St Mary the Virgin's Church, Great Bircham
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| St Mary the Virgin’s Church, Great Bircham | |
|---|---|
.jpg) St Mary the Virgin’s Church, Great Bircham | |
  St Mary the Virgin’s Church, Great Bircham Location within Norfolk | |
| 52°51′42.3″N 0°37′42.8″E / 52.861750°N 0.628556°E | |
| Location | Great Bircham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Mary the Virgin |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed[1] |
| Designated | 5 June 1953 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Norwich |
| Archdeaconry | Lynn |
| Deanery | Heacham and Rising[2] |
| Parish | The Birchams and Bagthorpe |
St Mary's Church, Great Bircham dates from the 12th-century, and is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in Great Bircham, Norfolk.[3]
The earliest parts of the church are the Norman tower dating from ca. 1200. The tower door is 12th century and the north door and Purbeck marble font date from the 13th century. The chancel is early 14th century and the nave mid 14th century. The chancel exterior wall is covered in cement render. The 15th century screen survives.
The church is noted for its box pews which date from 1850 and are decorated with poppyheads.
In 1939, the church sold a crimson cope of about 1480 given by Roger Le Strange in 1505 to the St Peter Hungate Museum in Norwich to fund repairs to the church.[4]
Parish status
The church is in a joint benefice with:
- All Saints’ Church, Bircham Newton
- St Mary's Church, Docking
- St Mary's Church, Sedgeford
- All Saints’ Church, Stanhoe
- All Saints’ Church, Fring