The exterior of this church is so dramatic that it invites visitors to walk around outside first. The tower is both lofty and well proportioned with a fine stepped and panelled parapet. On the buttresses you will find various designs including the arms of the Fincham family, who were the principal donors for all the Perpendicular period work in this church. "M" for Mary and "IHS" can also be seen on the buttresses. The tower starts with a panelled base course and ends with a very fine weathervane. It has a large West doorway, which is very finely moulded, and its hoodmould ends with recumbent lions as stops. It has quatrefoil designs in the spandrels. Above the doorway is a great west window of 4 lights.

The S. Porch is also Perpendicular period, c. 1450, although you will read the date 1852 on its parapet, which was the date of its repair. The W half of the parapet has again been restored recently. There is a fine gargoyle just below the apex of the parapet, and you will soon find that gargoyles are one of the many outstanding features of this fine church.

The S. Aisle looks magnificient from the road with its 4 big 3-light windows with their stepped transomes, and above there is an elaborate parapet with flushwork panels and tall crocketted pinnacles. The gargoyles here are most extraordinary: one looks like a lady with the devil on her back, and another has a pair of figures lying flat with their feet in the air. Fig. 1 shows an amusing double headed gargoyle with a beard.

The clerestory is built with a mixture of brick, flint and carstone, which is most attractive. There is an E window above the chancel arch, and a stair turret to the former rood loft, sited in the angle between the S Aisle and the chancel.

The East window is a great example of the Perpendicular period with 5 lights and 2 tiers of stepped transomes and fine tracery.

On the N side of the chancel is a 2 storey vestry, built by Sir Nicholas Fincham, who was buried beneath it in 1503. The N side of the church is plainer, but you should go to see its great gargoyles. There is more carstone on this side.

As you enter by the splendid Perp S doorway you will notice shields in the spandrils over the doorway, and you will pass the original stone seats of the porch and the Holy Water stoup in the corner.

The Interior

Again the height and elegance of the Perpendicular period is most striking with an abundance of soft light from the great windows. When the people lived in low thatched houses it must have illustrated Isaiah's message from God that "My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." First the tower arch is immensely tall with many orders of mouldings and shaftings on both sides. The East buttresses of the tower project into the nave. Then the fine slender piers which carry 5 bays of double chamfered arches on each side of the nave have a particularly elegant design. In section they are an elongated lozenge shape with polygonal projections to each side. The S arcade piers have capitals, but these are not repeated on the N side.

The roof has alternate large and small hammerbeams with arch braces, and the hammerbeams are embellished with carved angels and grotesques. The S aisle roof is also largely original with tracery in the spandrils of its arch braces.

The Norman font (fig. 2) is one of the many superb Norman fonts to be found in Norfolk. It is 2ft. 7ins square standing on 5 circular pillars which are much slimmer than usual. Each side has 3 typical Norman arches and ornamental strips top and bottom. The carvings are most interesting:-

S side: Mary, Joseph, and manger with heads of cattle and star.
E side: Three Magi bringing gifts, wearing crowns.
N side: Adam and Eve with serpent in tree of knowledge (repaired).
W side: Baptism of Jesus with St. John the Baptist and a Bishop.

The Bible Texts painted on boards and hung around the walls make an excellent feature of this church. They are dated, 1717, and you will find there two new ways of spelling "Caesar". There are also the Creed and the Lord's Prayer on boards, and in the tower can be found the Ten Commandments on two more boards.

The Screen is an absolutely splendid example of 15th century work. It is very high with a much wider than usual entrance arch. At the apex of this arch can be seen the arms of the Fincham family, indicating that they were the donors. Notice the double cusping of the arch and pinnacles to the transome tracery. The base panels have their original floral design painted in colours, now well mellowed with age.

The poppy heads from the earlier benches are now seen on the Victorian pews; they are nearly all different and deserve careful study. The nicely carved pulpit is Victorian and you can see tester from the previous pulpit, now being used as a table near the S door. The nave floor has ancient brick pavings which are probably original.

The N aisle contains a good wall plaque depicting the Last Supper with the disciples speaking to one another when Jesus had foretold his betrayal. Fig. 3 shows the ancient and rather battered parish chest, bound with iron straps

There is a squint or Magioscope, from the N aisle cut right through the E respond of the arcade and the thickness of the wall, in all about 6 feet, which gives a sight of the Communion Table. The chancel was restored by Miss Hebgin in 1870, and you will find there several memorials of the Hebgin family.

The S aisle's east window is the best place to see the Arms of the Fincham family with the motto which means: "This window is a memorial to John de Fincham who died in 1496."

There are plenty of interesting memorials here. In particular the Rev. Daniel Baker, l722, was Rector here for 40 years; his life was overshadowed by bereavement, because he lost his mother, wife and 8 children within a short period; possibly due to an epidemic; this spurred him to the mournful task of writing the book of Job in verse. The brass on the floor depicts a woman in a shroud, but her inscription is lost. The style of the brass indicates that it was made in Norwich in the first half of the 16th century. There is also an indent of a heart brass, which has been lost.

The bells were all recast into a new ring of six by the Loughborough Foundry of John Taylor & Co. in 1976. The tenor is 7 cwt. 151b. in B-flat.