequent merging of the two Wacton parishes into one. This suggests that the planned porch and the planned new tower just never got built, and then money wasn’t available. There was often relatively little substantial work done to churches between the late Tudor period and the Victorian period, which meant that All Saints was never entirely completed. What was there in around 1350 is still there over 650 years later, which is the speed that the Anglia Square project in Norwich seems to be moving at. But that’s another story.

    Simon Knott notes that this church is not easy to get into, although there was a sign which mentioned that private prayer was possible on Thursdays between 09:00 and 16:00. I hope that when normality resumes the building is flung open to the community in the way that the Church of England ask for their churches to be.

    As an aside, there was a tragedy in 1934 when workmen were repairing the tower and had a length of cable sprawled out across the road for whatever reason. This little arrangement wasn’t conducted with much care and a local man and grocer, William Humphrey Grimble, was killed when he drove into the cable on his motorcycle.

  • Tharston – St. Mary’s Church

    Tharston – St. Mary’s Church

    There is something rather peaceful about the church of St. Mary’s at Tharston, seemingly in the remote Norfolk countryside. It’s in reality sandwiched by the London to Norwich rail mainline and the Norwich to Ipswich main road, but even given this all was quiet.

    It’s all quite idyllic, although the metropolis of Long Stratton is starting to overspill into the Tharston suburbs, so I wonder how long these fields will remain free from housing.

    The tower and church feel well proportioned, coming together like a fine stout and a chicken pie. These aren’t incidentally words that I’ve carefully crafted whilst writing, my mind wandered earlier on when I was at the church. The Harvey Mausoleum is located in the churchyard, but more on that in another post. The churchyard is also raised up from the road, partly due to the number of burials which have taken place here over the centuries, but the site is also deliberately built on a hill (not a very big hill, but a hill nonetheless).

    The four stage tower, completed in the early sixteenth century, not long before the Reformation.

    The chancel end of the church.

    The church’s scratch dial, for telling the time of services.

    The chancel, which is primarily from the beginning of the fourteenth century has been lowered and one of the windows filled in. The late Paul Cattermole, who I met a few times, wrote a history of this church and he suggested that this took place in 1723, when finances were not necessarily at their greatest.

    The filled in window. Cattermole also notes that damage was done to the church during the English Civil War, and in Tharston’s case this wasn’t down to the officials who often visited churches to smash stained glass and whitewash over colourful imagery. That was because Tharston had been lumbered up with a Mr T Trunch who took over during the English Commonwealth, and he destroyed numerous items in the church himself, which included removing the medieval altar slab.

    Putting the date on things does help later generations understand what happened when…..

    A trig mark at the base of the church tower.

    The doorway, with the church being locked unfortunately. There is though a list of keyholders that visitors can contact to gain access when normality returns to the country. The porch dates to the sixteenth century, although it was renovated and restored in the middle of the nineteenth century, as were numerous others parts of the building.

  • Swannington – St. Margaret’s Church

    Swannington – St. Margaret’s Church

    The current church in Swannington primarily dates to the thirteenth century, although it’s known that there was an older building on the site before this. It’s location is deliberate, placed on the highest point in the village, but it’s not clear whether the earlier building was late Saxon or early Norman.

    The chancel end of the church, with a couple of tombstones built into the wall.

    The scratch dial, once used to tell the time for services in the church. The top half is decorative and doesn’t perform any known function.

    The holy water stoup in the church’s porch, which likely all dates from 1457.

    This feels like a proper medieval porchway and it’s full of character, or at least as much as a porch can be.

    The medieval doorway.

    The inside of the doorway which leads into the porch.

    I’m not particularly knowledgeable about medieval graffiti in churches so it was fortunate that there was a printed guide inside the building to make visitors aware of where it was located. This was inside the entrance to the porch.

    And some medieval graffiti carved into the stone inside the church.

    Looking down the church along the nave and into the chancel.

    There’s no separate tower within the church, it has been incorporated into the nave. There are three bells in the tower, one from 1621 and the other two are from 1674.

    The church’s font which is from the thirteenth century, although the marble leg bits are Victorian. It’s conceivable that this pre-dates the current church, but, either way, this has been used in the Christening of tens of generations. When this font was first used the language used would have been Middle English, which would be hard for someone from today to understand. So, this font has been here for so long that the entire language of a nation has changed around it, whilst it has continued to be used. I feel I’m verging into the realms of being rather too loquacious now, so enough about how old the font it.

    The south aisle is visible on the left of the above photo. This would have once been a busy church, or at least relatively busy, with pilgrims as Swannington was on the route of the Norwich to Walsingham pilgrimage trail.

    The removal of the pews from the church is recent and deliberate, it returns the interior to more as it would have looked during the medieval period.

    I was never quite sure about whether Victorian pews should be taken out and sold off, but the more I see of church interiors like this, the more that I like them. It’s open, it’s easier to hold events and it makes the church look more welcoming.

    The old entrance to the rood stairs, removed after the Reformation.

    This is a Norman piscina which was discovered in the church during the First World War, although there are numerous questions about this, as it’s unlikely to actually be from here as it’s perched in front of a later piscina from the fourteenth century. Anyway, this older one shows St. George slaying the dragon.

    The chancel, and the church originally had three, as there were smaller set-ups at the end of the two aisles as well.

    There are some areas of the church which need a little work, as is evident from this damp area.

    The north doorway, with the Royal Arms of George III above the door. This is now the entrance to an extension added in the 1970s which provides some kitchen and toilet facilities.

    The church is rightly rather proud of this, an old wall painting of St. Christopher which dates to the medieval period. Although more commonly known today as the patron saint of travellers, he was once revered for the security and protection that he could offer to everyone, so his image was often painted in churches. The wall painting was rediscovered in the 1840s and there are currently fundraising efforts to protect this so that it can survive into the future. In some ways, it might have been better if it hadn’t been discovered in the early Victorian period, as their attempts to protect it have perhaps not been ideal against modern standards.

    As an aside, I’ve contacted Historic England to correct the spelling mistake in the listing of this church as their spelling of Margaret is incorrect. I bet they’ll be thrilled (although, to be fair, they do ask people to contact them if they spot things like this…..).

  • Forncett St Mary – St. Mary’s Church (Thomas Edward Green)

    Forncett St Mary – St. Mary’s Church (Thomas Edward Green)

    There’s one Commonwealth War Graves Commission grave at St. Mary’s Church and it commemorates the life of Thomas Edward Green.

    Thomas was born in 1908, the son of John Green (1867-1952) and Emily Green (1870-1944), both of whom are also buried in the churchyard.

    At the 1911 census, the family were living in Forncett St. Mary, with John working as a railway labourer and this was a large family, Maurice aged 17, Emily aged 15, Irene aged 14, Jack aged 9, Bernard aged 7, Thomas Edward aged 3 and Joyce aged 1. Maurice was working as a farm labourer, which was likely the limit of employment options for many younger people at that time. John and Emily hadn’t lost any children at a young age, but one had left home by the 1911 census. Maurice fought in the First World War, but he returned home safely.

    Thomas married Alexandra Nell Turner, who had been born in 1906, of Wreningham in 1932. During the Second World War, he joined the Royal Navy with service number P/JX 518572 and was sent to HMS Collingwood, a land based training centre used by the navy.

    Thomas died on 18 June 1943, at the age of 35. There’s no mention in the local newspapers of any accident at HMS Collingwood, so this was perhaps a natural death. His body was brought back to Forncett St. Mary and buried a few days later. Alexandra died on 21 October 1979, having lived at Wymondham Road in Wreningham and I assume that she didn’t remarry since she had the same surname of Green.

    As an aside, there is perhaps a limited amount of relevance in my posts such as this, as I haven’t been unable to discover any new story to excite and delight the Internet. Thomas was just one of at least eight children that John and Emily had, with no doubt many stories to be told there as well. But, I still find the stories of those who fought and died in the First and Second World Wars to be captivating, and their retelling in whatever form keeps the memory of the lost and damaged generations alive in at least some way.

  • Norwich – Norwich Cathedral (Virtual Tour)

    Norwich – Norwich Cathedral (Virtual Tour)

    This photo is from one of my visits to Norwich Cathedral Library, a beautiful part of the building that I’d very much recommend. Anyway, the reason for this blog post is because of the rather lovely virtual tour that the cathedral has unveiled.

    Available for free at https://www.cathedral.org.uk/visit/virtual-cathedral-tour, it allows people to use their phones or laptops to explore the Cathedral. The quality of the imagery is excellent and it’s a quite marvellous alternative since sections of the building aren’t currently open to the public. It would be really positive if more historic buildings could be shown in this way, especially if some more behind the scenes sections were also shown.

  • Forncett St Mary – St. Mary’s Church (John William Colenso)

    Forncett St Mary – St. Mary’s Church (John William Colenso)

    A recent wooden carving of Colenso which is on display at St. Mary’s

    It’s clear from items around St. Mary’s Church in Forncett St. Mary that they’re rather proud of John William Colenso, their former rector who went on to become the first Bishop of Natal.

    One of the displays at St. Mary’s.

    Colenso was born in Cornwall in 1814 and was educated at St. John’s College, although this whole process required some considerable financial initiative to self-fund. He was the Second Wrangler at Cambridge University, meaning that he received the second highest marks for maths, so there’s little doubt he had lots of academic ability. Anyway, after some time spent teaching, he decided to take on the role of rector at St. Mary’s Church in 1846.

    It was reported in the local press that Colenso had taken over the Rectory at Forncett St. Mary and become rector, with a value of £979. The position of rector back then wasn’t one which required any religious qualifications, it was more a way of living and the role had to be purchased. It wasn’t essential then for rectors to be ordained, although Colenso was, he had been ordained by the Lord Bishop of Ely in May 1840.

    Colenso spent seven years at St. Mary’s, before being invited to become the first Bishop of Natal, a post he took up in June 1853. His interest in the well-being of the Zulu ethnic group was notable, and caused some local opposition. Another issue was that Colenso had a mathematical background and was interested in fact and logic, so he had some issues with some of the text in the Bible. He wrote in his book “Pentateuch and Book of Joshua Critically Examined” that he had concerns and he also stated that he opposed the idea that sinners should be eternally punished.

    There were attempts to remove him from his post and Robert Gray, the Bishop of Cape Town, the man who had encouraged Colenso to go to Natal, now decided that he should be charged with heresy. The situation wasn’t, to be honest, entirely ideal for the church. Colenso was found guilty of heresy, then the Church of England decided that they had no jurisdiction and so reversed their decision. Colenso was sort of sacked in 1869, but also sort of retained his role, all caused by creating a dual system and a divided church. The Cathedral of Natal today recognises both sides in the whole debate, so healing has finally taken place.

    Colenso in the 1860s. Used under licence (© National Portrait Gallery, London)

    Colenso was interested in the matter of polygenism, a belief that different races were created separately by God at the same time. Often used to promote racial inequality, Colenso came from the angle that everyone should be equal because they were created equal. Although this field has been rejected now by science, Colenso did much work on ensuring that the rights of everyone in South Africa were looked after, and that wasn’t universally accepted at the time (nor indeed for a long time after).

    Colenso in the 1870s. Used under licence (© National Portrait Gallery, London)

    Colenso died on 20 June 1883 in Durban at the age of 69, still in his role as the Bishop of Natal. This takes me back to the church in Forncett St Mary, which feels a very long way from South Africa. Colenso had married Sarah Frances Bunyon in 1846, the same year he took over the rectorship at St. Mary’s, and they had five children. One of those children, Harriette Colenso, became a Christian missionary in South Africa, and another, Frances Colenso, became an historian of the Zulu Wars.

    On 22 June 1883, the Eastern Daily Press published an article on Colenso’s life, noting how the Church in South Africa had been split into two following the debates that he had raised. The newspaper noted that he was “an ardent defender of the African against the white man” and how “his sympathies often lay with the Africans”. The parish register for the church of St. Mary is in the possession of the Norfolk Record Office and Colenso’s name is present at nearly every baptism that took place during the years he was there, a seemingly very meticulous rector. And he could have had a good living in Forncett St. Mary for very many years, but he decided to spread the Christian message in South Africa, so I can imagine that he was quite a character.

  • Forncett St Peter – St. Peter’s Church

    Forncett St Peter – St. Peter’s Church

    This is the pretty little church of Forncett St. Peter’s, located a short distance away from St. Mary’s. The fortunes of these churches have perhaps been reversed over recent years, with St. Mary’s going from being derelict to now being repaired and restored, whilst St. Peter’s is literally falling apart.

    What is clearly evident when approaching this stone tower is that it’s remarkable, and very different to other round towers in Norfolk. There are Saxon windows visible within it, there’s a Norman style door at the base and it doesn’t look overly repaired. Indeed, this tower dates from around 1000AD (that’s what the church think, other historians place it a bit later, but I like the church’s guess), making it over 1,000 years old, another remarkable survival. This heritage means this is one of the best preserved Saxon round towers in the entire country, with the church noting there’s an old medieval staircase inside that can be viewed by appointment.

    The side of the round tower, with the Saxon window visible in the middle, and the listed building record also notes that the upper windows have evidence of reused Roman brick. George Plunkett took a photo of the church shortly before the beginning of the Second World War and, unsurprisingly, not much has changed since then. I should have noted the existence of this photo earlier, as I could have taken a photo from the same place to see if any of the gravestones had been lost (I need to get out more….), but that treat can be for another day. I thought it was quite evocative just thinking that 1,000 years ago that there were workmen standing in this exact place on ladders and wooden scaffolding who were building this tower.

    The chancel of the church and for anyone who finds these things interesting, take a closer look at that chancel wall for something……

    The church has some makeshift ways of dealing with drainage and those areas are out of bounds for safety reasons.

    I didn’t note this when walking around the church, only when reading the listed building record did I go back to take photos. But, there’s the old window, with the Priest’s Door having been punched through in the thirteenth century.

    There’s the outline of it.

    Unfortunately, the church has been closed since 2020, as sections of plaster fell off the wall and the building wasn’t considered safe. The damp evident in the porch is perhaps the least of their problems at the moment, as the church needs £750,000 for its restoration efforts.

    Although the damage to the porch isn’t ideal, but the church’s web-site mentions it’s much wider than this:

    “The church is now in desperate need of major repairs and renovations. Most important is the need to make the building watertight – extensive areas need re-roofing, failing lead work needs replacing and faulty gutters, down-pipes and surface drains need repair or replacement. Structural deterioration and cracking of external stone and flint-work has meant that areas of the churchyard have had to be cordoned off in case of falling masonry. Windows, cracked internal masonry, collapsing floor surfaces and areas of death-watch beetle all pose major challenges. The wonderful 15th century Drakes Tomb is suffering from cracking and discolouration. Once the structural work has been completed redecoration will be essential and the remarkable set of carved pew ends can be repaired.”

    The church’s fund-raising efforts are underway, but this sounds like a project that will take many years to bring to a conclusion, but I hope that they are able to make progress in securing donations.

    An 1857 sign from the Incorporated Society for Building and Churches, an organisation which has been providing grants for churches since 1818. It was an unfortunate situation that many churches at this time decided that they would go in for pew rental to raise money, an opportunity for the wealthy to get places in church at the front whilst the poorer were shoved at the back somewhere. The tide on this started to turn in the middle of the nineteenth century and churches started to end the practice, although some parishes were rather more forward thinking than others.

    The Norfolk Chronicle had noted in July 1849 that the interior of the church had been “much improved by the removal of the old pews and the substitution of new oak benches”. There’s an old plan of the church from the mid-nineteenth century on the Lambeth Palace Library archives web-site, but their database has been down for a few hours, so I can’t link directly.