On Monday 29 July 2019 I had a day in East Anglia. The 0621 from East Midlands Parkway, meet Elaine at Ely, get into King’s Lynn at 0902, and catch the 0930 bus along the coast. There is a £10 bus ticket valid on all the services – it really is a bargain. The Coastliner 36 bus came into Burnham Market at 1110, past St Mary the Virgin church – TF 830421 – and it looked busy. We needed coffee, so off the bus and into a café! Then through the market and the church has a flea market (do I want to buy a flea?). It certainly had a buzz about the place. The church website is https://www.burnhamsbenefice.org.uk/churches, but it doesn’t give us much info about the church itself.
The South Porch is originally C15, once with a room over the porch. Most of the interior is C14. The pews are Victorian, and they are debating getting the out – a good idea (though they are useful for displaying pictures for sale – I wonder how many they sell). A good wooden ramp, and toys by the font – the bowl is late medieval, the base modern.
There is a C14 effigy under the tower. It was discovered, upside down, in the north aisle in 1823, so no one knows who he is. The brass lady has three children – some of the brass has gone missing. The inscription of 1523 refers to John Huntley and his two wives, Mary and Anne.
The East window was designed and installed in Coronation year 1953 by E.F. Erridge. The leaflet describes it as one of the finest post-war windows in Norfolk.
The tower was built around 1310, and the parapet dates to the C15. Various interesting pictures – Adam and Eve, the executioner with the head of John the Baptist, St Andrew, and various others if you had binoculars.
Some nice memorials around the churchyard too. We got chatting to another photograpeher, and had to make a dash for the next bus.
