Churches & cathedrals in Norfolk
No county in Britain is richer in its historic Churches than Norfolk - there are over 650 of them, every one of them with a treasure to discover and a fascinating story to tell. Take a look at our examples on these pages and you will not be disappointed.
The Norwich Cathedrals are the two visible landmarks in the City. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist is at the highest point in the city, but the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy and Undivided Trinity boasts the highest spire.
Jump to: Roman Catholic Cathedral // Norwich Cathedral // Round Tower Churches // More Norfolk Churches // Explore churches by boat
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
Built in the 19th century as a gift from the 15th Duke of Norfolk, as a sign that Catholics could now practice their faith openly, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is a fine example of Victorian architecture and contains some fabulous carvings, metalwork and stained glass This fascinating building is well worth exploring.
By the nineteenth century, Catholics were once again free to practice their faith in public and a Catholic hierarchy had been restored to England. The site, which was eventually chosen, was that occupied by the old city gaol, just outside the medieval city walls. Medieval chalk works had undermined the site and two years of work were needed before the foundation stone could be laid on 17th July 1884. The nave and aisles were blessed by Canon Duckett in August 1894. Then, after ten years of building, the first stone used, Devon Beer, was found to weather badly and the remainder of the building, its tower and transepts, already well advanced, had to be completed in Ancaster and Clipsham stone. There had been embarrassment in 1892 when the Duke discovered that he did not have planning permission to complete the full length of the church. He wrote a splendid letter to the City Council, hoping that he would not have to build the second half elsewhere!
As well as the magnificent stained glass windows, one of the glories of the building is its stone carvings, and there is a wealth of sculpture for those who look for it in the mass of mouldings, flying buttresses, pinnacles and gargoyles. The entrance portals on the north and west sides are particularly impressive. Especially on the west side of the north transept, its magnificent tympanum restored for the 2000 Jubilee Year. The metalwork decoration on the external doors sets the tone for the whole building: the quality of the craftsmanship and attention to detail is evident throughout the cathedral.
Once inside, you enter an atmosphere of medieval splendour - an echo of the great English churches of the thirteenth century. Remember that most medieval churches existing today have either been 'improved' in accordance with fashion, or vandalised over the centuries. Dominating the crossing is the magnificent wooden painted rood. Look beyond the crossing and notice that the chancel at the east end is slightly off-centre. Medieval churches were most frequently cruciform, representing Christ on the Cross. The chancel leans slightly to one side, as does Christ's head on the cross.
Norwich Cathedral
This very fine example of early medieval architecture stands in the heart of the City. Norwich Cathedral (or the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy and Undivided Trinity) boasts many treasures from the Bishop's Throne, high above the Eastern Apse to superb stained glass, an amazing collection of roof bosses in the cathedral building itself and in the cloisters and much more. Like the Catholic Cathedral it is well worth a visit and is a haven of calm in a busy city.
Architecture
The ground plan is almost unchanged from the Romanesque original, with fourteen bays making up an unusually long aisle. One feature to watch for is the shape of the radiating chapels, which consist of two intersecting segments of a circle. Two of the chapels here also postdate the original building, the Bauchon Chapel dating from 1329 and St Catherine's Chapel from about 1375. About a hundred years later, the 315 foot spire was added - among the English cathedrals, only Salisbury's is bigger. Norwich comes second only to Salisbury in the size of its cloisters, too. These date from the 13th to 15th century - work was slowed down by financial problems and the arrival of the Black Death in 1349.
Treasures
The Bishop's Throne high up in the eastern apse, is of exceptional interest. The wooden structure of 1960 is set against fragments of medieval stone which appear to be older than the Cathedral itself. The surfaces of these stones show signs of weathering and the evidence suggests that this occurred before the stones were set up in the present Cathedral; they may have come originally from the Anglo-Saxon Cathedral at North Elmham, although there is no conclusive proof from the evidence now available. It is not an unreasonable conjecture, however, as the transfer of the throne would have been a good means of expressing the continuity of the East Anglia See as it moved again this time to Norwich. (The throne or 'cathedra', which is the seat of the Bishop, gives a cathedral its distinctive name.)
New stained glass by John Hayward and Keith New has been installed in The North Transept. The glass is designed as a collage of sections augmented by some newly painted glass. The oldest glass in The Cathedral is in the ambulatory, some dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, although this cathedral was not its original location. The huge west window dates from 1854 and was thoroughly cleaned in 1995.
Finally, the Seven Sacraments Font in St. Luke's chapel is a beautiful example of a type of font popular in East Anglia in the 15th century. There are only two in other areas, but 38 in Norfolk and Suffolk. The scenes carved round the octagonal bowl are Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination, Holy Communion, Marriage, Unction of the Dying - then a Crucifixion to fill the eighth space and Penance. The "Seven Sacraments" font originates from the parish church of St Mary-in-the-Marsh, which was demolished in 1564. The parishioners were given use of St. Luke's Chapel, where they still worship.
Round Tower Churches
East Anglia is well known for its round tower churches, and Norfolk alone has over 120 of these, which are often over 1000 years old. Although there are many myths about the origins of round tower churches, including the towers as old wells and pagan sites, one more plausible explanation is due to a shortage of building materials in the area. The traditional Norfolk building stone of flint was too small and expensive to form strengthend corner block, so rounded towers were more affordable for congregations. Later the costly technique of flint knapping was used on such buildings as St. Andrew's Hall in Norwich.
Here we take a look at two of the more traditional of the Round Towered Churches in Norfolk. West Lexham and South Pickenham are home to St. Nicholas and All Saints Round Towered Churches.
St. Nicholas Round Tower Church
You don't have to go far off of the busy Swaffham to Fakenham road to find a Norfolk as quiet as anywhere; particularly here, where the chalklands become high Norfolk. St. Nicholas is barely a mile from the road, but it is sunk deep into a peaceful torpor, an ancient tower on an ancient site, only birdsong for company - that, and the two mad little dogs in the garden of the cottage by the entrance.
St Nicholas was almost entirely rebuilt during the last quarter of the 19th century; to all intents and purposes, this is a Victorian church against a tower which is late Saxon. In the 1990s, the tower was found to be collapsing, and so metal bands and staples have been applied to hold it together, and the whole lot cemented over. St Nicholas may not have the atmosphere of neighbouring East Lexham or Newton-by-Castle-Acre, but it shares with both those churches the conviction that this was a place of the ordinary people, not of big landed families. Even the restoration and 20th century additions like the fondly-carved alms box show that, and it was a blessing to be here.
All Saints Round Tower Church
We are roughly halfway between Watton and Swaffham here, which are hardly East Anglia's most urban towns by any measure. Out here, the lanes meander as if they have no particular business to attend to, and near a junction with the main road sits this endearingly lovely church. All Saints feels like something that was built from the ground up by people who knew they were the land's before the land was theirs.
The rebuilt tower arch inside still reveals this Norman tower, despite its pretty late medieval crown. With the body of the church tucked in behind it, the tower puffs out its chest like a proud-hearted lion. The nave roof is very unusual, the braces hanging beneath the beams before rising to lift the roof, it boasts a very strange effect.
The interior has an intensely rural feel, simple furnishings doing the jobs they've done for generations, and this would be little more than a charming rural space if it not for the fact that it contains one of the great East Anglian art treasures of the 19th century. This is the organ which Augustus Pugin built for West Tofts - it is an extraordinary sight in the gallery here, where you might expect to see the village band or perhaps a crowd of workhouse children. Needless to say it still plays a perfect note!
More Norfolk Churches
Take a look at some of the other churches found throughout Norfolk:
Browse Norfolk churches
Exploring Norfolk's churches by boat
Many of Norfolk's churches are easy to explore if you're on a boating holiday in Norfolk, and there are plenty within walking distances of Broadland staithes.
Why not download the Broads & Rivers Church Staithe Guide PDF from the Broads Open Churches project, or take a look at Churches Together on the Broads churches near staithes page which also details Sunday service times.
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