0:00:01 > 0:00:03BBC Four Collections -
0:00:03 > 0:00:06specially chosen programmes from the BBC archive.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17I was eight or nine years old
0:00:17 > 0:00:24when I used to come here to the Norfolk Broads on the River Bure,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27sailing and rowing with my father.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32And I think it was the outline of that church tower of Belaugh
0:00:32 > 0:00:37against the sky which gave me a passion for churches
0:00:37 > 0:00:42so that every church I've been past since, I want to stop and look in.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21ORGAN PLAYS "Old Hundredth"
0:01:38 > 0:01:43The air - the Old Hundredth. The place - Bressingham.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45The diocese - Norwich,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49which includes most of Norfolk and a little bit of Suffolk.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00What would you be, you wide East Anglian sky
0:02:00 > 0:02:04Without church towers to recognise you by?
0:02:04 > 0:02:08What centuries of faith in flint and stone
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Wait in this watery landscape, all alone
0:02:12 > 0:02:16To antiquaries, "objects of research"
0:02:16 > 0:02:20To the bored tourist "just another church".
0:02:20 > 0:02:24The varied Norfolk towers could also be
0:02:24 > 0:02:28A soothing sight to mariners at sea.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33This is Cley next the Sea.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36The sea is now quite a long way off.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41It's a tiny place, but it's got an enormous church.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44They must have had hopes of it being very much bigger.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47And look at that porch -
0:02:47 > 0:02:50built, I should think, about 1430.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Very delicately done.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Almost another church in itself.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58And slapped onto it,
0:02:58 > 0:03:04very coarsely, a sundial - time suddenly stuck into eternity.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Look at that
0:03:09 > 0:03:11for vastness and light.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Light falling on carved Norfolk oak,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Gone silvery grey with age.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23And towards the light come out
0:03:23 > 0:03:26The nightmare figures of marsh and forest,
0:03:26 > 0:03:31Earthbound creatures struggling up the bench ends.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33They know they can never reach
0:03:33 > 0:03:38The winged celestial hosts here in the roof at Knapton.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40CHOIR SINGS
0:03:57 > 0:03:59The finest of all the woodcarving
0:03:59 > 0:04:02is in the neighbouring parish of Trunch.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06It exalts the very first sacrament.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09VICAR: You have brought this child to baptism.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12You stand in the presence of God and his church.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15You must now make the Christian profession
0:04:15 > 0:04:20in which she is to be baptised and in which you will bring her up.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Do you believe and trust in God the Father...?
0:04:22 > 0:04:24BETJEMAN: Baptism by water.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27The first armour we put on
0:04:27 > 0:04:30against the assaults of hate, greed and fear
0:04:30 > 0:04:33on our journey back to eternity.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Do you believe and trust in His Holy Spirit...
0:04:37 > 0:04:41BETJEMAN: Cherry Ann, your godparents make promises
0:04:41 > 0:04:45on your behalf and the village of Trunch bears witness.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47BABY CRIES
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Cherry Ann, I baptise you
0:04:54 > 0:04:58in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59Amen.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08I sign you with the sign of the cross to show that...
0:05:08 > 0:05:10CONGREGATION JOINS IN ..you must not be ashamed
0:05:10 > 0:05:14to confess the faith of Christ crucified
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and manfully to fight under his banner
0:05:17 > 0:05:19against sin, the world and the devil,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and to continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant
0:05:22 > 0:05:26unto your life's end.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32BETJEMAN: First steps on the journey.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36At Mattishall, they have Sunday school on Wednesday afternoon.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42The little people, as they call them, clutching their tambourines
0:05:42 > 0:05:48and triangles, come to hear the old story told anew.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50VICAR: You've all seen this story before, haven't you?
0:05:50 > 0:05:52It's about some sheep.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55It's a story Jesus told about some lovely sheep.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59And there's the man looking after his sheep.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Just like Mr Fairclough. He's got lots and lots and lots of sheep.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04And he was very fond of all the sheep,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08but then one of them went and got lost.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11It got stuck in a hedge somewhere.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15It got its horns all stuck up so it couldn't get out of the way.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18And the poor shepherd was very worried cos he'd lost one,
0:06:18 > 0:06:19and so he started to look.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22He looked here and he looked there.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25He couldn't find it anywhere.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27He was getting very worried, almost thinking about going home
0:06:27 > 0:06:29because it was getting dark
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and then, suddenly, he heard a little noise
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and there it was - he found it.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41He lifted it up and took it home and was so happy.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43And here's the last picture.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Jesus tells us He loves us just as much
0:06:47 > 0:06:49as that one little sheep that was lost.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54If we get lost, He'll do anything he can to find us.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55So that's nice, isn't it?
0:06:56 > 0:07:01# Here we go walking around God's house
0:07:01 > 0:07:04# Singing a lovely song
0:07:04 > 0:07:06CHILDREN PLAY INSTRUMENTS
0:07:06 > 0:07:10# Here we go walking around God's house
0:07:10 > 0:07:15# Singing a lovely song
0:07:15 > 0:07:19# Here we go walking around God's house
0:07:19 > 0:07:22# Singing a lovely song
0:07:24 > 0:07:28# Here we go walking around God's house
0:07:28 > 0:07:31# Singing a lovely song
0:07:33 > 0:07:37# Here we go walking around God's house
0:07:37 > 0:07:40# Singing a lovely song... #
0:07:43 > 0:07:46BETJEMAN: Each generation makes itself heard.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51The past cries out to us, even when we try to smother the cries.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56Medieval saints peer at us through godly warnings
0:07:56 > 0:07:59put over them by pious Elizabethans,
0:07:59 > 0:08:04who had more use for the written word than the painted picture.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08We can help the past come through.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12A hundredth of an inch at a time, Miss Pauline Plummer
0:08:12 > 0:08:17is revealing the secrets of the chancel screen at Ranworth
0:08:17 > 0:08:21and soon will show it in its medieval glory.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32In the 15th century, Norwich was famous for its painters.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36They delighted in herbs and flowers and living creatures.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39CHOIR SINGS
0:08:47 > 0:08:52The lithe and feathered figure of the Archangel Michael
0:08:52 > 0:08:57is by no provincial hand. It's rather a masterpiece.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06The Norwich artists also painted on glass,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09and light came into every Norfolk church
0:09:09 > 0:09:13through golden late-medieval windows.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Men hate beauty. They think it's wicked.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Self-righteous churchwardens delighted in smashing it.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Village boys flung stones.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Storms did the rest.
0:09:31 > 0:09:37Today, the famous Norwich glass is nearly all jumbled fragments.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41A few whole windows survive.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Here's where the artists worked - the city of Norwich
0:10:04 > 0:10:08down in the valley of the Wensum.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12It's a city of cobbled alleys and winding footpaths.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15It has more medieval churches within its walls
0:10:15 > 0:10:18than London, York and Bristol put together.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Remember Norwich.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Round the corner, down the steps,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27over the bridge, up the hill - there's always a church.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33And grandest of all, St Peter Mancroft -
0:10:33 > 0:10:38so large that sometimes people mistake it for the cathedral.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47The city wears its cathedral like a crown -
0:10:47 > 0:10:52a coronal of flying buttresses supporting walls of glass.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54The Normans started it.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The stone was brought over the sea from France
0:10:57 > 0:10:59to build and adorn
0:10:59 > 0:11:04the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It draws the whole diocese towards it.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17And in its cloisters, made for contemplation,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19mothers and grandmothers, vicars and rectors
0:11:19 > 0:11:25from towns and villages of the diocese of Norwich gather together
0:11:25 > 0:11:29for the annual festival of the Mothers' Union.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Bawdeswell greets Stratton Strawless.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Potter Heigham is on terms with Little Snoring.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48North Creake sits beside Melton Constable.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51And for everyone, there's the chance to meet the Bishop.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Here we've got Bishop Salmon's Porch.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58About 1320. Now, that was merely the entrance to my dining hall.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01So, as opposed to having your lunch in the cloisters or, as today,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03sitting out here in the garden,
0:12:03 > 0:12:08we would have given you an enormous sit-down lunch from there to there.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11The whole stretch of that was the Bishop's dining hall.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14We weren't married in those days, darling.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15LAUGHTER
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Thank goodness for that!
0:12:17 > 0:12:21It was before bishops were allowed to have wives.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23So we weren't married in those days.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28BETJEMAN: Maurice Wood, Diocesan Bishop of Norwich.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31When not entertaining, he's Maurice Norvic -
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Father-in-God to the clergy.
0:12:33 > 0:12:39Receive this cure of souls, which is both mine and thine.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Amen.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49BETJEMAN: The Bishop institutes a new rector
0:12:49 > 0:12:53to the living of Holt in north Norfolk.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55BISHOP: The God of peace,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01the great shepherd of the sheep,
0:13:01 > 0:13:06make you perfect in every good thing to do His will,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight,
0:13:09 > 0:13:15through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever more. Amen.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23BETJEMAN: By the laying on of hands, the Bishop commits to the priest
0:13:23 > 0:13:26the spiritual care of the parish.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38With every parish church, there's a house, rectory or vicarage,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41usually beside the churchyard.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45I think you probably need money of your own
0:13:45 > 0:13:49to be rector of Great Snoring because the rectory house
0:13:49 > 0:13:54is a Tudor palace with moulded autumn-coloured brick
0:13:54 > 0:13:56and elaborate chimney stacks.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59And the date - about 1525.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05It's the usual practice now, though,
0:14:05 > 0:14:10to sell big rectories and build labour-saving villas in their place.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15At Weston Longville, in Georgian days,
0:14:15 > 0:14:20Parson Woodforde wrote his worldly diaries full of good dinners.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25The present rector types the parish magazine.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29RECTOR: We send belated birthday greetings to Mr Walter Pardon
0:14:29 > 0:14:30of Weston Longville,
0:14:30 > 0:14:37who reached the splendid age of 89 years on February 17th.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Little Johnny Artherton, aged eight and a half years,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44broke his leg on February 17th.
0:14:44 > 0:14:50Bad luck. We hope that you will get well soon, Johnny.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55It's only a rumour, of course, but there is talk of a sponsored streak
0:14:55 > 0:14:58for church funds.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01By whom, we wonder?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03BETJEMAN: Not, I think,
0:15:03 > 0:15:09by members of the parochial church council at Letheringsett - the PCC.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13It's meeting this evening in the church hall
0:15:13 > 0:15:15with the rector in the chair.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Thank you very much, then. We will now proceed.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22May we have the minutes of the last PCC meeting, please?
0:15:22 > 0:15:26The minutes of the meeting held on January 29th, 1974.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Present - the Reverend AM Gamble in the chair,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Mrs English, Mr Fish, Mrs Hall, Miss Cousins-Hardy, Lady Harrod,
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Mrs Hine, Mr and Mrs Douglas-King,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Mr Lewis, Brigadier and Mrs Phelps, Mrs Sadler, Mrs Sinclair.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Commander Sinclair sent a written report
0:15:42 > 0:15:45stating that the external contract work had been completed,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48subject to a test of the efficacy of the repairs and improvements
0:15:48 > 0:15:51to the porch water head. It was noted that it had been discovered
0:15:51 > 0:15:55that there were no foundations to the church tower.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59BETJEMAN: If it isn't the tower, it's the transept or the north porch
0:15:59 > 0:16:05and the answer is usually a fete to raise another few pounds.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09We can rely on the parish to rally round.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Ladies and gentlemen, just a moment, please.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16First of all, I want to thank Mrs Lestrange
0:16:16 > 0:16:21and everybody who has helped her to arrange this afternoon's event,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and to thank you for coming.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I think most people have got a particularly soft spot
0:16:27 > 0:16:29for South Raynham and its church.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I know I have.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34And it's very nice to see all the friends coming to help us
0:16:34 > 0:16:36to raise a little bit of money
0:16:36 > 0:16:39to keep it going for another 1,000 years or two.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43And now, let battle commence.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58BETJEMAN: God bless the Church of England
0:16:58 > 0:17:00The rectory lawn that gave
0:17:00 > 0:17:02A trodden space for that bazaar
0:17:02 > 0:17:05That underpinned the nave.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07We must dip into our pockets,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10For our hearts are full of dread
0:17:10 > 0:17:12At the thought of all the damage
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Since the roof was stripped of lead.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Now we've got the star attraction for today.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23The picture, not me!
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Now, what might I say for this?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Someone start me five pounds?
0:17:29 > 0:17:31MAN: Yes.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- MAN: Yes. - Five pounds I'm bid.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Five.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38- WOMAN: Six. - Six.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Seven. Seven.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Eight. Nine. Ten.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49Any advance on ten pounds?
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Do you mean another, Tony?
0:17:51 > 0:17:52MAN MURMURS
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Try a half. It's always worth a try.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59BETJEMAN: And it's always worth a try
0:17:59 > 0:18:03to get the key, however remote the church.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05In fact, the remoter the better.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10There's more chance of its being left unspoiled.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13St Mary Belaugh in the valley of the Wensum.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Look.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18This is a perfect example
0:18:18 > 0:18:22of a church in a park in the time of Jane Austen.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27The woodwork is all of oak.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Notice that altarpiece
0:18:30 > 0:18:35with the Creed, the Commandments and the Lord's Prayer painted on it
0:18:35 > 0:18:40and here is a three-decker pulpit in full sail.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48This is where the parish clerk
0:18:48 > 0:18:51said "Amen" at the end of the prayers,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55and announced the name of the hymn tune or the psalm tune.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08Here, a gentle staircase leads to the middle deck.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18And this is where the minister, as he was called,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20read the holy offices
0:19:20 > 0:19:24of morning and evening prayer and the lessons.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27And if he was in the mood,
0:19:27 > 0:19:32or it was the fourth Sunday in the month or something like that,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36he would ascend to the top deck to preach a sermon.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43And from here, the parson could survey his whole parish.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46In the big box pew there,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51the squire from the hall slumbering while a fire crackled in the grate.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57The large farmers in the pews in front.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02The cottagers and lesser tenantry behind.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06All by country custom
0:20:06 > 0:20:11in their place in the church by law established.
0:20:12 > 0:20:18The cottagers and lesser tenantry would have had a good long walk
0:20:18 > 0:20:20by field and footpath
0:20:20 > 0:20:25to the isolated parish church of St Margaret, Felbrigg.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28The squire would have had a gentle stroll.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31It is in the park of the big house.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44I wonder who fall to their knees here today.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Oh, the new cottage industry - brass rubbing.
0:21:01 > 0:21:07Memorial brasses to the former generations of squires of Felbrigg
0:21:07 > 0:21:08and their ladies -
0:21:08 > 0:21:14medieval effigies that tell us nothing of the people they represent,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18they're so calm and bland and self-controlled.
0:21:20 > 0:21:26Outlined there, as large as life, Sir Simon and Lady Margaret Felbrigg.
0:21:26 > 0:21:32He a Garter Knight and she a cousin of the Queen.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34It must have been the day of days
0:21:34 > 0:21:37the day they took their vows.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41- VICAR: From this day forward... - MAN: From this day forward...
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- For better, for worse... - For better, for worse...
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- For richer, for poorer... - For richer, for poorer...
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- In sickness and in health... - In sickness and in health...
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- To love and to cherish... - To love and to cherish...
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- Till death us do part... - Till death us do part...
0:21:57 > 0:22:02- According to God's holy law. - According to God's holy law.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04- And thereto... - And thereto...
0:22:04 > 0:22:07- I give thee my troth. - I give thee my troth.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12WHISPERING
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- I, Celia... - I, Celia...
0:22:17 > 0:22:19- Take thee, Nigel... - Take thee, Nigel...
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- To my wedded husband... - To my wedded husband...
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- To have and to hold... - To have and to hold...
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- From this day forward... - From this day forward...
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- For better, for worse... - For better, for worse...
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- For richer, for poorer... - For richer, for poorer...
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- In sickness and in health... - In sickness and in health...
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- To love and to cherish... - To love and to cherish...
0:22:40 > 0:22:44- Till death us do part... - Till death us do part...
0:22:44 > 0:22:47- According to God's holy law... - According to God's holy law...
0:22:47 > 0:22:49- And thereto... - And thereto...
0:22:49 > 0:22:52- I give thee my troth. - I give thee my troth.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08BETJEMAN: Ringing the changes, treble bell to tenor, unites young and old.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13Captain of the tower, and 60 years a ringer, Billy West.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15BILLY: That's music in your ear, that's music in your ear.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Once that get hold of you, I suppose that's like smoking cigarettes.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Once that get hold of you, that's a drug. You can't get rid of them.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24There's something about it, I don't know what it is.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27You can go anywhere for them.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30If there weren't somewhere where there was some bells, I'd go crazy.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32I know I should. Bells are life to me.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35I mean, it would never seem a Sunday to me
0:23:35 > 0:23:37if we don't hear no bells.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41It never seems Sunday if you can't hear church bells going.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48BETJEMAN: I hear a deep, sad undertone in bells -
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Which calls the Middle Ages back to me.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55From prime to compline, the monastic hours
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Echo in bells along the windy marsh
0:23:59 > 0:24:00And fade away.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03They leave me to the ghosts
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Which seem to look from this enormous sky
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Upon the ruins of a grandeur gone.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12St Benet's Abbey by the River Bure -
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Now but an archway and a Georgian mill -
0:24:16 > 0:24:21A lone memorial of the cloistered life.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26Alone? No, not alone. Serene, secure,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29The sisters of All Hallows, Ditchingham,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33In this brick convent, for over a century now,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Have taught and trained the young and nursed the sick
0:24:36 > 0:24:39And founded rescue homes.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42A homely, practical community.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11Their souls are fed with daily Eucharists.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16You see the impress there upon the bread.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20You see the impress also in their lives.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31NUN: We haven't got many left to go! SHE LAUGHS
0:25:31 > 0:25:37BETJEMAN: Their motto - semper orantes, semper laborantes.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Always at prayer, and always at their work.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50An Anglican convent in East Anglia.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53A place to think of when a world seems mad
0:25:53 > 0:25:56With too much speed and noise.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00A pleasant place to come to for retreat.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03There's really not much risk of being stung.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Always at prayer, and always at their work.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Just as some people are holy, so are places.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19They draw us to them, whether we will or not.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26In the misty past, in the 1920s and '30s,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29people came to Norfolk by train -
0:26:29 > 0:26:32by steam, Great Eastern.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38And more locally, by Midland and Great Northern Joint.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41They came on pilgrimage by train. TRAIN WHISTLES
0:26:41 > 0:26:47Faith enlightened, full of hope and on the way to Walsingham.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
0:26:57 > 0:27:01This is all that remains of the railway track
0:27:01 > 0:27:04that carried all those pilgrims to Walsingham.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08And what's become of the station?
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It's the Orthodox church.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18The Orient, come to East Anglia...
0:27:20 > 0:27:25..to this country town where, in 1061, forgive my mentioning dates,
0:27:25 > 0:27:31the lady of the manor saw the Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Then medieval pilgrims,
0:27:33 > 0:27:39peasants, kings, in thousands thronged to England's Nazareth.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44The cult has been revived in modern times.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Suburbanised, perhaps.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham,
0:27:51 > 0:27:551930s redbrick Romanesque.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00But inside is the goal of all the pilgrims.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02And very peculiar it is.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07I wonder if you'd call it superstitious?
0:28:07 > 0:28:12Here in this warm, mysterious, holy house,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15The figure of Our Lady and her child.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Or do you think that forces are around,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Strong, frightening, loving and just out of reach
0:28:21 > 0:28:25But waiting, waiting, somewhere to be asked?
0:28:25 > 0:28:29And is that somewhere here at Walsingham?
0:28:29 > 0:28:32MAN: Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35CONGREGATION: Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39MAN: Jesu, teacher of evangelists...
0:28:39 > 0:28:43VICAR: The prayers of our Lady of Walsingham, grant you health.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44MAN: Jesu, light...
0:28:44 > 0:28:48May Almighty God, through the prayers of Our Lady of Walsingham,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50grant you health and peace.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53CONGREGATION: Have mercy upon us.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55MAN: Deliver us, Jesus, from our sin.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59May Almighty God, through the prayers of Our Lady of Walsingham,
0:28:59 > 0:29:00grant you health and peace.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02MAN: ..from the snares of the devil...
0:29:02 > 0:29:07May Almighty God, through the prayers of Our Lady of Walsingham,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09grant you health and peace.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11MAN: Jesu, most wonderful...
0:29:11 > 0:29:13CONGREGATION: Have mercy upon us.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16- MAN: Jesu, mighty God... - CONGREGATION: Have mercy upon us.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20BETJEMAN: The water bubbles from the Holy Well.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23By water we were brought into the Church.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26By water we are blessed along the way.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28HYMN IS SUNG
0:29:50 > 0:29:53I've seen processions like this in Sicily
0:29:53 > 0:29:57and you can see them in the streets of Malta, too.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00But it's an exotic flowering of the C of E,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02here in a Norfolk garden.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08The Anglican Church has got a bit of everything. It's very tolerant.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10And that is part of its strength.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24VICAR: Yes, be there next year.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27I don't want to lose any.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30When I get back, I've lost a few sheep!
0:30:30 > 0:30:32- Goodbye, my dear. - Goodbye, Father.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Try and be good and come next year.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36- We will try. - Then we'll make it better.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44BETJEMAN: Farewell to the pilgrims.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Here come the tourists.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51Sandringham is the Queen's country estate.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56The parish church is used both by the villagers and the Royal Family.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01It seems appropriate to arrive in style.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11"Originally," says the guide book,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15"Sandringham Church had little or nothing to distinguish it
0:31:15 > 0:31:18"from any village church in Norfolk."
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Well...
0:31:24 > 0:31:26..at first glance,
0:31:26 > 0:31:32it rather reminds me of the Wee Kirk o' the Heather in Hollywood -
0:31:32 > 0:31:35those silver panels on the pulpit,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38that jewel-encrusted Bible.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41But in fact it's very Edwardian,
0:31:41 > 0:31:46for here worshipped King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49The ornate furnishings,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52this altar of solid silver,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55were given by Mr Rodman Wanamaker,
0:31:55 > 0:31:59a very rich American admirer of our royalty.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Sandringham Church has its homely touches, too.
0:32:12 > 0:32:17Of all the details in this church, I think this is my favourite.
0:32:18 > 0:32:19This figure here.
0:32:19 > 0:32:25You can tell by the swells and the curves who the sculptor was.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29He was Sir Alfred Gilbert,
0:32:29 > 0:32:34who designed, you'll remember, Eros in Piccadilly Circus.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38In Sandringham, he's done the figure of St George.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48I wade my way alone, no tourists near,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Through last year's autumn leaves,
0:32:51 > 0:32:56To Booton's haunting, weird Victorian church.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Its pinnacles outlined against the sky
0:32:59 > 0:33:04Seem outsize pinnacles, copies of others elsewhere,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06But they look so big
0:33:06 > 0:33:09I fear the church will topple with their weight.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12A rich Victorian rector paid for them
0:33:12 > 0:33:16And paid for all the stained-glass windows too.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18No painful crucifixions here.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22The heavenly choir, in Victorian dress,
0:33:22 > 0:33:27Makes joyful music unto the Lord of Hosts.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31# Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet
0:33:31 > 0:33:35# Praise Him upon the lute and harp
0:33:35 > 0:33:39# Praise Him in the cymbals and dances
0:33:39 > 0:33:42# Praise Him upon the strings and pipe
0:33:44 > 0:33:48# Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet
0:33:48 > 0:33:51# Praise Him upon the lute and harp
0:33:51 > 0:33:56# Praise Him in the cymbals and dances
0:33:56 > 0:34:00# Praise Him upon the strings and pipe
0:34:02 > 0:34:05# Praise Him upon the well-tuned cymbals...
0:34:05 > 0:34:07CLASH OF CYMBALS
0:34:10 > 0:34:13# Praise Him upon the loud... CYMBALS! #
0:34:13 > 0:34:15CYMBALS CRASH
0:34:17 > 0:34:19CHILDREN CHATTER
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Jonathan on the end and Andrew will come in the middle.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25BETJEMAN: Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!
0:34:25 > 0:34:27But practise first
0:34:27 > 0:34:32in the rectory at Martham, between the Broads and the sea.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34MAN: Can we have trebles only, verse two?
0:34:34 > 0:34:36One, two...
0:34:36 > 0:34:40# Ye blessed souls at rest
0:34:40 > 0:34:45# Who ran this earthly race
0:34:45 > 0:34:48# And now from sin released
0:34:48 > 0:34:52# Behold the Saviour's face... #
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Could we just hold it one moment there? Um...
0:34:55 > 0:34:59"And now from sin released, behold..." - that octave jump.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Could we just... What are the words?
0:35:02 > 0:35:06HE HUMS THE HYMN TO HIMSELF
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Behold. The word "behold".
0:35:09 > 0:35:11# Be-hold... #
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Is that an E?
0:35:14 > 0:35:15Thank you.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18- Start from the beginning? - No, just an E.
0:35:18 > 0:35:19PIANIST PLAYS A NOTE E.
0:35:21 > 0:35:22Thank you.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23# Mmm...
0:35:23 > 0:35:24# Be-hold... #
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Again.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30# Be-hold... #
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Now, open your mouths this time and hit that top note.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36# Be-hold... #
0:35:36 > 0:35:38From the beginning, verse two.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42# Ye blessed souls at rest
0:35:42 > 0:35:46# Who ran this earthly race... #
0:35:47 > 0:35:50BETJEMAN: Meanwhile, in his room above,
0:35:50 > 0:35:57the rector, Father Cooling, model engineer, oils his parish wheels,
0:35:57 > 0:36:02and indeed they run themselves most smoothly.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06# And praise Him still through good or ill
0:36:06 > 0:36:10# Who ever lives! #
0:36:12 > 0:36:17Everywhere, church choirs prepare for Easter.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22Wymondham's Norman Abbey is the town's parish church,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24and, in this century,
0:36:24 > 0:36:31Sir Ninian Comper made the east wall a lofty reredos of sculptured gold.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Scale is the secret of its majesty.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40# Take what He gives
0:36:40 > 0:36:43# And praise Him still
0:36:43 > 0:36:45# Through good or ill
0:36:45 > 0:36:49# Who ever lives!
0:36:52 > 0:36:59# My soul, bear thou thy part
0:36:59 > 0:37:05# Triumph in God above
0:37:05 > 0:37:10# And with a well-tuned heart
0:37:10 > 0:37:16# Sing thou the songs of love!
0:37:16 > 0:37:22# Let all thy days
0:37:22 > 0:37:26# Till life shall end
0:37:26 > 0:37:29# Whate'er He send
0:37:29 > 0:37:38# Be filled with praise. #
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Scale was Comper's secret.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49In 1914, they let him loose in this plain old country church.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51He turned it into a treasure house.
0:37:51 > 0:37:58The golden church of Lound, Suffolk, in the diocese of Norwich.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Gold on the font cover
0:38:01 > 0:38:07to emphasise the sacrament of baptism - entry into the Church.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Gold on the screen
0:38:09 > 0:38:15to veil the mystery of Holy Communion at the high altar.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18I knew Comper.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23He died only a few years ago, aged 96.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27And he looked rather like those advertisements for Colonel Sanders
0:38:27 > 0:38:30in Kentucky Chicken advertisements -
0:38:30 > 0:38:32a little white pointed beard.
0:38:32 > 0:38:33And...
0:38:33 > 0:38:36he spoke in a very la-di-dah manner.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38"My wark, don't you know, in that charch...?"
0:38:38 > 0:38:41His wark in this charch is marvellous.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50I think this is what a late-medieval English church
0:38:50 > 0:38:53probably looked like when it was new.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Colour very important.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59Saints, angels and symbolic figures everywhere.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04Comper was much influenced by the colour and decoration
0:39:04 > 0:39:07of Spanish, Sicilian and Greek churches.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10He didn't mind about style.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Sometimes he mixed Classic with Gothic.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17That, he called, "Unity by inclusion."
0:39:20 > 0:39:24As I look through this rood screen
0:39:24 > 0:39:27I can see the colours of the altar hangings.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Pink predominates.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35It's called Comper pink.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38And he had it specially made in Spain.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40He used to buy scarlet silk,
0:39:40 > 0:39:43and, there, have it bleached in the sun
0:39:43 > 0:39:46till it was just the shade he wanted.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49"In-comper-able," as people used to say.
0:39:51 > 0:39:57"A church should pray of itself with its architecture," said Comper.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59It is its own prayer
0:39:59 > 0:40:03and should bring you to your knees when you come in.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05But there's another way.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07BELL RINGS
0:40:07 > 0:40:11At his ordination, every Anglican priest
0:40:11 > 0:40:16promises to say morning and evening prayer daily.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20The Vicar of Flordon has rung the bell for matins
0:40:20 > 0:40:23each day for the past eleven years.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Dearly beloved brethren,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29the scripture moveth us in sundry places
0:40:29 > 0:40:34to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice
0:40:43 > 0:40:46unto the throne of the heavenly grace,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48saying after me...
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Almighty God...
0:40:52 > 0:40:55BETJEMAN: It doesn't matter that there's no-one there.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59It doesn't matter when they do not come.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04The villagers know the parson is praying for them in their church.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08We have left undone those things we ought to have done.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11And we have done those things which we ought not to have done.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13And there is no health in us.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Restore thou them that are penitent.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26According to thy promises...
0:41:26 > 0:41:30BETJEMAN: In some churches, all prayer has ceased.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34St Benedict's, Norwich, is a tower alone.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36But better let it stand,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39A lighthouse beckoning to the changing world.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44St Edmund Fishergate, a store for soles of shoes.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Once it was working for the souls of men.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Churches are what make knowledge different.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54"A church for every Sunday of the year,"
0:41:54 > 0:41:55They used to say of it.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59"A use for every church," is what we say today.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01St Lawrence here -
0:42:01 > 0:42:05Spacious and filled with mitigated light.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08The matchless words of the Book of Common Prayer
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Once rolled along these walls.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15Now young artists use it for a studio.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Better that than let the building fall.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27Artists came to St Mary Coslany too.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32In this church, John Sell Cotman,
0:42:32 > 0:42:36the Norfolk watercolour painter, was baptised.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40And here, Crome, the artist, was married.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46The present congregation is well upholstered.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51It's all stored here for a charity.
0:42:53 > 0:42:58A use for every church - a thought not new.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Four hundred years ago, St Helen's, Norwich,
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Became a hostel and a hospital.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08Men in the nave, ladies in the chancel,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11A parish church in between.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15This is the upper floor of the chancel, the Eagle Ward.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19And here you can be cared for till you die.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25And should we let the poor old churches die?
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Do the stones speak?
0:43:28 > 0:43:30My word, of course they do.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34Here, in the midst of life, they cry aloud.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37"You've used us to build houses for your prayer.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41"You've left us here to die beside the road."
0:43:41 > 0:43:46Christ, son of God, come down to me and save.
0:43:46 > 0:43:51How fearful and how final seems the grave.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Only through death can resurrection come.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Only from shadows can we see the light.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00Only at our lowest comes the gleam.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Help us.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05We're all alone and full of fear.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Drowning, we stretch our hands to you for aid.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14And wholly unexpectedly, you come.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18Most tolerant and all-embracing Church.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21Wide is the compass of the C of E.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27The Smiths Knoll Lightship
0:44:27 > 0:44:32is the farthest part of the Norwich diocese, 22 miles out to sea.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34The Reverend Maurice Chant,
0:44:34 > 0:44:38chaplain of the missions to seamen in Great Yarmouth,
0:44:38 > 0:44:40comes aboard to meet the men
0:44:40 > 0:44:46to see if there are any problems and to be there just in case he's needed.
0:44:46 > 0:44:51He distributes the mission's magazine and pastoral greetings.
0:44:54 > 0:44:59On inland waters, Canon Blackburn, chaplain of the Norfolk Broads,
0:44:59 > 0:45:04summons the floating members of his flock to Easter service.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08Well, this is very...very nice, but a bit rough!
0:45:08 > 0:45:09HE LAUGHS
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Yes, quite!
0:45:11 > 0:45:16I'm the vicar of Ranworth and the chaplain of the Broads.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19And I thought I'd just like to come and give you a welcome.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22- Have you been here before? - Yes.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24You know Ranworth Church?
0:45:24 > 0:45:28You've been up the tower? Seen the view? We've got a leaflet.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30My wife's given you a leaflet.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34Easter service, half past ten in the morning.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37It's a Series Three Communion.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40And you come in your sailing clothes
0:45:40 > 0:45:43and bring everyone, whether they're confirmed or not.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45They're all very welcome.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49If you happen to be here staying over the day,
0:45:49 > 0:45:52we're going to have an open-air service in the evening.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55It'll be jolly cold.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58But the bishop's coming, so it'll be rather fun.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06BAND PLAYS "Easter Hymn"
0:46:08 > 0:46:13BETJEMAN: Easter Day. Dawn over the easternmost tip of Britain,
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Ness Point, Lowestoft.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23At six o'clock in the morning, led by the band of the Salvation Army,
0:46:23 > 0:46:27all churches join in the first Easter service
0:46:27 > 0:46:30and greet the rising sun.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33HYMN: "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today"
0:46:34 > 0:46:39# Alleluia!
0:46:39 > 0:46:44# Sing, ye heav'ns, thou earth, reply
0:46:44 > 0:46:51# Alleluia! #
0:46:54 > 0:46:56CHURCH BELL RINGS
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Peaceful their lives are.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11calm and unsurprising.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14The almshouse ladies here at Castle Rising.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18And suited to the little brick-built square
0:47:18 > 0:47:21The Jacobean hats and cloaks they wear.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25See, from the separate rooms in which they dwell
0:47:25 > 0:47:26Each one process.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29The Warden pulls the bell.
0:47:29 > 0:47:34Fingers and knees not yet too stiff to pray
0:47:34 > 0:47:37And thank the Lord for life this Easter Day.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42BELLS PEAL
0:47:45 > 0:47:49Bells of St Peter Mancroft, loudly pealing,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52Fill the whole city with an Easter feeling.
0:47:52 > 0:47:57"Is risen today, is risen today," they plead,
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Where footpath, lane and steep up-alley lead.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12Across the diocese, from tower to tower,
0:48:12 > 0:48:16The church bells exercise compelling power.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19"Come all to church, good people," hear them say,
0:48:19 > 0:48:23"Come all to church, today is Easter Day."
0:48:23 > 0:48:27Over our Vicar, we may not agree.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31He seems too high to you, too low to me.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34But still the faith of centuries is seen
0:48:34 > 0:48:38In those who walk to church across the green.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42The faith of centuries is in the sound
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Of Easter bells that ring all Norfolk round.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52And though for Church we may not seem to care,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55It's deeply part of us.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57Thank God it's there.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08CLOCK CHIMES