Drone Horizons

09/08/2024

Berney Arms Windmill Great Yarmouth

Berney Arms Windmill is a tower mill located at Berney Arms alongside the River Yare at the south-western end of Breydon Water in the English county of Norfolk. The windmill is in an isolated spot in The Broads around 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of the village of Reedham and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Great Yarmouth. The mill has no road access but can be accessed by boat, by foot or from Berney Arms railway station. It is a scheduled monument under the care of English Heritage. The windmill is 21.5 metres (71 ft) tall and is the tallest drainage windmill in Norfolk. It is constructed from red brickwork with the outside sloping walls coated with tar. The mill tower stands seven storeys high. The cap resembles an upturned clinker boat hull and is a traditional style for Norfolk. The windmill has four sails and a fantail. The mill's scoop wheel stands some way from the mill, which is unusual. The scoop wheel is linked to the mill by a horizontal shaft and has a diameter of 7.3 metres (24 ft), with long wooden paddles. The paddles scooped water into a narrow brick-built culvert and released it to the higher level of the River Yare.

Berney Arms Windmill is a tower mill located at Berney Arms alongside the River Yare at the south-western end of Breydon Water in the English county of Norfo...

01/08/2024

Hadleigh Castle Hadleigh Essex UK

Hadleigh Castle is a ruined fortification in the English county of Essex, overlooking the Thames Estuary from south of the town of Hadleigh. Built after 1215 during the reign of Henry III by Hubert de Burgh, the castle was surrounded by parkland and had an important economic and defensive role. The castle was significantly expanded and remodelled by Edward III, who turned it into a grander property, designed to defend against a potential French attack, as well as to provide the King with a convenient private residence close to London. Built on a soft hill of London clay, the castle has often been subject to subsidence; this, combined with the sale of its stonework in the 16th century, has led to it now being ruined. The remains are now preserved by English Heritage and protected under UK law as a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument.

Hadleigh Castle was first built by Hubert de Burgh, the 1st Earl of Kent, who was a key supporter of King John. De Burgh was given the honour of Rayleigh by John in 1215 as a reward for his services, but chose not to develop the existing caput of Rayleigh Castle, instead building a new fortification south of the town of Hadleigh. The exact date of construction is uncertain, but it is now believed the work was conducted early in de Burgh's tenure of the site, permission being retrospectively officially confirmed through a licence to crenellate in 1230 under Henry III.
The site was chosen on top of the South Essex south ridge, overlooking the Thames estuary, formed from generally soft deposits of London clay. In the 13th century, marshlands would have stretched away to the south of the castle, with the tide occasionally reaching up as far as the base of the hill itself, and the area would have been more wooded than today. By 1235 the park of Hadleigh had been formed around the castle, including woodland, a fishpond, stables and a park lodge, but the castle was also associated with a wider estate including Rayleigh, Thundersley and Eastwood Parks.

Hadleigh Castle is a ruined fortification in the English county of Essex, overlooking the Thames Estuary from south of the town of Hadleigh. Built after 1215...

26/07/2024

St Mary’s Church, Thornham Parva, Eye, Suffolk.

St Mary's Church is a medieval church in Thornham Parva, Suffolk, England. Much of the fabric dates from the 12th century, and it is a Grade I listed building. Originally the church served not only Thornham Parva but the neighbouring village of Thornham Magna, which is now a separate parish. A church on the site was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, and there are still traces of Anglo-Saxon stonework in the present building. The roof is thatched. Inside the building are early-14th-century wall paintings—on the south wall the early years of Christ and on the north wall the martyrdom of St Edmund. The church also houses a famous altarpiece, the Thornham Parva Retable, which is thought to have been created in the 1330s for a Dominican priory, probably Blackfriars, Thetford.
The architect Basil Spence died in 1976 at his home at Yaxley, Suffolk, and was buried at Thornham Parva. The graves of Dame Anne Warburton, the first female British ambassador, and the violinist, Frederick Grinke, also lie within the churchyard.

St Mary's Church is a medieval church in Thornham Parva, Suffolk, England. Much of the fabric dates from the 12th century, and it is a Grade I listed buildin...

19/07/2024

St Mary & St Michael’s Church Mistley, North Essex uk

The present village church is St Mary & St Michael's church which sits a few hundred yards outside the village on the estate the Rigby family at Mistley Hall. The church is an 18th century new church built at the Rigby family's expense and replaced the original St Mary's church which the remains lying almost a mile away to the southeast. The new church is built in the style of the early Decorated period using Kentish ragstone.

The present village church is St Mary & St Michael's church which sits a few hundred yards outside the village on the estate the Rigby family at Mistley Hall...

13/07/2024

St Mary Swilland Suffolk

Swilland is a village and civil parish, in the East Suffolk district, in the English county of Suffolk. It is north of the large town of Ipswich. Swilland has a church called St Mary's Church and a pub called The Moon & Mushroom Inn which has been awarded Suffolk Pub of The Year on two occasions by the Evening Star. Swilland shares a parish council with Witnesham called "Swilland and Witnesham Grouped Parish Council". Swilland takes its name from Old English with the meaning of 'Pig land', this is broken down into two parts with 'swīn' meaning a swine and 'land' standing for land or and estate.
Swilland is recorded in the Domesday Book as being a medium-sized village located in the Hundred of Claydon, made up of 13 households, consisting of 6 villagers, 6 smallholders and 1 slave. It is recorded that in 1066 the livestock of Swilland consisted of 60 sheep which increased to 1 cob, 8 cattle, 19 pigs and 100 sheep by 1086.
St Mary's church in Swilland was founded in the 11th century and is recorded to have graveyard. Records for church burials are recorded back as far as 1679. The Church of St Mary, Swilland is a grade II* listed building, listed on 16 March 1966. The church has a large tower with a lantern spire, this was designed by the Ipswich, John Shewell Corder. The church also lays claim to a Norman doorway as you enter the porch into the church.

Swilland is a village and civil parish, in the East Suffolk district, in the English county of Suffolk. It is north of the large town of Ipswich. Swilland ha...

05/07/2024

Orwell Bridge Suffolk

The Orwell Bridge is a concrete box girder bridge just south of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. Opened to road traffic in 1982, the bridge carries the A14 road (formerly the A45) over the River Orwell. The main span is 190 metres which, at the time of its construction, was the longest pre-stressed concrete span in use in the UK. The two spans adjacent to the main span are 106m, known as anchor spans. Most of the other spans are 59m. The total length is 1,287 metres from Wherstead to the site of the former Ipswich Airport. The width is 24 metres with an air draft of 43 metres; the bridge had to be at least 41 metres high. The approach roads were designed by CH Dobbie & Partners of Cardiff, later bought by Babtie, Shaw and Morton then Jacobs in 2004.
The bridge is constructed of a pair of continuous concrete box girders with expansion joints that allow for expansion and contraction. The girders are hollow, allowing for easier inspection, as well as providing access for services, including telecom, power, and a 711mm water main from the nearby Alton Water reservoir. The necessary inspections still cause major disruption to traffic every six years; during the inspection in the summer of 2005, the delays caused by lane closures and speed restrictions added between 30 and 60 minutes to journey times during the peak commuting periods.

The Orwell Bridge is a concrete box girder bridge just south of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. Opened to road traffic in 1982, the bridge carries the A14 road ...

22/06/2024

The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea.

The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea, is a Christian church dating from the years 660–662 and among the oldest largely intact churches in England. It is in regular use by the nearby Othona Community, in addition to Church of England services. It is a Grade I listed building.
According to Bede (who wrote his history in the early 8th century), a 'city' named Ythanceaster existed on the River Penta. The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall was almost certainly originally built by Bishop Cedd in 654. It was an Anglo-Celtic church for the East Saxons, set astride the ruins of the abandoned Roman fort of Othona. The current structure was most likely built around 654–662, incorporating the Roman bricks and stones. In 653 Cedd travelled south from Lindisfarne to spread Christianity at the behest of Sigeberht the Good, then King of the East Saxons, and, having been ordained as a bishop, returned the next year in order to build the chapel, and probably others too. Following the death of Cedd in October 664 from plague, the chapel became part of the Diocese of London.

The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea, is a Christian church dating from the years 660–662 and among the oldest largely intact churches in Engl...

18/06/2024

Bradwell-on-Sea Coastal Defence Barges

1986 11 old WW2 Barges were filled with concrete and sunk offshore to protect the salt marsh and sea wall from erosion along the Dengie peninsula Nr Bradwell on sea
Essex UK.

Bradwell on Sea Defence BargesIn 1986 11 old WW2 Barges were filled with concrete and sunk offshore to protect the salt marsh and sea wall from erosion along...

14/06/2024

Ipswich Town Football Club

Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, following successive promotions from the 2022–23 EFL League One and 2023–24 EFL Championship.
Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936; the club was elected to the Football League in 1938. Ipswich won the league title in 1961–62, their first season in the top flight, and finished runners-up in 1980–81 and 1981–82. They finished in the top six in the First Division for ten years, and won the FA Cup in 1978 and UEFA Cup in 1981. They have never lost at home in European competition, having defeated teams such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Barcelona.
Ipswich play their home games at Portman Road. They have a long-standing rivalry with Norwich City, against whom they contest the East Anglian derby. The club's traditional home colours are blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks.

Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of Engli...

06/06/2024

John Webb’s Windmill Thaxted Essex

John Webb’s or Lowe’s Mill is a Grade II* listed tower mill at Thaxted, Essex, England, which had been restored to working order, but is currently out of action following the loss of a sail in April 2010. The windmill was built in 1804 for John Webb, a local farmer and landowner, to satisfy the increasing demand for flour both locally and in London. It was constructed using local materials, with timber from two local farms and bricks made at a nearby location in the Chelmer Valley also owned by John Webb.
The mill was always worked by millers named Lowe or John Webb, thus gaining its names. The mill was last worked commercially in 1910. The mill was disused for over twenty years until the Thaxted Civic Trust carried out essential repairs and made the structure waterproof. The lower floors were used as a scout hut. The mill passed into the ownership of Thaxted Parish Council in the 1950s. The Thaxted Society, formed in 1964, has been instrumental in the restoration of the mill to full working order.
In 2004, the cap and sails were removed to enable repairs to the brickwork at the top of the tower. The repairs were completed by the end of the year. The mill was officially reopened on 8 April 2005 by Lord Petre. On 5 April 2010, the stock of one pair of sails broke, and the sail crashed to the ground, damaging the stage as it fell. There were no injuries among the six or seven visitors in the mill at the time. On the ground and first floors there is a rural museum containing agricultural artifacts.

John Webb’s or Lowe’s Mill is a Grade II* listed tower mill at Thaxted, Essex, England, which had been restored to working order, but is currently out of ac...

31/05/2024

St Mary’s Church Wherstead Suffolk

Wherstead is a village and a civil parish located in the county of Suffolk, England. Wherstead village lies 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Ipswich on the Shotley peninsula. It is in the Belstead Brook electoral division of Suffolk County Council.

The Church of St Mary, Wherstead, is an Anglican church situated on a hill top site occupied by a church since 1086. It is currently managed by the Two Rivers Benefice, which is composed of the Parishes of Stutton, Holbrook, Woolverstone and Freston, as well as Wherstead.

Wherstead is a village and a civil parish located in the county of Suffolk, England. Wherstead village lies 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Ipswich on the Shotley ...

24/05/2024

Mountnessing Windmill

Mountnessing Windmill is a grade II* listed post mill at Mountnessing, Essex, England. Built in 1807, it was most recently restored to working order in 1983. Mountnessing Windmill was built in 1807, replacing an earlier mill. There are records of a windmill here since 1477.
The mill was working until 1924, and it worked again in 1932–33.
In 1937, ownership of the mill passed from the Blencowe Estates to Mountnessing Parish Council. It was repaired as a memorial to King George VI, whose coronation was in that year.

Mountnessing Windmill is a grade II* listed . post mill at Mountnessing, Essex, England. Built in 1807, it was most recently restored to working order in 198...

21/05/2024

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17/05/2024

St John the Baptist Church Stanton Suffolk

St John the Baptist's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Stanton, Suffolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Only the tower is intact, the body of the church being roofless. The remains of the church stand to the west of the village. The church dates from the 14th century, with additions and alterations during the following century. It was restored in 1616. Its parish was united with the adjacent parish of All Saints in 1756, and St John's became derelict and roofless. The church was repaired in the 1980s, raising the walls of the nave and chancel to their full height.

St John the Baptist's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Stanton, Suffolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for Eng...

11/05/2024

All Saints Church Brightlingsea

The present church dates from 1250 but had several predecessors.Heritage England has recognised its importance by adding this Grade I church to the At Risk Register.
With a Tudor tower nearly 100ft high, acting as local landmark and navigational aid over the surrounding sea and landscape, the church is at the gateway to the town reached by a single road. The four stage tower features buttresses at the diagonals, traceried panels, blank shields, decorative mouldings, musket ball holes attributed to the Civil War, crenellated parapet and pinnacles, most of which would be lost should the tower collapse.
Inside the building there is a traditional chancel and a wide nave with fixed pews giving a central aisle, two side aisles and a transept aisle. There are Tudor brasses honouring the Beriffe family (1496-1578), an 18th century marble rococo monument (erected 1766) commemorating one of the founders of Lloyd’s marine insurance (Nicholas Magens buried near the high altar), and the 'Tiles of Tragedy' a unique frieze of memorial tiles commemorating local lives lost at sea, started in the 19th century and continuing to the present day. Further maritime connections are evidenced by the arms of the Cinque Ports in a nave window, a reminder that Brightlingsea is the only part of that association north of the Thames. Other items of interest include dummy boards of Biblical figures (only ones outside London) and ten tubular bells, the Baptistry with a Tudor font, and the very ancient west door, used for bridal entry at weddings. The south porch, added in the 16th century, is the main entrance, and is decorated with Tudor fleurons and diadems and spandrels.
Outside in the 7.5 acre churchyard (largest in southern England) there are war graves as well as the gravestones of local people, Horatio Tennyson, the younger brother of the poet, the Victorian philanthropist John Bateman, and Junius Booth, nephew of President Lincoln’s assassinator. With several bird boxes, bug hotels and the chance to see bats, there’s plenty for the environmentalist to appreciate.

The present church dates from 1250 but had several predecessors.Heritage England has recognised its importance by adding this Grade I church to the At Risk R...

04/05/2024

All Saints Church Billockby Norfolk

All Saints' Church is an Anglican church, partly ruined, near the villages of Billockby and Fleggburgh, Norfolk, England. It is a Grade II listed building. The porch and the chancel are in regular use. Services are held at 9am on the fourth Sunday of the month, from Easter to September.
The church dates from the 15th century. The roof of the nave collapsed in a storm on 15 July 1762; the nave and tower, of Perpendicular style, is in ruins. The nave is of knapped flint, and has large windows with remains of tracery.
The chancel is known to have been in use in 1762. It was restored in 1872 and is still in regular use. It is of flint with ashlar dressings, and has a thatched roof. The interior includes an octagonal 15th-century font.

All Saints' Church is an Anglican church, partly ruined, near the villages of Billockby and Fleggburgh, Norfolk, England. It is a Grade II listed building.Th...

27/04/2024

Orford Castle Suffolk

Orford Castle is a castle in Orford in the English county of Suffolk, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Ipswich, with views over Orford Ness. It was built between 1165 and 1173 by Henry II of England to consolidate royal power in the region. The well-preserved keep, described by historian R. Allen Brown as "one of the most remarkable keeps in England", is of a unique design and probably based on Byzantine architecture. The keep stands within the earth-bank remains of the castle's outer fortifications.

Prior to the building of Orford Castle, Suffolk was dominated by the Bigod family, who held the title of the Earl of Norfolk and owned key castles at Framlingham, Bungay, Walton and Thetford. Hugh Bigod had been one of a group of dissenting barons during the Anarchy in the reign of King Stephen, and Henry II wished to re-establish royal influence across the region. Henry confiscated the four castles from Hugh, but returned Framlingham and Bungay to Hugh in 1165. Henry then decided to build his own royal castle at Orford, near Framlingham, and construction work began in 1165, concluding in 1173. The Orford site was around 2 miles (3.2 km) from the sea, lying on flat ground with swampy terrain slowly stretching away down to the river Ore, about 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) away. The design of the keep was unique, and has been termed "one of the most remarkable keeps in England" by historian R. Allen Brown. The 90-foot-high (27-metre) central tower was circular in cross-section with three rectangular, clasping towers built out from the 49-foot-wide (15-metre) structure. The tower was based on a precise set of proportions, its various dimensions following the one-to-the-root-of-two ratio found in many English churches of the period. Much of the interior is built with high-quality ashlar stonework, with broad, 5-foot-6-inch-wide (1.7-metre) staircases. The best chambers were designed to catch the early morning sun, whilst the various parts of the keep were draught-proofed with doors and carefully designed windows. Originally the roof of the keep, above the upper hall, would have formed a domed effect, with a tall steeple above that. The chapel above the entrance to the keep was unusually shaped; historian Stephen Brindle suggests that such a design "would not normally have been thought seemly for a room dedicated to the service of God".

The keep was surrounded by a curtain wall with probably four flanking towers and a fortified gatehouse protecting a relatively small bailey; these outer defences, rather than the keep, probably represented the main defences of the castle. The marshes nearby were drained, turning the village of Orford into a sheltered port. The castle, including the surrounding ditch, palisade and stone bridge, cost £1,413 to build, the work possibly being conducted by the master mason Alnoth. Some of the timbers were brought from as far away as Scarborough, and the detailed stonework being carved from limestone from Caen in Normandy, the remainder of the stone being variously local mudstone and coralline, as well as limestone from Northamptonshire.

Orford Castle is a castle in Orford in the English county of Suffolk, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Ipswich, with views over Orford Ness. It was built betwee...

21/04/2024

St Margaret’s Church Bowers Gifford Essex

The Church of St Margaret is a 14th-century grade II* listed church near Bowers Gifford, Essex.As is common with many Essex churches, it features a wooden bell-cot surmounting a stone tower.

The church is two miles east of Basildon in south Essex, separated from the River Thames by Canvey Island. Originally the church served a remote village surrounded by estuary marshes; as a result of this, the church sits 10 meters above sea level. In 1086, the Domesday Book stated Bowers Gifford had four landholders, four ploughs, and sheep.A wooden Saxon church stood at that time.
St Margaret's Church dates back to 1350 and was built by the Gifford family; the church is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch.

The Church of St Margaret is a 14th-century grade II* listed church near Bowers Gifford, Essex.As is common with many Essex churches, it features a wooden be...

18/04/2024

Tulip Field East Winch Norfolk

14/04/2024

All Saints Church Crowfield Suffolk

This pretty little church is as remote from its village as it is from the rest of the world. What is more, it has the only timber-framed chancel in Suffolk. You get to it along a path from the lonely road between Coddenham and Stonham Aspal. The village is a good mile away, along the old Roman road. Beside the church is the site of the former manor house, and the path to the church runs along the edge of the old moat.

All Saints Church, Crowfield is a Grade II listed building in the United Kingdom. The original church was established in the 14th century by the Bishops of Norwich as a chapel of ease, to St Marys, Coddenham. The timber frame chancel and the north and south nave doorways are of early 15th century

Crowfield is a village in Suffolk, England. It is in Helmingham and Coddenham ward in the Mid Suffolk local authority, in the East of England region.Crowfiel...

07/04/2024

Ruins of St Peter’s Church Alresford Essex


St. Peter’s church in Alresford, Essex was built by Anfred de Staunton around 1300. It is situated about a mile away from the Alresford town. Unfortunately the church was destroyed by a fire in 1971 and was beyond repair. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown. As the church was given Grad II listed status in 1966 the ruins still remain, a church to replace it was built in Alresford town a few years later.

Whilst the haunted history isn’t clear, the ruins are a big attraction for paranormal teams. The ruins are said to be used for witchcraft. Paranormal teams have reported on a lot of spirits present, most happy for people to explore, but others not so pleasant.

St. Peter’s church in Alresford, Essex was built by Anfred de Staunton around 1300. It is situated about a mile away from the Alresford town. Unfortunately t...

31/03/2024

St Andrew's Church is a partly redundant Anglican church in the hamlet of Covehithe in the English county of Suffolk. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building,Part of the church is in ruins and this is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.The church stands on a lane leading directly towards the sea, in an area of coast which has suffered significant ongoing erosion.The parish of Covehithe has been combined with neighbouring Benacre.
History
The oldest fabric in the original large medieval church dates from the 14th century, although most of it is from the 15th century. During the Civil War much of the stained glass was destroyed by the local iconoclast William Dowsing.[5] By the later part of that century the large church was too expensive for the parishioners to maintain, and they were given permission in 1672 to remove the roof and to build a much smaller church within it.[5][6] This small church is still in use, while the tower and the ruins of the old church are maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust.
Present day
The parish is a member of The Prayer Book Society, a traditionalist Anglican society that champions the use of the Book of Common Prayer.As the church rejects the ordination of women, it receives alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Richborough (currently Norman Banks).

St Andrew's Church is a partly redundant Anglican church in the hamlet of Covehithe in the English county of Suffolk. It is recorded in the National Heritage...

29/03/2024

25/03/2024

The Parish church of Stratford St Mary Suffolk

Stratford St. Mary is a village in Suffolk, England in the heart of 'Constable Country'. John Constable painted a number of paintings in and around Stratford.
Stratford (the ford of the Roman Via Strata) with its attached hamlet of Higham sits on the Suffolk/Essex border on the River Stour, Suffolk. It is 58 miles (93 km) from London just off the A12 between Colchester and Ipswich. The village has a fifteenth-century flint faced church which is clearly visible from the A12. It is also served by a primary school, post office and village store, and three pubs. Stratford village is within the Stratford Vale which is also recognised as an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Evidence of Stratford's antiquity includes traces of a henge from c. 4,000BC, and Roman remains on Gun Hill. The original Saxon settlement comprising 30 tenants and a mill mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 was abandoned as settlement grew along the river and the road to Bergholt.
A series of manorial court rolls beginning in 1318 reveal that many of the medieval families were connected with the wool trade which accounts for much of its early prosperity. Benefactors included wealthy clothiers like the Mors (or Morse) family who generously endowed the church. Stratford's long, straggling main street lined with inns, provides evidence of its bustling prosperity in the coaching days when the town catered for a continuous traffic of cattle, turkeys and geese bound for the London market. The parish was in the hundred of Samford.
The national censuses from 1801 and 1901 record just over 500 inhabitants in the parish.

Stratford St. Mary is a village in Suffolk, England in the heart of 'Constable Country'. John Constable painted a number of paintings in and around Stratford...

18/03/2024

St Mary & ruin of St Margaret Antingham Norfolk

St Mary’s is described as a 14th century church, with 15th century and post medieval architectural features. It was restored in 1864. The font dates to the 13th century. Graffiti in the nave south doorway includes shields with armorial bearings and possible travellers' crosses. During renovation work a 12th-century limestone coffin slab was found.

History

In the Domesday Book, this village appears as Antigeham. The name is not derived from the River Ant which flows nearby; rather does the, river take its name from the village. This was the ham or home of Anta's people in Saxon times. It is clear that there were at least two other manors in Antingham at this time

Blomefield's History of Norfolk traces the Lords of the Manors from before 1066. There were two manors here and each had patronage of their church.

In Edward the Confessor’s time, and at the Domesday Survey, the Abbey of St Benet at Hulme held a lordship in Antingham. This was known as St Benet’s or Antingham Chamberlain’s manor. St Margaret’s formed part of this manor. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 St Margaret's Church received no further help from St Benet's Abbey and went into decline. At the time of the reformation St Margaret’s became part of the Parish of Ludham and was subsequently consolidated with the parish of North Walsham. This consolidation formally took place in 1748 (N.R.O., FCB/2, 144), but had probably been in operation much earlier, since in 1703 a faculty was granted 'to take down the old walls of the ruined church of Antingham St Margaret provided the stones and other materials be employed to no other use but to the repairing of the steeple and church of Antingham St Mary and the churchyard walls there' (N.R.O., FCB/1. 452). Thus St Margaret's appears to have begun to fall into ruin before this date. St Margaret’s was finally consolidated with Antingham St Mary in 2003.

The other manor was granted at the Conquest to Roger Bigod who acquired the lordship over so many Norfolk manors at this time. A Norman family, de Antingham was enfeoffed under Bigod and held the manorial rights until the fourteenth century. It is recorded that Roger de Antingham, described as the King's valet, had free warren here in 1321. He may well have been responsible for the building of St Mary’s which was constructed between 1330 and 1360. The manor subsequently became known as the Manor of Antingham, Witchingham and Wallishes.

There was clearly rivalry between the manors, reflecting no doubt the lawlessness of the age, as the abbot of Holm in 1316 complained “that when he sent his fellow-monk, Roger de Neatishead, to the hundred of North Erpingham on business, Roger de Antyngham, with his brother Nicholas and others, assaulted the monk at Southfield (Suffield) on his return, took him from place to place through the town-fields, cut off the tail of his horse, and surrounded the manor of the abbot at Antingham so that the men therein could not go forth to carry victuals to the abbey for the sustenance of the abbot and convent or to do any other work; seized and imprisoned a groom riding the abbot's palfrey through the town; impounded the palfrey with its saddle and kept it without food; seized another horse of his on the king's highway at North Walsham; harassed him at Antingham by taking his plough-cattle, and in other ways, so that he has been unable to cultivate and sow his lands, and have so threatened his men and servants of the town of Antingham that they have fled away.”

Legend

It is hard to understand how the legend arose that the two churches in the one churchyard were built by two sisters. The tale says that they quarrelled and built rival churches. If it were true then the two sisters' ages must have been more than 200 years apart at the very least! Rather surprisingly, the legend is recorded by Bryant as late as 1900, so the story persisted for a long time.

St Mary’s is described as a 14th century church, with 15th century and post medieval architectural features. It was restored in 1864. The font dates to the 1...