The darkness of an autumnal evening had already descended by the time we arrived to ring the bells at Forncett St Peter, following in the footsteps of hundreds of years of history.
Known records of bells in the church date back to the 1550’s, yet if the flint walls of the beautiful Anglo-Saxon round tower and medieval wooden staircase could talk, it’s likely they would tell tales of bells even older. Parish accounts from 1737 detail a fee of £10 15 shillings paid for a new bell to be cast by Thomas Newman of Norwich. That bell (number 5) is still in the belfry today. It is joined by bells 1 & 2 cast in the 20th century (1982 & 1937 respectively), along with number 3 & 4 which are the oldest in the tower dating from 1602. Completing the current set is the tenor bell* (number 6) which was cast in 1875. That wonderfully eclectic mix of ages tells us that whilst generations come and go, local people have always been keen to keep the tradition of bell-ringing at Forncett St Peter alive.
The number 5 bell cast in 1737 Photo: A MoskvinaThe sound of church bells is a special one, deeply rooted in English cultural, social and religious history. In the 17th century, the way bells were fitted for ringing evolved to incorporate a wooden wheel, to which the rope is attached. This allows a bell to rotate in a full circle giving much more control, enabling sequences to be rung. In an age of limited recreational activities, the popularity of bell-ringing nationwide grew rapidly, with competing bands arranging competitions with each other. These events were often sponsored by local pubs, with publicans keen to take advantage of all the intrigued locals & ringers who’d gather to listen and perform! Ringing was also used as a form of exercise, with silenced bells resulting in the term ‘dumbbell’ which evolved into the weights we know today.
Our ringing practice in October was the last opportunity before repair work began on the church. For the bell-ringers, it was a privilege to produce the same sounds as have been heard drifting over the South Norfolk countryside for centuries. For villagers, you can be rightly proud of your historic church and it’s equally historic bells.
With special thanks to the ringers. Steve, Trevor, Adrian, Judith, John, Rich, Bev and Pete.
FoSP are very grateful to Matt for his evocative description of bell-ringing at St Peter's and to Matt and all of the ringers who keep this wonderful tradition alive.
*You can hear Trevor tolling the tenor bell here
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- Written by: Matt Thornton
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- Written by: Peter Schmidt-Hansen
We are delighted to announce that the National Lottery has awarded us £631,462 to secure the future of St Peter’s Forncett for generations to come!
This funding will enable St Peter’s to be taken off Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, to deliver an exciting range of community engagement activities and to create an innovative new interpretive scheme for all ages.
The PCC, the Friends of St Peters and the local community extend enormous thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their generosity and to National Lottery players who have made the funding possible.
It is hoped that the remedial works will start this year, after which the church will be closed while the repairs are carried out. However, the churchyard which will host a series of ‘Four Seasons in a Country Churchyard’ conservation activities, will be open so that visitors can appreciate the beautiful setting of the church and its many interesting external features. Work is expected to take about 18 months and once complete, visitors will also benefit from a new Heritage & Nature Trail and ‘Rook over Forncett’ film, showing the rich history of the Forncetts and St Peter’s Church and created in partnership with the local community.
Terry Hickman Smith, Project Manager of St Peter’s Project Steering Group, said “Thanks to the National Lottery players, St Peter’s church will soon be fully functional and a thriving hub for local groups, schools and the wider community.”
Robyn Llewellyn, Director, Midlands & East, at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Places of worship are some of our oldest and most cherished historic buildings. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to support this project which will secure a brighter and more sustainable future for St Peter’s Church, protecting its heritage and creating fantastic opportunities for the local community and beyond.”
Here's a link to an interview broadcast on BBC Radio Norfolk: BBC Radio Norfolk Interview 7-8-2024
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- Written by: Peter Schimidt-Hansen
“I shall remember Forncett for a long time: the roaring trees, the exultant rooks, the flowering graveyard.” – Philip Larkin who visited Forncett in 1982.
One of the defining sounds over St Peter’s church is the ‘Caw, Caw’ of the rooks whose home is Forncett. They’ve been part of Forncett for generations, witnessing joys and sorrows, trials and triumphs, births and deaths, comings and goings.
And a rook will be the star in a film being developed by Friends of St Peter’s to tell the rich story of Forncett. The ‘Forncett: Village of Stories’ film will feature a rook that will fly through space and time to tell the many stories that over the centuries have led to the wonderful community in which we now live – a Roman hoard, a famous poet, a French baron, people lost in WW1, connection to cities by railway.
The film is just one of many activities that Friends of St Peter’s is working on to restore St Peter’s and make it an active community centre for the future. Part of this is collecting poems about the Forncetts– why not write one and be part of our project? Your poem could be about the rook, about Forncett’s history, about what Forncett means to you – or whatever you fancy! Send your poem to:
Our thanks go to the National Heritage Lottery Fund and those who play the lottery – without them we wouldn’t be able to secure St Peter’s future.
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- Written by: Peter Schmidt-Hansen
St Peter's is one of the finest examples of a round tower church in the country. Join us for a fascinating talk by Stuart Bowell, Chair of the Round Tower Churches Society, to find out a whole lot more about these intriguing structures, some of which, including St Peter's, date back to the Anglo-Saxon period.
The talk is free and a glass of wine and nibbles will be available.
Donations towards the campaign to Save St Peter's are welcome. Find out more about the problems facing the building here
Copies of the Round Tower Churches Golden Jubilee Guide Book will be on sale at £5, featuring St Peter's on the cover. Profits of sales in the church to the Save St Peter's campaign through the generosity of the Round Tower Churches Society - Thank You!
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- Written by: Ally Rae
Forncett – a Village of Stories
We would love you to join us on Tuesday 11th July at 7.30pm at St Peter’s Church to discover how the Village of Stories project is progressing and how you can help to shape it.
This conversation and consultation evening at St Peter’s follows on from our successful Development Phase application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), which secured a grant to further build the project. This involves carrying out architectural investigations into the condition of the church’s fabric and to develop a programme of new activities and interpretation.
The urgent repairs needed at St Peter’s provide a wonderful opportunity for us to deliver a new programme of learning and interpretation for all ages. Really important in this is how the project connects to the village and how it works in partnership with new and existing groups in the community. This is an essential part of delivering a successful project. Forncett is one community and by working together we will be able to celebrate our heritage and share skills and ambitions for a sustainable future.
On 11th July we will be joined by our Project Manager, our project Activity Consultantand our Project Filmmaker, who will:
- Give an overview of project progress and what needs to be done to secure the next phase of funding from the NLHF, which will provide a major investment into our village
- Summarise the results of the recent fabric investigations and explain what needs to be done to repair and conserve St Peter’s
- Give an update on our project activity planning, including the vision behind the new ‘Forncett –A Village of Stories’ film
- Provide opportunities for discussion and feedback – it is critical that we hear from you as to how the project can best deliver for the community in Forncett
We do hope that you can attend the consultation evening so that we can better understand how we can work together to successfully deliver this project. The evening will last around an hour and a half and refreshments will be provided.
We look forward to seeing you at St Peter’s on 11th July!
With very best wishes
The Village of Stories Project Team
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- Written by: Forncett: Village of Stories Project Team
Come along to see the church a blaze of colour and scent with our Bloomin' Jars event. This is a two day festival of flowers from our gardens set in jam jars or other small containers.
Please join in: Everyone is welcome to contribute flowers to the event - one jar or 10 - whatever you like. We are not looking for magnificent flower displays, just lots and lots of small pops of colour to make the church sing with delight! Don't be shy, fill your jam jars with flowers and foliage and bring them along any time between 10am - 4pm on Friday 14th when we will be setting up or before the viewing starts at 10am on Saturday. if you would prefer to fill your containers at the church, please bring water with you as this is not yet 'on tap' at the church. It would be very helpful if you could let Gilly know if you will be bringing flowers but not essential, just come anyway If you possibly can. Then please come and see the final array. There is an early communion service on Sunday morning, hence the later start that day. Let's really get together and fill the church with colour.
Poster thanks to Donna HumphreysWhether you are contributing flowers or not please come along to enjoy the show. Bring family and friends. There will be delicious home-made refreshments. Entry is free. This 1000 year old round tower church has it's own special atmosphere, distilled over the years. If you would like to make a donation to the Save St Peter's fund that would be welcome.
If you are not familiar with the church the postcode is NR16 1HY for SatNav.
Parking is available in the small church car park and carefully along the road. Please walk up to the church using the pedestrian gate on the left of the private drive, or stroll through the churchyard. Sadly our disabled access is poor at the moment with around a 200 metre walk on gravel or grass paths to reach the church, where there is a ramp providing access. You can drop someone off nearer to the church - please contact Gilly. Toilet facilities are provided by a portaloo in the churchyard.
Gilly Barnes - 01508 813055,
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- Written by: April Carlin and Ally Rae
FROM THE CONQUEST TO THE BLACK DEATH
On Friday 19 May a packed Village Hall travelled back in time to Medieval Forncett when Marilyn Tolhurst gave us a taste of what life was like 1000 years ago. Marilyn had once lived in Forncett and has a deep interest and knowledge of its history. Mike Merrick of the Forncett History Group organised the event with proceeds going to Friends of St Peter’s.
Whilst the evening was about Forncett, it also took in America and France! The American connection comes through Frances Gardiner Davenport, an American historian. She came to England in the late 19th century to research life in a medieval village and was quickly drawn to Forncett because of its rich history. Her work ‘The Economic Development of a Norfolk Manor, 1086–1565’ tells the dry facts of Forncett, but Marilyn engagingly brought these to life by telling us what day-to-day life would have been like. And the French connection comes through Roger Bigod whose family had come to England with the Norman invasion in 1066 and who had been granted substantial land in Norfolk including Forncett.
Agricultural life in the Middle Ages. Lutteral Psalter.Marilyn’s fascinating talk covered the Norman invasion, the Black Death, the Forncett Hoard, the location of Roger Bigod’s Manor house and even the evolution of French names to British ones. The Black Death had a devastating effect – it’s likely that about half of the people in Forncett died. The Forncett Hoard, found in 1997 near the crossroads on Cheney’s Lane comprised 336 silver coins, some dating back to the period 128-42BC. It was probably buried by a Roman soldier following the Iceni rebellion when Roman activity in Norfolk increased significantly.
There has been a lot of speculation about the location of Roger Bigod’s Forncett Manor house and perceived wisdom was that it was just north of, and close to, St Mary’s Church. Marilyn had studied aerial photos from 1944 which suggest that it may have been located elsewhere on Low Road.
And it’s fascinating to think that the names of the ancestors of the Hulots who came from France in 1066 gradually evolved into Hewletts and the name Bolytout evolved to Bullitowt.
It was lovely to meet with friends and to hear the history of where we live. Many thanks to Mike Merrick and Marilyn Tolhurst for putting on such a wonderful evening which also raised over £180 for Friends of St Peter’s.
If you'd like to find out more about the history of the Forncetts Forncett History Group has a wealth of information.
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- Written by: Peter Schimdt-Hansen
Transformed! That is what has happened to our dreary hoarding protecting essential scaffolding in the Chancel. Thanks to local artist and volunteer Gill Starkie it has taken on a new life and far from being an eyesore it is now another reason to pop in.
The completed Mural. Photo: Gill StarkieHere's what Gill says: "I was asked to paint the ugly wooden screens which separate the church from the scaffolding. As you sit in the pews, it is one of the joys to look around and take in the beauty of the architecture and the fine details, so it seemed right to create a backdrop that didn’t distract, but complemented – in colour and content. Creating a sky and introducing a little flavour of the renaissance seemed fitting, an opportunity to imagine life 1000 years ago when the church was built. The central sewn textile piece (which masks the contractors’ door) represents the nature and wildlife that is all around the church. The cross and the rainbow are symbols of forgiveness, inclusivity and acceptance.
Before painting began. Photo: Gilly BarnesSpending a few freezing days in the church, painting and creating, I got to appreciate how life must have been way back when this beautiful church was built – from the planning, design and conception, the building, the decoration and window fitting, the many years of labour and the varied lives of those who frequented the building – both as a place of worship and as a place to find sanctuary and social entertainment. There was no heating then – just the right clothes!
Our church is going through a ‘renaissance’ – embracing the new ideas, the new plans, new attitudes and restoring a church that is surrounded, supported and held tight within this village of stories.”
Self Portraits from Forncett Primary School pupils. Photo: Gill StarkieThe work was finished with wonderful panels of self portraits done by every child at Formcett Primary School. “The screens tell a village story and the children’s textile work means that the school will be marked within this space, ” says Gill.
Come and take a look. The church is open every day 10am – 4pm – please drop in.
We are so grateful to Gill for her creativity and time which is resulting in such a transformation and to the children and teachers at Forncett Primary School who have made such a special contribution. The hoarding is likely to be in place for 2 years until the church undergoes a major restoration to stabilize the structure so that it can be removed from the Heritage at Risk Register and can develop as the active place of worship and respite it has always been and the community heritage hub it will become. A major fund-raising campaign is underway – find out more here. If you are able to help please use the DONATE button. Every little helps.
The artist at work - Gill Starkie Photo: Martin Starkie
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- Written by: Ally Rae
Great News! St Peter's is now open again for services and visitors. With the chancel roof supported by a forest of scaffolding and closed to the public with a large hoarding, the rest of the church is now up and running. It will be open every day from 10am to 4pm thanks to our wonderful band of volunters. The lovely Victorian stained glass, carved pew ends and other historic features are there for you to discover. The scaffolding itself - an outward sign of the extensive structural problems facing the building - is quite a sight.
The chancel full of essential scaffolding. Photo: G BarnesSt Peter's also has a special atmosphere of peace and tanquillity, a respite from the turmoil of everyday life, a place to sit at ease. Everyone is welcome.
You will find information about services here
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- Written by: Ally Rae