Many of us of a certain age will remember going on holiday as children, the long drive without motorways and the numerous games to keep us entertained along the way. The breakthrough for me, and no doubt for my parents, was the discovery of the I-Spy series of small books, in which you ticked off items as you spotted them on the journey.
Recently, I discovered an old I-Spy in a pile of books, and it got me thinking about my next blog. My wife and grown-up children are often willing and enthusiastic fellow churchcrawlers, but their knowledge of many of the features of a church is limited. Mine certainly doesn’t match that of many of the wonderful writers on Norfolk churches, but I have built up some understanding over the last few years.
So, for the next two blogs, I have come up with a rather random list of some of the fixtures and fittings to be found in our great county’s churches, illustrated with examples from churches I have visited recently.
This isn’t aimed at the expert, so apologies in advance, but for everyone else it might prove a useful I-Spy style tick list!
☐. PORCH
Norfolk is blessed with hundreds of elegant porches, and everyone will have their favourite. Many of Norfolk’s finest porches date from the 14th century onwards, when they became an integral part of church design. They are often richly decorated with flint flushwork, niches for statues of the saints and heraldic designs of the medieval donors.
These porches assumed a practical importance often overlooked today. They were places where the baptismal service would begin, where part of the wedding service was conducted, kneeling penitents were given absolution and also a meeting ground where legal and civil business was carried out. The ancient equivalent of a ‘safe space’. Many have a second storey called a parvise used as lodgings for a priest and may also have provided an area for the local school. The three examples shown here are at St Margaret, Cley-next-the-Sea, St Mary, Pulham St Mary and St Michael, Coston.
☐. MASS or SCRATCH DIALS
Mass dials or scratch dials are usually found on or near the south porch or near to the priest’s door. Most churches didn’t have clocks so one way to determine the time for services to take place was using the sun. A small peg, known as a gnomon (Greek for an indicator or ‘one that knows’) was fixed in the hole and the shadow moved round with the sun. At the appropriate time the sanctus bell would then be rung to call the faithful. Many of these are now very faded but on close scrutiny become apparent. Examples here are from St Mary and St Walstan, Bawburgh and St Mary Magdalene, Beetley.
☐. WICKET DOOR
This is a small access door, or “door-within a door” that has been built directly into the large main church door. Often found in very large churches and cathedrals, there are several examples in the county. These allowed access to the church without having to open the heavy main door and many have beautiful wooden carvings and intricate ironwork. The examples here show St Lawrence, Harpley and the beautiful ogee arch on the small north door at St Peter, Walpole St Peter.
☐. SEVEN SACRAMENT FONT
Fonts are one of the great discoveries of Norfolk churches, the Norman fonts at Fincham and Burnham Deepdale being superb examples. Among the greatest treasures are the seven sacrament fonts. Mostly from the 15th century, they are octagonal and seven of the panels contain representations of the seven holy sacraments – Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Confession and Penance, Ordination to Holy Orders, Marriage and Extreme Unction (the last rites). For the eighth panel the choice of subject varies. Two wonderful examples can be found at The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Great Witchingham and All Saints, Gresham.
☐. ROYAL COATS OF ARMS
Often placed in a prominent part of the church, such as over the south door, the royal arms became and important symbol of royal supremacy following Henry VIII’s break with Rome. In most churches they replaced or took the place of earlier religious imagery, much of which had been whitewashed or destroyed during the Reformation. Usually painted onto wood, they were a not-too-subtle reminder that the state was now in charge. Rather than commission a completely new set of arms whenever the monarch changed, many parishes saved money by simply altering the existing paintings. Lovely examples can be found at Holy Trinity, Stow Bardolph and All Saints, Hilborough.
☐. POOR/ALMS BOX
As early as the 12th century Pope Innocent III decreed that hollow tree trunks be placed in churches to receive alms for the poor in exchange for remission of sins. None from this time exist, but Norfolk has several charming versions from the 16th and 17th centuries. Their use became more frequent after the Reformation as local poor relief fell into the hands of the parish with the demise of the monasteries. Usually placed at the west end of the church, they have a slit for the coin and are firmly bound with iron strap and padlocks to evade those with light fingers. Two good examples are St Mary, Brancaster and St George, Gooderstone.
☐. POPPYHEADS
The sight of pews, benches and other seating is commonplace in churches today, but for centuries there would have been few, if any, seats in the nave. Wooden benches were introduced in the 14th century, with backed pews in the 15th century. The sexes would have been separated with men on the south side of the aisle and women on the north.
Over time, the ends of the pews began to be carved into figures and Norfolk and East Anglia in particular is famous for a profusion of poppyhead carvings. Despite the name, poppyheads have nothing to do with the flower, but comes from the Old French poupee, meaning doll or figurehead.
Often resembling a fleur-de-lys, they can also be figurative, and Norfolk poppyheads come in a range of weird and wonderful designs. There are simply hundreds of stunning examples of local craftsmanship, the ones shown are from All Saints, Thurgarton, St Andrew, Wickmere and St Andrew, South Lopham.
Next month I will continue my I-Spy journey eastwards, down the nave towards the chancel to discover more church features that we can tick off on our next family churchcrawl!
Rob Gladstone October 2026
