St Mary the Virgin's Church, Great Bircham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary the Virgin’s Church, Great Bircham
St Mary the Virgin’s Church, Great Bircham
St Mary the Virgin’s Church, Great Bircham Location in Norfolk
52°51′42.3″N 0°37′42.8″E / 52.861750°N 0.628556°E / 52.861750; 0.628556
Location	Great Bircham
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Dedication	Saint Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Designated	5 June 1953
Administration
Parish	The Birchams and Bagthorpe
Deanery	Heacham and Rising
Archdeaconry	Lynn
Diocese	Norwich
Province	Canterbury

St Mary's Church in Great Bircham is a very old church. It was built way back in the 12th century! This church is a special building, listed as Grade I listed. This means it's considered very important historically and architecturally. It belongs to the Church of England and is located in Great Bircham, a village in Norfolk, England.

A Look at the Church's History

The oldest parts of St Mary's Church are from around the year 1200. This includes the Norman tower, which is a tall, strong part of the church. The main door of the tower is also from the 12th century.

Inside, you can find a special font made of Purbeck marble. This font, used for baptisms, and the north door are from the 13th century. The chancel, which is the area around the altar, was built in the early 14th century. The main part of the church, called the nave, was added in the middle of the 14th century.

One interesting feature of the church is its old wooden screen from the 15th century. It separates parts of the church. You'll also see unique box pews, which are like enclosed seating areas. These pews were added in 1850 and have cool decorations called poppyheads.

In 1939, the church sold a very old crimson cope. A cope is a special cloak worn by priests. This one was from about 1480 and was given to the church in 1505. It was sold to help pay for repairs to the church building.

The Church's Organ

Music is an important part of church services. In 1869, St Mary's Church had a barrel organ. This type of organ plays music using a rotating barrel.

Later, in 1882, a new pipe organ was put in. It was built by a company called E Norman. This organ was repaired in 1926 to keep it working well.

The organ you see in the church today is from 1940. It was made by Gray and Davison, a famous organ builder. This organ wasn't originally in Great Bircham. It used to be in another church in Buckinghamshire. It was moved to St Mary's Church around 1998 and set up by Kenneth Canter.

The Church Bells

The church tower holds a set of five bells. Two of these bells are very old, dating back to the late 1600s. They were made by a bell founder named Charles Newman.

The middle bell in the set was made in 1878 by John Warner and Sons. The two heaviest bells are newer, from 1923. They were made by another well-known company, Mears and Stainbank. These bells ring out to call people to worship and mark special occasions.