View the remarkable ‘Memento Mori’ panels of a surviving medieval rood screen at St Mary's in Sparham
Experience St Botolph’s Church in Trunch, with its beautiful 15th century hammerbeam roof alongside fine medieval misericords and a stunning font canopy
Appreciate the stained glass at Bale alongside fascinating murals at Wickhampton and Hemblington
“This trip far exceeded my expectations, and I came away wanting to learn more”
– ACE customer on the 2024 Churches of Norfolk tour with Imogen Corrigan
Around one thousand medieval churches once stood in Norfolk, and over six hundred and fifty remain – the largest concentration anywhere in the world. Rising above the gently rolling landscape, they survive from the time when East Anglia was the economic heartland of late medieval England, prospering from the wool trade, the wealth of its great landed families and its thriving coastal port.
John Betjeman famously mused that “lovers of Norfolk churches can never agree which is the best and I think one is either a Salle or a Cawston man”. These represent two of Norfolk’s most spectacularly vast church buildings, but our exploration of the religious architecture, art and iconography of the Middle Ages will also encompass some smaller and lesser-known examples, many housing unexpected treasures.
We shall delve into the various media for church art, from misericords and woodcarving to wonderful stained glass at Bale, and fascinating murals at Wickhampton and Hemblington. St Botolph’s in Trunch presents a stunning collection of features, from its beautiful 15th century hammerbeam roof to its superb oak font canopy, one of only four of its kind in England.
Also included will be the much-maligned doodling of the medieval graffiti artist, as seen at St Margaret’s in Cley, the grandest of the four churches that stood at the great harbour mouth of Blakeney Haven. Particular highlights will be those treasures that elucidate the rich pre-Reformation sacramental life of England’s parish churches, such as the splendid rood screens at Cawston and at Ranworth, where the 26 painted saints panels represent one of the great survivals of English medieval art.
We will stay throughout at the Park Farm Hotel & Leisure, Hethersett, a four-star establishment set in beautiful countryside a few miles outside Norwich.
Imogen Corrigan
Imogen is a proficient lecturer on medieval history, particularly church art and architecture, and accredited with the Arts Society.
Tour Director Imogen Corrigan, BA, MPhil, FRHistS, FRSA, spent nearly 20 years in the British Army and retired with the rank of Major before turning to a life-long interest in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval History, which she studied at the University of Kent. A proficient lecturer on medieval history, particularly church art and architecture, and accredited with the Arts Society, Imogen has also gained an MPhil from the University of Birmingham. Her book Stone on Stone: The Men Who Built the Cathedrals was published in 2019, and The Green Man: Myth & Reality was published in 2025. In 2022 Imogen was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Imogen is the Memorials and Monuments Specialist for the Diocesan Advisory Committee for Canterbury.
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