St Nicholas
Bracon Ash, Norfolk
St Nicholas' church stands on the site of a much older church. The nave and baptismal font date from the 14th, the chancel from the 15th century.
Arriving up the quiet cul-de-sac which is Church Lane, you’ll first see the square flint tower dating from the 12th century, one of but a handful in East Anglia, and the conservation churchyard smothered in wildflowers in spring and early summer. There’s a cut swathe through the grass to let you get up close to plants and the insects that thrive on them.
The quite small church interior is all clear glass, sunlight, tranquillity and peace where the spiritually sensitive tell us of a strong sense of the presence of God.
The Branthwayt dynasty sprinkles the floor with interesting ledger stones (can you find the one remembering a woman born in 1639 who had 18 children and lived for 88 years?) while in the chancel is a superb life-size monument of Myles (d1612) and his wife, in alabaster, rare in this part of England. The line became Beevor in 1750 when Elizabeth married Thomas Beevor and there are four restored Beevor hatchments hanging in the tower. The baronetcy is still extant. Before you go, notice the restored chamber organ and take some time to just sit and 'be'.
We pray that you will be stimulated, refreshed and restored by your visit. Then you can check out the public and permissive footpaths on our neighbours’ land and the smallest wildlife trust site in the UK: Hethel Old Thorn.