Friends of St Peter's - Forncett

07/09/2026

We are joining with the Forncett History Group on Friday, 11th September to hear a talk by Dale Wiseman about the Norwich Milk Boy. This is a fascinating character who was born in Forncett in 1832 and found world wide fame as a runner. Entry to this event at Forncett Village Hall, is free. There will be a bar selling w**e and b**r as well as serving tea and coffee. Donations to our project to complete restoration of the church including redecoration and heating, would be appreciated.
Forncett Village Hall, Low Road, Forncett St Mary, Norwich, NR16 1JG

27/08/2026

We’re very lucky in Forncett to have the Steam Museum and the Tank Museum, both of which bring in visitors from far and wide, but you might be surprised to learn that St Peter’s church does too! Take a look at the visitor’s book in the church and you’ll see that people come from all over the world to visit – here are a few examples and we will post some more on another occasion and also some interesting ones from around the UK – watch this space!

Australia
• 17-7-1994. Tim and Gill Radford and Fleur from Sydney wrote: “Grandson of Dr L. B. Radford, rector 1896-1902. He moved to Holt then emigrated to Australia as warden of St Paul’s College in 1907. Then he became 4th Bishop of Goulburn. My father was born at the rectory in 1898. Lovely to see it ‘restored’”.

• 1-8-1998. Dorothy Seed (nee Coming) from Windsor and Angela Kellett (nee Seed) from Perth, Australia wrote: “Nice to see where Samuel Coming was baptised in 1616. He emigrated to the New World circa 1637-8. Wonderful to see a church so little changed and the carvings are superb”.

• 31-7-2015. Harriet and William Upjohn from Sydney wrote: “So lovely to be back here. We were married here 25 years ago – 15/9/90”.

America
• 14-5-1984. Maurice Baxter from San Diego, California wrote: “My ancestors Alice and John Baxter (nee Hales) married here November 5 1792”.

• 31-7-1986. Sallie Palcover from Forest Hills, New York wrote: “Best wishes for my nephew Fred and his bride Tracy, wedding Oct 4 1986”.

New Zealand
• 3-8-11. George McClean from Wellington wrote: “Great to see where my ancestors worshipped”.

Uganda
• 2-5-1999. Moses Matumba from Kampala wrote: “What a nice church to remain in my memory”.

Norway
• 23-2-12. Visitor (name indistinguishable) from Trondheim wrote: “Had a lovely rest on my long, long walk. Thanks for such a warm welcome to this lovely church”

20/08/2026

On July 23 we shared some reflections from Ruth Blackman, our project architect – here are some more.

“The quality of stone carving and the delight of the intricate details and mouldings have been repeated in the southeast nave kneeler, the original stone having been severely damaged by a corroded metal cramp and water ingress.

With the birdcage scaffolding in the nave, the entire roof space became a carpentry workshop, over the course of three months during the summer of 2025. Timbers requiring repair were carefully labelled and dismantled and cleaned, and working with a structural engineer, and in accordance with specification, carpenters prepared and executed half lap repairs and scarf joints, and in some instances, introduced new oak sections to replace those that have been completely destroyed by deathwatch beetles.

The south principal rafter to the west truss was also dismantled, cut back to retain many of the original moulded details and repaired with an offset central timber to reinstate its integrity. Other damaged timbers, like the smaller brace, for the westernmost south intermediate principal rafter, were replaced to match the existing rebated and carved brace, replicating details that included the mortise and tenon joints to the underside of the principal rafter and the walltop cornices and ties.

Where timber repairs were likely to risk either the loss of significant historic fabric, or where removing damaged timber could potentially compromise the integrity of the original carpentry, stainless steel plates were fabricated and installed, particularly to the north and south ends of the. west tie beam.

Having completed work to the chancel roof, and the chancel and nave gables, the chancel scaffolding was struck, not only revealing the soft pastel shades of the grey green Westmoreland slates, the grey rainwater goods, the pale blue fascia boards and the rich variation in the colours to the flintwork, but, from a perch at the west end of the nave roof, the most spectacular view of the Tas valley, on a bright morning in August during one of many regular site inspections.

The passion, devotion and commitment from all those involved has become embedded in the fabric that has a permanence and resilience to ensure that the church will remain at the heart of the village for those who follow in our footsteps.”

Many thanks must go to Ruth for her dedication and hard work in making St Peter’s safe for generations to come.

13/08/2026

A Country Wedding
Weddings have long taken place in St. Peter's, and what a perfect setting of rural tranquillity and ancient loveliness the church provides for the ceremony. In August, as if to set the seal on the long painstaking restoration, the first wedding since St. Peter's reopening took place.
Until the brief reign of Edward VI, weddings took place in the porch, but the young king decreed that this practice should be abolished and the ceremony be conducted in the main body of the church. In long ago days, weddings were an opportunity for the whole community to feast and make merry. The bride and groom would lead the way to the church on foot, followed by the entire community who would throw grain (the origin of rice and confetti) for fertility. Much revelry followed and much quaffing of liberally flowing ale. In many regions the Bridal Pie was an essential dish. This would be large and round with a thick crust, ornamented and garnished with sweetmeats, and in the middle sat a plump laying hen. The groom must serve the bride a portion, (hence 'bridegroom'), before anyone else. These weddings in country places were not expected to take place at harvest time:
'They that wive/Between sickle and scythe/
Shall never thrive,'
but they may well have taken place on a Sunday.
Many of today's traditions stem from the Middle Ages. Brides often wore blue, which was a symbol of purity. Garters were essential .The bride usually carried a bunch of herbs and strong smelling plants to ward off evil and this would be thrown for better effect, prefiguring the bouquet toss. Wedding cakes were built by contributions from many, piled into a tiered effect. The tradition of cake being broken over the bride's head however, thankfully, has not survived. Although the Church of England mandated the reading of banns for 3 Sundays, in many Norfolk villages, they were also pinned to front doors and boards. Another custom which has not continued is that the unmarried elder sisters of the bride must dance barefoot at their sister's wedding.
In 2016 the groom at a wedding at St Peter's was American, the bride had grown up in Forncett. Many Americans attended the wedding and all were astonished by the beauty and the antiquity of the church, by the tower and the skilful carvings and the rich resonance of music ringing across the villages from the bells.

06/08/2026

Hot as it has been this year the wild flowers along parts of the Heritage & Nature Trail are eye catching. Ladies Bedstraw and Burnett Saxifrage are in flower In St Peter's churchyard. These two are on Norfolk Wildlife Trust's most wanted list of indicators of undisturbed glassland. You can find them in the Conservation Area marked with canes. The livid green of Crosswort has been frothing over the footpath behind the church, along with Common Spotted Orchids. Now the more robust stems of H**p Agrimony - great food source for moths - and Meadow Sweet are dominant, with the drone of bumble bees busy amongst the purple blooms of Knapweed.

The statuesque yellow pillars and great downy leaves of Mullein pepper the Tas Valley Way. Down in the water meadows the refreshing scent of Water Mint and delicate pink Ragged Robin lead to our chalk stream, the River Tas. The wonderful spikes of Purple Loosestrife stipple the banks, while by the stile the ruby red berries of Bittersweet suggest Autumn is not far off. We look forward to sharing the riches of the Heritage & Nature Trail when it is launched in October. The footpaths and quiet roads the Trail follows are all public rights of way. Why not follow some now and see what you come across?

https://forncett.info/index.php/activities/footpaths-and-walks/map-showing-prow-in-forncett

05/08/2026

29/07/2026

We have arranged three FREE fun-filled family sessions about nature, mini-beasts and art in August:

• Wed 5th August - 10.30am to 12.30pm - Tracks and Trails
• Wed 12th Aug - 10.30am to 12.30pm - Mini-beast Hunting
• Wed 19th Aug - 10.30am to 12.30pm - Wild Art

These sessions are designed for families of all ages to enjoy and will involve exploring the churchyard and its wildlife – and having some summer fun!

Free refreshments will be provided and you are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the churchyard at the end of each session.

For enquiries and bookings, please contact [email protected] and note that you can book one, two or three sessions! Please also note that places are limited and are booked on a first come, first served basis.

22/07/2026

Now that the restoration work on St Peter’s has been finished, our project architect Ruth Blackman looks back at what’s been done.

“It’s important to reflect on the challenges that this project faced, the extent of deterioration and degradation and the complexity of the repairs, and to acknowledge the exceptional work by Stephen Miles, stonemason, Lee Jenkinson, bricklayer, Adrian Fox, bricklayer, Ray Groome, Bricklayer and Adam Whales, Carpenter.

Taking ownership of various repairs, they meticulously dismantled, cleaned and reconstructed flint work, stonework and timberwork.

The reconstruction of large areas of flintwork was not without complication. The rebuilding of the cracks behind the southeast chancel buttress necessitated extensive temporary works, timber props, whalings and Acrows, to support the retained southeast face of the buttress, that stood as an independent column, and the core work behind. The dismantling of weak flintwork on the crack lines also exposed the original southeast chancel quoin stones, previously hidden by the later diagonal buttress.

The quantity of materials required to complete the repairs has been staggering. It has been stated that 30 tonnes of sand have been purchased for the repairs, 160 bags of hydraulic lime, in excess of 100 metres of stainless steel spiro ties, over 1500 bricks, at least 5,000 screws, over 200 metres of timber and 180 cleats.

Not surprisingly, variations have occurred to concealed areas of fabric to include the need to introduce a relieving arch in brickwork above the chancel arch to accommodate the undercut flintwork to the east nave gable, on and below the line of the lead flashing chase. See fig3. The new brickwork not only supports the undercut flintwork but is integrated with the new brick lined flashing chase and transfers the weight of the nave gable to the north and south of the chancel arch.”

Thank you Ruth for all you’ve done for us and we’ll be sharing more of your reflections on the project in a future Facebook post.

17/07/2026

In June we had three fabulous Conservation Skills Days at St Peter's run by Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Each session was a great mix of theory and practical skills. In the first session we learned how to put together a long term plan to improve and maintain the rich and biodiverse churchyard at St Peter's. The second session focussed on how to identify the wildflowers we are so lucky to have and the final session was dedicated to how to record wildlife.

Without doubt we're lucky to have so much wildlife at St Peter's and it's our plan to encourage and protect that going forward. To this end we've created a wildflower area which is not mowed on a regular basis. We also have bat boxes on the church and in the trees and swift 'bricks' in the church walls to encourage swifts to nest.