Look ahead and to your right-you’ll spot a striking, weathered building of deep, almost charcoal flint, with pale stone edges making the windows and corners pop. The windows stretch up high in two neat rows: big, medieval glass panes below and a line of smaller, arched ones marching above. The tall, square tower rises above it all, topped with battlements and little stone points like a fairy-tale castle that’s here for business, not just beauty. Directly on the street, you’ll see bikes lined up and a little black iron fence running along the edge. The walls look textured and a bit sparkly thanks to the flint, and if the sun is shining, you might even see it glimmer. That’s Maddermarket’s St John the Baptist church right in front of you. Now, let’s step back in time.
Imagine the whispers of a thousand footsteps echoing where you now stand-this old church has seen them all, from medieval worshippers to a Greek Orthodox choir! The first stones were tucked into place sometime in the 14th century, but there’s a hint that an even older church may have stood here hundreds of years before that. The sturdy tower, patched together with grit and dreams, was mostly rebuilt in 1822, but the bones, well, they’re ancient.
You’ll notice how wide the church is, almost a squat rectangle made even more intriguing by the battlement-topped tower at the west end. Peek at the side and look out for buttresses holding the walls, three tall windows with stone tracery like frozen spiderwebs, and if your sharp eyes spot an old, faded sundial along the south wall-congratulations, you’ve found a relic from the 17th or 18th century!
But not all was calm here. In 1876, an explosion tore through the interior, shattering much of the beautiful stained glass. I wonder if the ghosts of the glassmakers were watching, probably shaking their heads and saying, “Really, again?” After that, the church gathered treasures-furniture from all over Norfolk, statues, paintings, and even a massive wooden surround for the altar traveled here from another church. Inside there’s a painting of the Last Supper that might have been made by a Renaissance master, and a carousel-well, a revolving lectern from Italy. The font, pulpit, and sparkling colored marble came in the Victorian era, while the ceiling beams curve above like the ribs of a great sleeping beast.
And to top it all off, the church was nearly shortened for Queen Elizabeth I’s fancy parade-at least, so the legend says. Turns out, she probably never swept through here in her ruff, demanding more space for her horses. But doesn’t it make for a good story?
So pause here, soak up the centuries of stories hiding in these stones, and maybe give a little nod to the Duchess of Norfolk, the painter Joseph Stannard, and Walter Monck, whose memorials rest nearby. No matter what century you’ve arrived from, St John the Baptist, Maddermarket, is ready to welcome you into the fold of Norwich’s living history. Now, when you’re ready, just say the word and we’ll amble on to our next stop!
