Panxworth Church

During a drive one afternoon I stumbled across this little church. I decided to go and investigate and found it to be a pleasant little site.

The church at Panxworth is in a ruinous state today yet has only been this way since around 1986. Today just the tower stands which has recently been renovated with new pointing around the flint work of the tower. The nave of the church has since been demolished. It is very easy to see that this church was very small with the nave being up to 50ft long. It is sad to see that this church has fallen into this state but it is also understandable that due to declining numbers of worshippers using churches, this building has become redundant.

There are a few grave stones still in the small church yard and it is fascinating to read them as it gives a glimpse and an insight into the people that lived and worshipped at this church while it was in use.

I found the site very peaceful even though it was very close to the road and surrounded by fields that are worked as arable land. I am also very pleased to see that this church while in a ruined state is still be cared for and protected for future generations to visit.

Caistor on Sea Roman Fort

I visited Casitor On Sea or Gariannonum during a cold and windy February. Having driven past it several time I thought it was time I stopped and visited the site to see what remained of the once large short fort that protected the estuary here along with it's sister fort at Burgh Castle.

Built in AD 200 it once housed a unit of Roman soldiers and sailors and was in use up to the 4th century. There is evidence of some Roman buildings within the large fort wall where the deep defensive ditch and earth rampart are evident. Along with the remains of the buildings a road can be seen and has been partial excavated. It is believed this road was built down to a bay on the estuary which would have been used for landing and transporting goods up to the fort. The estuary has long since silted up and forms the land mass on which the town of Great Yarmouth sits.

Only part of the fort can be seen by visitors today with the rest buried under modern housing that flanks the square fort on all sides. Within the fort the low level walls of a house are seen and evidence of the fine living Romans experienced are still visible in the form of the hypocaust or the under floor heating ducts.

As I wandered around the open site, I noticed how big this fort would have been in it's heyday. The Romans would have considered this to be an important area in their empire to have such a large and grand fort built here. It is a testament to their engineering and building skills that this fort while only a fraction survives is still visible to us today.

I would recommend a visit to this site to experience it first hand and combine it with a visit to the sister fort over at Burgh Castle and the many historical sites in Great Yarmouth. If you have the time, head over to the Time and Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth which gives a detailed insight into life in medieval Yarmouth and tells the tale of the town fishing history but also has exhibits on the Roman and Saxon activity in this area.

Background research and reading credited to English Heritage available at www.english-heritage.org.uk

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Thetford

The ruins of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Thetford are the only remains of this order in the country. During the medieval period there were six such houses in the country. The priory, followed an order with origins in Jerusalem whose purpose was to aid pilgrims who wished to visit the tomb of Christ.

The priory was founded in 1148 by William de Warenne, who also founded the Cluniac community at Castle Acre.

The community at Thetford was never very wealthy and at it's height was home to just eight canons.

The community fell victim to the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 at which time it was converted and used a barn, evidence of which can still be seen today in the form of a bricked up door way set in the south wall.

The priory site now

Very little is left of the complex today apart from the walls of the nave some of which are almost at roof height. The rest of the complex was demolished. The ruins are grade 1 listed.

My feelings

As I wandered around this small site I got a pleasant feeling of how this once small community felt how they were doing the work of God through providing assistance to pilgrims. From what is left of the complex it is also easy to see how this was never a very wealthy monastery as the over size of the building is very small yet this did not deter from the work they conducted.

Information on this page has been adapted from information available at www.english-heritage.org.uk

Thetford Priory Gatehouse

I have visited the priory at Thetford once before back in September 2013 and have made an entry about it which you can read here. 

During my initial visit I noticed a small gate to one side of the site near to the nave of the priory buildings. The gate which was padlocked shut, was set into a low wire fence and had a little signed saying 'This way to the gatehouse' painted on it. I wanted to investigate on my first visit but as mentioned above it was unfortunately locked shut.

However during my second visit a couple of weeks ago I found the gate to be unlocked. This time I noticed a second sign informing me that the pathway was open to visitors to the gatehouse, but no exit from the site could be made this way. I noticed as I walked along the path that I was in fact walking through the front garden of 'Abbey House' which is a private residence. I was greeted by a dog and a gentleman who said hello and not to worry about the dog, she is very friendly really. I thanked him and said hello in return. He went on about his business in his garden. 

I approached the gatehouse and was pleased that I had plucked up the courage to walk through, even though I had permission to be there I felt as though I was being intrusive.

The gatehouse today is a grade 1 listed ruin and is still fairly intact yet is missing some of its features such as inner walls, floors and roof. It is clear to see from the flint work and stone dressings that this gatehouse was a grand building and would have provided a impressive entrance to visitors and impressive sight to those who lived in the town. The upper levels of which the gatehouse had two, were used to receive rents. These floors were accessible using the staircase located in one of the buttresses. Evidence of the stairs is visible even though the stairs have seen eroded away.

While most of the priory precinct wall has disappeared or been demolished some still remains and evidence of a barn can be seen on the outside of the gatehouse in the form of a V which formed the joint with the barn roof.

I would recommend a visit to the priory and to the gatehouse as even though the gatehouse is mainly a shell now it is still an impressive sight to behold and will have you in awe over how the medieval craftsman ship created a lasting building almost 800 years on.

Background information and reading credited to English Heritage available at www.english-heritage.org.uk