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| A jewel among Broads Churches, St Helen’s stands above the Broad and is easy to get to on foot. St Helen’s is famous for the view from the top of its tower, the beautiful painted screen, possibly unique in its decoration, and its 14th century Antiphonal (psalter and song book). There is also an adjacent stable block converted into tea rooms. |
 The treasures of St Helen are very well-known, two are virtually unique, the third the finest of its kind...The first of them sits just inside the door, the Ranworth Antiphoner, a large singing book now in a bullet-proof glass case. This illuminated manuscript was produced at Langley Abbey, and used in this church before the Reformation, and then disappeared for three hundred years. In the 1850s, it was discovered in the collection of the merchant banker Henry Huth, but it was not until its sale in 1912 that it was recognised as coming from Ranworth originally. By one of those miracles that sometimes happens at the right time, it was bought and returned here. Secondly, in the middle of the nave is the splendid Cantor's desk. This was used for reading the Gospel, and is unusual in having two ledges, one facing east, the other west. It may originally have been in the rood loft. The eastern side has an image of St. John's evangelistic symbol and the opening line of his Gospel in Latin; the west face has, apparently pasted on, a fifteenth century versicle form of the Gloria. |
| The ''Greatest Rood in East Anglia'' |
 Behind the Cantor's desk stands one of the most amazing Rood's in East Anglia...It stretches right across the church, aisles and nave, being built out to form grand reredoses to the aisle chapels. The middle range features the twelve apostles; the south aisle chapel range three Marys and a tremendous St Margaret, the north aisle chapel range St Etheldreda, St Agnes, St John the Baptist and St Barbara. The north part of the screen is rather curious; the third panel, St John the Baptist, has clearly never been finished; the outlines were never filled in - a mystery to all I believe! Finally, we come to the best, and most famous parts of the screen, the sides of the chapel reredoses which face into the nave. On the north side, Bishop St Felix and Martyr St Stephen are joined by one of the great medieval art survivals of the 15th century, St George. Similarly opposite, Archbishop St Thomas of Canterbury and Martyr St Lawrence are joined by a glorious St Michael. The three dragon killers are probably the best single painted 15th century panels in East Anglia. |
| More Churches |
| To explore some of the other fascinating Churches and Cathedrals in Norfolk, please choose from any of the links below. St. John's Roman Catholic Cathedral Norwich Cathedral St. Margaret's, Kings Lynn St. Mary, Brancaster St. Helen, Ranworth St. George, South Acre St. Martin, Thompson Round Towered Churches |
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