Medieval Churches in Norfolk
| Wed, 4 Jun 2008 12:51 Evelyn |
Medieval Churches in Norfolk :: 1     With its more than 800 medieval places of worship Norfolk has more churches than there are in the whole rest of Great Britain; 125 of the 185 surviving examples of round tower churches in the country can also be found in Norfolk, predominantly built of knapped flint, in areas lacking normal building stone. Churches are often located on pre-Christian sites of worship and they are almost always oriented so that the main altar faces Jerusalem, i.e. is situated on the east end, with the layout of graves in adjoining churchyards following suit. The medieval church dominated everybody's life: peasant farmers worked for free on church land and paid 10 percent of their earnings, either in money or in goods produced, to the church in return. The parishioners were responsible for the upkeep of the nave, which was their domain, whereas the chancel belonged to the priest. This explains why a number of churches have a chancel built of carefully squared stone and a nave constructed with locally available and cheaper flint. Despite many changes effected during the Reformation, resulting in redundancies and ruination but often followed by extensive repair and restoration work several centuries later, these churches still house a number of medieval survivals. Many are kept open and offer information detailing their history and architectural features. Recommended literature: The Buildings of England: Norfolk 1, Norwich and North-East The Buildings of England: Norfolk 2, North-West and South by Nikolaus Pevsner & Bill Wilson, Yale University Press 1999/2002, ISBN 0-300-09607-0 The Guide to Norfolk Churches by By D.P. Mortlock & C.V. Roberts, Lutterworth Press 2007, ISBN 978-07188-3064-9 The best online information can be found at The Norfolk Churches Site > http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/mainpage.htm The following is only a small selection. Please add your own if you wish; ideally contributions should be images that provide information in description.                                                        |
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| Wed, 4 Jun 2008 12:59 Evelyn |
Medieval Churches in Norfolk :: 2                                                            |
| Wed, 4 Jun 2008 13:19 Evelyn |
Medieval Churches in Norfolk :: 3                                                           |
| Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:41 Evelyn |
Medieval Churches in Norfolk :: 4                                                            |
