WHAT A CHURCH ! ...
this is probably the finest village church in England. (Alec Clifton-Taylor, "Buildings of Delight")
		Variously known as "Queen of the Marshlands" and "Cathedral of the Fens", the Church of Walpole St Peter is said by Alec Clifton-Taylor in Buildings of Delight to be "..probably the finest village church in England." In English Parish Churches as works of art, speaking of ".. this long, last, magnificent [Perpendicular] phase of English Gothic." he says, "Among village churches it would not be easy to find a more beautiful example of the style than Walpole St Peter in Norfolk. If the exterior, in its beautifully kept churchyard is richly satisfying, the interior is still better." He goes on to say, "There are, no doubt, many village churches, including at least one, West Walton, in the Marshland, which have individual features that are still more memorable. It is the ensemble at Walpole St Peter which offers such a wonderful and, once seen, unforgettable aesthetic experience."
A church has been here at least since 1021 when the advowson was given to the Abbey of Ely. Of that church nothing above ground survives. The present Decorated-Period tower was built about 1300, probably onto a Norman Church. A sea flood in 1337 destroyed everything of that Church but the tower. The Black Death in 1348 delayed the rebuilding, but the changeover of local agriculture from crops to sheep-farming provided the money for the work. The present nave, which was then both nave and chancel, was built on the foundations of the old Church about 1360, and the present chancel was added about 1425. The South Porch is the latest part of the building - probably added about 1450. The advowson passed in 1109 to the Bishop of Ely, and was acquired for the Crown by Elizabeth 1 in 1561.
Each summer for the last 42 years, and to be repeated for the forty-third time this summer, the Church has been filled, for a five-day Flower Festival, with magnificent blooms beautifully arranged and displayed. St Peter's is located between Wisbech and King's Lynn, and it lies between the A17 and A47 roads. Click here for details of the Annual Flower Festival. In conclusion, visitors often ask, "Why was so large a Church built here ?". Men built an immense Church to the greater glory of God, who is immense. The whole Church is a great offering of beauty to God: it is, and always has been, a place of worship, (an act of worship), and not a museum.
Walpole St Peter	Directions to Walpole	Flower Festival	Links
Web pages material from Norman Rule ()   Site produced by    March 2008