Churches of Norfolk : Round Towers

Churches of Norfolk : Round Towers

Acle Round Tower Church

With one of its pinnacles said to be dedicated to St. Edmund, the King of East Anglia during the ninth century, this splendid Norfolk round tower church stands aloof and dominates the centre of Acle, with the main road passing around it on the south and the east side. And what a magnificent sight it is too! With its dramatic Saxon round tower (the battlements were added later) and reed-thatched nave and slate-roofed chorus (cantoram) making it quite unique, undoubtedly, then, a Saxon past, but maybe its foundations go back 200 years or so earlier.

The Font is early 15th century. The building has been added to many times and is made from reclaimed materials; flint and medieval brick. The thatch is local Norfolk style. It also has many geometric tracery windows.

Acle Church

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Aylmerton, St John the Baptist

To truly appreciate this pretty north Norfolk round tower church that is only yards from the road, you must first find a place to park and then climb a steep path that leads direct from the narrow winding road that passes through the small scattered Norfolk hamlet of Aylmerton. Easily missable as you try to work out your route home, even if just a few miles south of Sheringham.

Like most if its type, the battlements were added later. There are also signs of much additional work to the Saxon faced flint tower too, perhaps only ongoing repairs, or possibly added building work to further elevate the round tower as funds permitted. Whatever is the case, it is easy to see the join marks of different workmen and materials on at least two separate levels of the original tower, evidence of some form of added or repaired building work carried out over the ages.

It's interesting to note that within the graveyard can be found some early 18th century gravestones (memorials), one at least depicting Eternity (a snake devouring its own tail). Unfortunately, inside the church the font is not original, though it may be that the original was moved elsewhere as so often happened as churches went into decline or as villages became more sparse in population, or became poorer, or patrons became less focused on preaching the Bible.

Aylmerton, St John the Baptist

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Bessingham, St Andrew

You would have to travel very deep into the most minor of rural north Norfolk roads to chance upon Bessingham's unique round tower church, as it is by no means on or near any busy road, nor on the way to any Norfolk town. Bessingham's round tower church therefore looms unexpectedly, most often when you are lost, and due to the local untamed network of small roads, more often than not will feature more than once on your journey if you happen to get lost in this area, or perhaps following a modern satnav system. Placed on high ground with few features other than ancient trees, Bessinham Church does indeed offer much more for those that take the time to park up and take a closer look at its uniqueness.

What makes Bessingham Church most special in this area and of its type, is the material it was constructed from, not the normal flint, medieval brick or rubble, but from carstone - a yellowish, limey building material found in the west of Norfolk only, and used as the primary building material in very few Churches. It's also very interesting to see how other materials were used as the tower construction grew over the years, culminating in Saxon detail to rival any Church of its age in the region.

Bessingham church was open at the time I visited despite its remote location, and was very well worth the visit. I hope you enjoy these pictures - they better illustrate the magic of such beautiful Norfolk Round Tower historic churches.

Bessingham, St Andrew

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Bawburgh, St Mary and St Walston

Not only is the village of Bawburgh difficult to find nowadays, cut off by the southern Norwich Bypass, but you will also need to travel up a tarmacked dead end road leading to a lane to find this, one of Norfolk’s most delightful round tower churches. Like so many Norfolk churches it was locked, so I did not get a chance to look inside. But this did not distract from the feeling of a very well kept and cared for church with trees, plants and magnificent shrubs to rival any stately home. Indeed Bawburgh Church was one of the most delightful Norfolk churches that I visited that summer.

Bawburgh Church boasts crow-stepped gables, many varied tracery windows, a magnificent porch and a blend of so many centuries-old building styles, including semi-knapped flint, medieval brick, rubble, slate and Norfolk red tiles to mention but a few. Plus many small remains of medieval stained glass, depicting local historic stories including the legend of St Walston, revered by farmers in the 11th century, whose shrine was ultimately destroyed in the reformation, and others including St Barbara and Philip Tennyson. To learn more, a visit to local Bawburgh web sites is well worth your time.

Bawburgh, St Mary
and St Walston

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Bexwell, St Mary's

The remote village of Bexwell lies east of Downham Market deep in the agricutlural lands of West Norfolk along a strip of land known as the Carstone belt, an area that cuts across Norfolk that yields up the Carstone that this 12th century Church was mainly built from.

Bexwell Round Tower church sits alone on a raised green grassy mound, and boasts a superbly detailed Norman bell tower below the late battlemented medieval Octagon Tower. Note the ring of ten blocked lancets still visible in the upper part of the original tower (similar to West Dereham and Haddiscoe). Other more severe alterations to be seen are mostly 19th century when the church underwent extensive modernisation. If you follow the path around the mound for approx 100 meters, you come across a striking medieval barn that was probably part of the Bexwell Hall estate or perhaps even the original more ancient gatehouse.

There are many varied and intersecting tracery window styles ranging from geometrical double splay to reticulated, which, although all quite different, add a superb gothic feel to the church. It's also noticeable that the Carstone workings closer to ground level are for more random in size and shape than the upper stages of the building. Most noticeable on the Chancel walls there are small remains of stained glass in the Norman North window.

Inside Bexwell Church you can find a Victorian Pulpit, Alabaster relief of Christ and the Cross, a 17th century Octagonal Font, a Marble tablet and a 17th century memorial to Henry Bexwell, and outside there can be seen family tombs/vaults with intricate Victorian ironwork surrounds.

The Church is in fine condition, access is not a problem and the key holder is just opposite if you find the church is locked, either way it is well worth a visit.

Bexwell, St Mary's

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Brandiston, St. Nicholas

Brants (belonging to 'Thane' Brant). Plus Tun (enclosure or farm)

Brandiston is a very very small Norfolk village, just a stone's throw from Haveringland. Famed as a second world war American bomber air base, the church, which now has no patronage or regular services, not seemingly an issue, as, once found, it is an absolute delight. I recall when I visited this church, it was hiding in a farmyard and I wondered if it was ok to visit, thankfully, not only was the church completely accessible, but it was also open and is very well kept even though it is now mostly redundant.

The original Norman round tower has been added to, but, unlike so many other Norfolk churches, although it is of octagon design it has no battlements and is made of flint unlike the many that are of brick. The roof is of Norfolk tile, and the body of the church is Norfolk flint with some very fine napped flint featured in the buttresses. Many Victorian alterations are obvious, and the chancel has been lost and is now bricked up. There are many interesting features but little remaining original stained glass.

Brandiston is about 4 miles from Aylsham and 2 miles from Cawston and edges the north of Haveringland's old WW2 airfield.

Brandiston, St. Nicholas

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Brampton, St Peter

The village of Brampton lies just a few miles south-east of Aylsham, along the course of the River Bure. Brampton is not located on any main road but can be found just off the B road out of Aylsham, which heads for Buxton. Many Roman artifacts have been found not far from the church, as Brampton was an important town for Roman settlers in the 1st century.

If you think Brampton is difficult to find, then the Church itself is still harder, located about a half mile along a very small insignificant winding village road that not only goes to nowhere, but eventually disappears into a farmyard, and then low-lying meadows edging the village of Burgh and the River Bure. That said, once you reach this pretty little round tower church you will soon come to realize that it offers one of the most picturesque landscape views of unspoilt Norfolk the eye can see, and is very much worth the effort.

Brampton round tower church has undergone many restorations and re-developments in its time, and retains little of its original design, for example, the original nave and south aisle are now as one, and the 15th century battlemented tower was added to the original Norman round tower. The original building is of knapped flint and original rough-laid flint, as well as Roman slate with some medieval brick and rubble. Inside the church are magnificent effigies and shrouds of Robert and Isabel Brampton who died in the 15th century, and some very well kept brasses.

A close look at the masonry work within this church will show just how many alterations must have been carried out over the years. A closer look at the buttresses shows some perfectly knapped flint stones that may indeed predate most of the other alterations, being structural, and are a true stamp of Norfolk's finest stone masons as this type of work can also be found on Norwich Guildhall and Bridewell museum, as well as other richly decorated important buildings of the city.

Like many round tower churches in Norfolk, Brampton's St Peters overlooks a River (the Bure) and its flood plain, and is believed to have been originally constructed as a look-out tower against invaders. Indeed, at the end of the 1st century, King Athelstone decreed that a 'Bell tower', was to be built by every 'Thane', so perhaps it was a good way of doing two jobs at once. New thinking regarding round towers is that with flint being Norfolk's most plentiful building material, corners were difficult to construct, so the round tower design was not only functional it was also easier to construct from local materials.

Brampton, St Peter

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