Church Tours...

The Wayland Partnership would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome visitors and residents alike to enjoy and explore our eighteen unique churches set in this beautiful and unspoilt part of Norfolk. The inspiration to make our churches more widely accessible came in 2002, when it also emerged that we were fortunate to have a dedicated community who were eager to research their village histories and who welcomed the opportunity to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with visitors and help maintain the future of their church by contributing their time to the project.
This area is also blessed with some of the most flawless views of the Breckland countryside and within our charming villages lie these historical gems which, before the origination of the Church Tours project, were not recognised to their full potential.
One of the eighteen churches, St. Mary’s Houghton-on-the-Hill, www.saintmaryschurch.org.uk has received additional funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to refurbish its amazing 11th century wall-paintings medieval wall-paintings. This is a wonderful little church with a fascinating history and well worth a visit on its own or combined with some of the other Wayland Churches.
Since the launch in 2004 the Church Tours project has been recognised nationally, winning the East of England Market Town Overall Award and receiving a place in the English Heritages Heritage Counts publication as an example of good practice.
The project will continue to grow in the years to come, and we particularly welcome visitors to take a tour, either independently or as a group, whilst staying in one of our impressive selection of hotels, B&Bs or self catering options in the Wayland area. A few quotes from visitors. . . . “ …I must say how impressed I am with what has been achieved….. Please thank the volunteers and guides warmly for all the trouble they went to in making us welcome. They are right to be proud. What with a lovely lunch and glorious weather it really was a day to remember.” College of Canons visit “Thanks especially to Jo, who led the way and joined us for lunch and to Kevin for his enthusiastic insights into Threxton and to the others who welcomed us at Ashill and Houghton on the Hill what a gem and a labour of love was the last of these.We shall certainly recommend your tour to anyone we meet.” The Hingham Society visit Click here for more information on Church Tour options, including St. Mary’s Houghton, the guidebook and audio tours.