Strange Landscape

A traveller's tale of silvered wood and old stone

Hello lovely friends.

I’ve just returned from my favourite medieval church in Norfolk, so of course I had to share it with you.

Now, you might wonder a few things when I say this. For a start, how could I possibly have a favourite when you can stand in practically any spot in the county and see two or three sentinel towers, each with their distinctive personalities, marking their place in the landscape like so many pins holding down a multicoloured dreamcoat?

Another question you might ask is why this visit felt special enough to share. Surely if this church is in Norfolk and I live in Norfolk I could pop in to drink in its magic at any time? Well, Norfolk is a big county, the fourth largest in the UK I believe, and while I live in the far north east this church lies in the south west. I don’t think I’ve travelled in this direction for the best part of five years. So, finding myself driving back from an overnight stay just ten minutes away from the village in question I decided to park up in the churchyard and have a wander before going home.

Before I go any further, there’s something I’d like to try to address, if I can find the words. Personally my spirituality is very fluid. But apart from looking for the residue of pre-christian belief (which I take with a pinch of salt when it comes, for example, to green men), why would you study christian iconography when maybe you identify as pagan and the church as an institution has alienated so many? After all, like it or not we are living in the 21st century, so how can medieval christianity have anything to say to us?