Thoughts From Just Another Passer By

In inappropriate foot wear and ignoring the lure of the Roughton Fish Shop , I ventured past the end of the playfield and found the beginnings of a footpath over a small bridge leading to a small patch of trees and what could be the last uncut field of corn in these parts. This small pathway was also green - unusual in the North of Norfolk with the ongoing warmer weather.  As I walked the hidden path to Church number Seven, I did wonder - partially as I had also been listening to Manda Scott's 'Boudica' series  - how much our local landscape would have changed in the last millennium. Would the copse of trees be morec copious than the surrounding of the of Roughton's Church now? Whilst the area likely had farms ( the name meaning rough farm or rye farm ) are the extensive as the fields today - clearly not as agricultural practices have certainly changed. Further to that as I took the road less travelled - well footpath - this church is upon the main thoroughfare to Crome...

A suprise trip to Reepham in my lunch hour did not leave me put out at all when I found myself welcomed into a prayer within the Porch of St. Mary's. This was not the only suprise as whilst I knew Reepham had a Church or two at least (one Anglican and the Methodist which is a delight to preach in further through the town), the Anglican Parish grounds actually hosts the walls of three Churches! This church clearly has captured my heart as I have sat typing and exploring books and online for the last few hours and not greatly delved into the stained glass, how the churches our now joined through expansion, the unusal placement of the church tower that is also the Vesty and has the most amazing door (photo of really old door a long way below) - I may have to go back and do a Church 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 part 2! As ever the local churches are a wealth of information regarding there history and the lovely pamphlet and 'Reepham and the Shared Churchyard' by N. W. Groves and illustrated ...

 Sunday came and whilst I thought about doing more exploring, there was only one church I was going to.  My own for Worship. Todays service was also Holy Communion, a celebration of a succesful Strawberry Tea and Week Three in the book of Philippians for the Circuit bible month.  My amazing Chapel is different from the others so far featured in that it is of the Methodist Tradition - I feel I should say other denominations are avialable. One of course could suggest that Methodism really is a funny cousin of Anglicanism given that its principal leader remained a life-long Anglican but thats a conversation for tea and biscuits some other time.  This Rural Chapel (very rural Chapel) does not remind people to turn their phones to silent on Sunday as there is no signal. It shares the space with Gresham All Saint's and therefor the excitement of finding out that Gresham had a castle, windmill and watermill applies very much to this post as well. The afternoon service is we...

   Having visited two churches and a Strawberry tea, I had a new mission. One with grave consequences if not fulfilled to the utmost! I needed to by cat food for my moody cat Archie. So a trip from Gresham to the centre of the universe and local commerce - Cromer - was required. On my way having skirted around numerous Anglian Water Workers - working jolly hard by the number of times I subsequently saw them - I routed past a Church on a Hill. St John the Baptist at Aylmerton.  Turning off to the car park prior to being blocked in by Anglian Water briefly - told you they were busy - I carefully climbed the beautifully viewed incline to this delightfully bright church. This Church has a wonderfully produced leaflet prepared by William Bestelink in 2025, some of the information shared here is from this publication.  As ever, please note this blog is the combination of my scrawled notes, further research and reflection once home and are my own views and not that of the c...

  After a enojying a strawberrty tea and fellowship with freinds from church I hopped across from the Village Hall to my First Round Tower of this adventure - both on Saturday and of the wider exploration of Churches.  This beautiful Flint building has one section partially rendered - potentialy reminiscent of the likley state of this churches early beginning. Stone being expensive and this being an easy adaptation to smarten up a building. Today the flint is a wonderful reminder of our local history and a way of spotting the growth, expansion, development, heriatge and legacy of building. One might wonder if Matt Redman song 'Heart of Worship' here to would apply:  "When the music fades, All is stripped away, And I simply come. Longin' just to bring, Something that's of worth, That will bless Your heart. I'll bring You more than a song, For a song in itself, Is not what You have required. You search much deeper within, Through the ways things appear, You'r...

  On a busy Saturday, I hopped around 3 churches and Gresham Methodist Church's Strawberry tea.  Armed with my newly acquired 'The Church Explorers Handbook' by Clive Fewins, OS Explorer 252, Notebook, Pen and Cherry Cola, I finally pulled over at St Andrew, Metton. This is a church I pass on the way to my own worship on a Sunday Afternoon, and on more than one occasion have turned around to avoid localised flooding.  The church is in itself so welcoming, in a popular walking area it offers - for a suggested donation - water and biscuit bars. It has a well stocked book stall, and a wonderful set of benches to rest weary feet or to recover from nearly spilling all of the cherry cola.  Metton itself is a small village in the North of Norfolk, noted in the Domesday Book as having 8.5 households with the primary occupation being that of working the land. Possibly the the origin of it's name (meadow/mowing settlement). My handy Church explorers guide needn't be the thing...