INTRODUCTION

Norfolk and Suffolk are cherished for their old churches. They all look medieval, in contrast to many other regions of Britain where most churches look Victorian. However, the ecclesiastical world of the nineteenth century did leave its mark in these counties, too. The Anglican Church Revival saw that old churches were restored and new churches built where needed, with modest ones in the country but more prominent ones in towns. The new stress on a more artful ritual required new fittings and more striking décor, for instance with the help of colourful stained glass. As everywhere else in Britain, Roman Catholics made their presence felt with some conspicuous buildings, as did all the Non-Conformist denominations. What is striking as regards the designers, as well as the patrons, of these new churches and restorations, is a certain tension between specifically local or regional factors and a marked desire to be part of a greater, national whole, centred on London.

BUILDING CHURCHES

Most nineteenth- and twentieth-century views of East Anglia, at least of its easternmost parts, involve a geopolitical perspective, defining the region in relation to the country as a whole and its major centres. The standard comment about Norfolk and Suffolk is that they are ‘distant’ or ‘remote’ regions, with all the disadvantages this might entail.