Cycling Route From Norwich to Hethel

This church was built as a chapel of ease for the parish church of St Andrew’s Church in Eaton. In May 1872 the foundation stone was laid and can be found below the transept window. The church is in the style of the 13th century Gothic and features bands and arches of coloured bricks and a graceful bell turret. Look closely and you will notice dragons and demon’s heads just above the row of open arches. The west window is inspired by the Te Deum, a Latin hymn dating back to the 4th century. Christ with a golden crown and crown of thorns sits triumphantly within an octafoil at the top. Marvel at the beautiful east window depicting the tree of life with symbols of plants, leaves and birds. Around the base of the font are symbols of Jesus’ ministry: the Lamb of God (sacrifice), the Passion Flower (suffering), the Lily (purity) and a bunch of grapes (the true vine). There is a copy of Correggio’s painting of the Madonna and Child above the altar in the south aisle. The splendid organ was built by the Norwich based company Norman Bros and Beard, who also built the organ in the Cathedral.

All Saints’ Church in Intwood was restored from a ruinous state by Henry Hobart in the late 16th century. He lived in the original Intwood Hall. If you walk through to the western edge of the churchyard you will see the later hall, built in the mid 19th century for the Unthank family. Memorials in the church commemorate members of the family, including Clement W. O. Unthank who died in Lucknow, India in 1900 following a fall during a game of polo. Unthank Road, which you just cycled along, was named after the family. The church’s round tower is largely Saxon, apart from a 13th century lancel window and the octagonal top. Notice the carved heads depicting a bishop and a queen in the porch. The church underwent a restoration in 1852, which saw the introduction of the attractive pews. This church is kept locked.

St Mary’s Church is situated in a peaceful spot away from the main village street. The Early English building underwent a particularly thorough restoration in the 19th century which saw the rebuilding and heightening of the tower. The 13th century doorway survives. Step through into a delightfully compact church. More survivors include the brick Tudor tower arch and the elegant 15th century font. Notice the delicate flowers adoring the altar rails. In the churchyard are the remains of St Peter’s Church, in the form of a low wall covered in ivy.

This small church nestled among fields and woodland may look plain at first glance but it is far from it. The pièce de résistance is the Berney Mausoleum. Enter through the door on the north wall of the chancel, framed by a renaissance terracotta monument. Both sides of the mausoleum are lined with coffin holes. The eastern side is now full and marked with individual slates. The family can be traced back to Sir Thomas de Berney, who in the reign of Edward III, acquired the manor of Reedham. The late 13th century chancel features a lovely range of windows.

In the adjacent field is the Hethel Old Thorn, a hawthorn tree believed to be over 700 years old and therefore one of the oldest in the country. The church has a rare Norman square tower. Look closely and you will see that the flints have been carefully graded in size. The chancel was restored in 1737-39 by the Rector, Revd John Reddington. The mausoleum was built in 1730 for the Branthwayts who had a large number of children but only three were buried here. The blocked windows were made as we see them with spaces on the inside for inscriptions, but were never used. The real gem of this church is the Miles Branthwayt monument in the chancel, created by the finest craftsmen of the time. He died in 1612 and he is depicted with his wife Mary and three children. A war memorial in the churchyard commemorates the 389th Bombardment Group which was stationed at Hethel Aerodrome during the Second World War. 321 missions were completed with the loss of 116 aircraft. Help yourself to tea, coffee or a soft drink at the self-service refreshment area.