Ruined Churches in Norfolk
| Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:52 Evelyn |
     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. In the centuries to follow, however, depopulation as well as changes in settlement patterns resulted in the abandonment of many parish churches which became ruinous as a consequence. During the 20th century further depopulation of rural areas in combination with an increasingly secular society led to a decline in congregation numbers and to redundancy of another wave of churches. When parishes are struggling to support repair and maintenance costs, their church is more often than not closed.                                                                |
|---|---|
| Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:35 Tiger |
      |
| Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43 Dace83 |
 The remains of St Bartholomew's church  St Ethelbert church (remains of) |
