St Mary in the Marsh

So this church has illuded me for some time. I think half of the problem was the fact that the church no longer existed having been demolished in the 1500s, as I expected to see some trace of it in the form of ruins or small flint wall sections however there was no trace of this church. 

Some information about this church had come to my attention and so I discussed it with a couple of my friends and on many occassions we looked over the information about the church and its location to see if we could determine the location with respect to the current buildings.

The information I had come across narrowed down our search to the cathedral close as we had found out that the Church of St Mary in the Marsh had been the parish church for the cathedral close or precinct as it would have been known. The church was used constantly and had been extended and rebuilt over the years until in 1564 it was closed and demolished at which point the materials were sold off. However on the plaque in the cathedral close it says that the church was not demolished until 1775. I ponder that this may have been when the final traces of the building were removed.

However the story does not end there and the parish of St Mary in the Marsh continued after this time and still continues to this day. Rather than redrawing parish boundaries after the church was closed, the bishop of Norwich gave permission for one of the side chapels of the cathedral could be used as the parish church instead. The other interesting point about this is that the font from the church was brought over to the new location and still sits in St Luke's chapel at Norwich cathedral.

Well to finish this post off I can say that during a stroll about looking for more forgotten histories, I came across a plaque within the upper close of the Cathedral displaying the location of the church. This I have to say made me very happy. I had finally found the location of the church I had been searching for, for several months. To my annoyance though, I suddenly realised I had strolled past this plaque several time in search of the site. As they say you find things when you are not looking for them!

Weeting Castle

Weeting castle. An interesting site accessed from a main road. Well you are directed by signs from the main road at a junction near to Brandon. It leads to a small housing estate with old styled housing and cottages on one side of the road and box style bungalows on the other. Following the sign posts it appears that you are working deeper and deeper into the housing estate until one sign points to a dirt track down beside some bungalows.

Following the track you eventually reach a small area of parking with banks on either side. One side leading to the back gardens of the housing estate and the other up to the grounds of the castle.

I walked up the steps to a gate which opened onto a grass path lined or flanked by a black metal fence guiding you down to the ruined structure of Weeting Castle. Not much is left of the structure apart from one end wall of the great hall, some low level walls of other parts of the building and what appears to be a fully intacted ice house.

Some history

Lets jump back to about 1180 when Weeting Castle was originally built. It is recorded that it was the home of the de Plais family who inhabited the castle up to about the late 14th century. It was later abandoned by the Howards who were the Earls of Norfolk. It came to their possession through marriage.

There are many similarities to be found in the remains of Weeting Castle with that of Castle Acre. While it is named Weeting Castle, there is no evidence to suggest that it was ever fortified and it is believed that the moat that once surrounded the site was added in the mid 13th century was merely an ornamental feature designed to show the wealth and power of the de Plais family.

On the site a fairly intacted ice house can be found which was added to the site during the construction of Weeting Hall, which has, unfortunately, since been demolished.

Evidence of the site having been occupied since the Saxon period has been found in the form of pottery, burnt daub and post holes.

My visit to Weeting Castle 

I walked around the site to take in the overall scale of it. One wall almost reaches full height. The earthworks showing the fortifications of the site. The moat, now dry in most parts, still clearly visible encircling the compound. 

While called Weeting Castle, this building was not a castleas we think of them. Weeting Castle was a manor house.

I wandered around the grounds of the castle and came across the ice house. The brick edged doorway now filled with a black metal gate stopping you falling into the pit in which the ice was stored. Unfortunately it is no longer filled with ice but people's waste that they discard there using it like a waste paper bin. 

While it is not a huge castle or site I enjoyed my wander around. It was fairly quiet the day I went, coming across maybe one or two groups of three people. Like myself they were enjoying their wander.

Definitelyworth visiting and once I have finished my adventures around sites I haven't yet visited or explored I shall return one day to visit it again.

Background history information adapted from information available at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/weeting-castle/history/

 

The Mill, Lyng

The Mill and Mill house stood on the banks of and over the river Wensum upstream from Norwich about 14 miles out. There isn't much left of the mill itself apart from the water course used to channel the water in such a way as to utilise it and harness the mechanical power it created. Originally it was built in the 1400s as a flour mill but was later converted to be both a flour and paper mill. Records indicate that it also ground corn on occassions.

The mill was badly damaged in 1832 due to riots. It was at this point that it was rebuilt and was configured with two iron wheels, one of which was used to power the flour mill and the other to run the paper mill.

As mentioned above there is very little left of the mill itself apart from the watercourse. Watching the water tumble down was very calming and tranquil. It was a beautifully sunny day which made the site even more mesmorising. The sun reflecting off the water's surface glistening like the sunlight catching the ribbon of a spider's web.

I stood on the bank of the river watching the water bubble past meon it's journey towards Norwich. I was in awe of how clean the water looked. I could see the bottom of the river channel it was that clear. I stood for a few moments longer listening to the trickling water and the wildlife ignoring me and carrying on with its everyday business.

During my visit there, several other people either walked, cycled or drove past. Some of them stopped to admire the beauty of the site like myself. Some of them commented on its beauty.

I would visit the site again and definitely recommend others to visit it as well. There is enough space on the opposite side of the bridge to the mill, where you can sit and relax either on the ground or on some picnic chairs. While there were a few others go past it was not a very busy road and it is therefore very peaceful. A beautiful little corner of countryside that I stumbled upon.

 

Cathedral of the fields

So it has been over 2 years and 1 month since I last updated the blog so I felt it was about time I did something and add new content. And what better way to kick start the blog again than to introduce you to the Cathedral of the Fields.

The church in question does not hold cathedral status currently and neither has it done in the past, however it gets its nickname from the grand architecture it displays both inside and outside the building.

So what is it actually called?

Well this church is St Michael the archangel and is located at Booton in Norfolk. Only a couple of miles across the fields as the crow flies from Reepham.

A brief history

There has been a church on the site since the medieval period but was remodelled during the 19th century by Reverend Whitwell Elwin. He was not only the parish vicar but also the designer for the new church.

Some of the original features of the building still exist such as the former west wall however they cannot be seen as they have been encased and covered with flint from Elwin's later remodelling. The guidebook, which costs approx. £3 and is available at the church, suggests that several features of the church have been borrowed from other churches or cathedrals from around the country. For example one that is discussed in the guidebook and at Norfolk Churches website (http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/booton/booton.htm) is that of the nave windows. Their design is similar to that of the nave windows at Temple Balsall. Another feature is the west door which can be compared to that of Glastonbury Abbey. The towers, however are fairly unique in design and cannot be compared to any other building within the UK, apart from the minaret-esque slender tower at the west end which rises up above the window falling slightly short in height or its brother tower standing proud either side of it.

Having wandered around inside looking at the various features it had to offer such at the roof, I wandered around the outside of the building. Nothing impressed me more than the priests door, deeply resessed in the wall with grand carved arches surrounding it. The niche above the door, which would have once held a sculpture of an important figure in Christendom, however it is believed that no such sculpture was installed.

While the building is still consecrated and could be used for worship, it is not actively used and is currently under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust.

My Final View

I have visited the site before but never took photos so I am pleased I have visited again and have taken some photos this time around. It is a beautiful church both inside and out with many interesting features to explore. It is well worth a visit to be immersed in such beauty of the church and the countryside around it and to witness how peaceful the location is.

Many thanks goes to Simon Knott of Norfolk Churches for the the background information and reading. Some information contained within this entry has been adapted from material by Simon Knott at http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/booton/booton.htm.

 

All photos displayed on this site unless otherwise stated have been taken by me and copyright belongs to myself.