St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich

We know who Saint Peter was, but who is Mancroft? There is no "who." The name Mancroft is not a name. It is believed to be a corruption of the Old English term for a common field, "gemaene croft." In fact, the church, Saint Peter Mancroft, was built next to a common field which had become the site of the Norwich Market.

Saint Peters is the largest of the three churches of Norwich. The lesser two are Saint Giles and Saint Stephen. The church was most likely founded in 1075 by Ralph de Guader, Earl of Norfolk. Ralph was involved in a failed rebellion against William the Conqueror. Ralph fled the country and gave the church to his chaplain, Wala. Wala ran away too.

In 1388 the church was taken over by the Benedictines. The Benedictines rebuilt the church by 1455 and today it still has that no-nonsense perpendicular, 15th century style. The building period was short. That's the secret.

The outside is faced in limestone, most likely imported from Caen in France. There are two large porches each on the north and south sides. Over the north porch there is a parvis, a small room. Lighting in the interior is by a clerestory that runs the length of the nave. The timber roof is decorated with bosses of golden angels and suns.

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Sight Name: St. Peter Mancroft Church
Sight Location: Norwich, England (See walking tours in Norwich)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Norwich Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Norwich, England

Create Your Own Walk in Norwich

Creating your own self-guided walk in Norwich is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Norwich's Haunted Buildings

The long and sometimes bloody history of Norwich has left its mark on the city in the form of spooky happenings. Indeed, nearly half of the local population have reported experiencing throughout their life something paranormal. Add to this a mildly alarming number of UFOs spotted on the outskirts of Norwich, and you get one of, if not the most haunted area in the UK.

Needless to say that in a... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.4 Km or 0.9 Miles

Norwich Introduction Walking Tour

The Iceni tribe predated the Romans in the village of Caistor, near the area of present-day Norwich. In 60 AD an uprising led by Boudica had been put down and Caistor became the Roman capital of East Anglia. Anglo-Saxons settled the town of Northwic in the 4th century. By the 10th century Northwic became Norwich, a prosperous trading center.

William the Conqueror arrived with a bang in 1066.... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles

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