Norfolk Open Churches Week July 31 – August 8

Norfolk Open Churches Week 2010, Saturday, July 31 to Sunday, August 8, features more than 300 historic churches across the county, running a packed programme of special events and activities.

Enjoy the ecclesiastical car rally from Norwich Cathedral to Roydon Church, visit hidden gems like St Botolph’s Westwick, discover the atmospheric chapel of the 389th Bomb Group (USAAF) at Hethel, explore Sir Robert Walpole’s church at Houghton Hall and take a boat trip to St Benet’s Abbey.

Then enjoy an Open Churches Week special – Versio a top Finnish Choir is on a short UK tour to London and Norfolk. The 12-strong choir will present a programme of sacred European music from the 16th to the 20th century and some contemporary Finnish music at St Mary’s Church, Forncett St Mary, on Monday, August 2 (7pm) and St Andrews Church, Norwich on Wednesday, August 4 (7.30pm). There will also be master classes at St Andrews on Tuesday, August 3 (2pm – 5pm) and Wednesday, August 4 (10am – 1pm) – all welcome.

Full details of Open Churches Week are at www.norfolkopenchurches.com, or pick up the Open Churches booklet at TICs and libraries throughout the county. Open Churches Week features churches in the Diocese of Norwich and the Diocese of Ely (churches around Downham Market). For general information about Norfolk see www.visitnorfolk.co.uk.

Open Churches Week Highlights

Ecclesiastical Car Rally, Saturday, July 31 – The week gets off to a ‘roaring’ start with the third annual Ecclesiastical Car Rally on Saturday, July 31, featuring more than 60 cars. The oldest cars are a Humber Snipe 1930, Bentley Drop-head Coupé 1930 and a Rolls Royce 1932. The rally leaves Norwich Cathedral Close at 9.30am, then heads to Roydon via Swardeston, Mulbarton, Bracon Ash, Ashwellthorpe, Forncett St Peter and St Mary, Tibenham and Diss, finishing at lunchtime, followed by a short service in Roydon church.

St Mary’s Church, Forncett St Mary, open Saturday, July 31 to Sunday, August 8, 10am to 6pm. Church history exhibition and a concert with Finnish Choir Versio at 7pm on Monday, August 2 – tickets £6 and £5 for Friends of St Mary’s, tel. 01508 481856. The church has been revitalised by the local community led by Graham Prior. Unused since 1980, St Mary’s is being restored and repaired and brought back to life as a community building. The church is part 13th century with later medieval adaptations. Church address: Low Rd, Forncett St Mary, NR16 1HG.

St Andrews Church, St Andrews Street, Norwich, www.standrewsnorwich.org, open Saturday, July 31 to Sunday, August 8, 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Concert with Finnish Choir Versio at 7.30pm on Wednesday, August 4 (retiring collection). Also master classes with Versio from 2pm – 5pm on Tuesday, August 3 and 10am – 1pm on Wednesday, August 4 featuring three of the pieces from the concert. The classes will include detailed work on interpretation, technique and style – all are welcome.

St Benet’s Abbey, Sunday, August 1 – The Bishop of Norwich, who is also Abbott of St Benet’s, will be conducting the annual service at the abbey at 3.30pm on Sunday, August 1. This year there is a boat trip to St Benet’s from Horning on the Southern Comfort, departing at 1.30pm and returning by 6pm. The Salvation Army Band will be playing on board. Boat tickets costs £5, tel. 01603 783096.

St Botolph’s Church, Westwick, www.westwick-st-botolph.co.uk, open Tuesday, August 3 to Saturday, August 7, 10am to 5pm; flower and vestments festival and launch of new guidebook. Services on Sunday, August 8, Holy Communion at 9am and Songs of Praise at 5.30pm featuring carols and hymns from the whole of the church year – Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Harvest, Communion and all time favourites. Contact Churchwarden Chris Sanham to choose your favourite, mob 07810 823149.

This 15th century church near North Walsham is a hidden gem. Only four people are active members of the church. The church is normally closed other than for services, but Churchwarden Chris Sanham (who has also written the new guidebook) is taking a holiday from his job as a Verger at Norwich Cathedral to run Open Churches Week at Westwick.

The exterior of the church tower features scared heart emblems that survived the reformation. There is also a 15th century painted rood screen depicting the apostles, which also survived albeit with scratched faces. A colourful bee-themed stained glass window, installed in 1885 with money raised from honey sales from the bee-keeping Revd Henry John Coleman, and two Victorian stained glass windows by Clayton & Bell (there are 10 at Norwich Cathedral) are in the church.

The church will be signposted during Open Churches Week from the North Walsham road.

Hethel Church www.mulbchurch.org.uk/Churches/Hethel and 389th Bomb Group (USAAF) Memorial Exhibition (including the old USAAF chapel) www.hethel389.co.uk, open Sunday, August 8 – the church will have displays relating to faith in wartime. Chaplain Captain Franklin Watts USAF will be at Hethel church all day. At 2.15pm there will be a guided walk from the church to the memorial exhibition. Chaplain Captain Watts will lead a short act of worship in the old 389th Bomb Group chapel, including singing a hymn accompanied by the chapel’s original harmonium that has been restored. He will also lead a ‘short service for a summer afternoon’ at Hethel Church at the end of the guided walk. The 389th Bomb Group chapel features a mural of Christ on the cross that served as the ‘altarpiece’ during World War II. Refreshments available at Hethel Church and 389th Bomb Group. Hethel Church, Church Lane, Hethel NR14 8HE.

St Martin of Tours, Houghton Hall Estate, www.houghtonhall.com, open August 1, 4 and 5, 1pm to 5.30pm. The Houghton estate church is opening for the first time during Open Churches Week. The church dates from the 12th century. Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister, who created Houghton Hall, rebuilt the tower in 1730. He and his two wives, his brother Galfridus and his successors the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Earls of Orford are all buried here.

Jennie Hawks, Historic Places of Worship Support Officer, Diocese of Norwich said: “Open Churches Week is our way of showcasing the wonderful, historic churches which have been part of the rich history of Norfolk for over a thousand years. It is also the time for local communities to show their pride in their church, which was the centre of countless villages for centuries, long before we had village halls and shops! Please come and enjoy them with us.”

Lydia Smith, Norfolk Tourism Director said: “Norfolk is blessed with hundreds of wonderful historic churches. Open Churches Week is a great opportunity to get out and about in the county, leave the car at home and visit local churches by foot, boat, bicycle and train.”

Norfolk Tourism is the county’s established public and private industry partnership. Funded by its 55 partner organisations, the partnership is designed to act as a forum for all Norfolk’s tourism businesses and local authorities, www.visitnorfolk.co.uk, tel. 01603 222846. See our free to use image library at www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/norfolk/image-library.aspx.