Medieval churches were most frequently cruciform, representing Christ on the Cross. And the Earl of Suffolk spared no expense in embellishing the interior: the de la Pole crest is carved above the entrance; French stone was used for the tower and nave; the roof, although the typical wooden East Anglian style, is an elaborate hammerbeam confection with elaborate angels curving off the beam ends, and a trio of angels on outstretched wings hovering over each clerestory window. Don't miss the cathedrals, and look out for wool and round tower churches. Dominating the crossing is the magnificent wooden painted rood. There are over 650 of them, every one of them with a treasure to discover and a fascinating story to tell. Even in Norwich, which boasts more medieval churches than anywhere in Europe, it was wool money that got the stone lifted, the glass stained and the panels carved. Built in the 19th century as a gift from the 15th Duke of Norfolk, as a thank offering for his happy marriage to Lady Flora Hastings, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is a fine example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture and contains some fabulous carvings, metalwork and stained glass. Built in the 11th century, East Anglia has the highest number of round tower churches, which were built for cultural reasons at a time when Norfolk had strong trading links with the Baltic and North Sea communities. The north Norfolk landscape is dotted with medieval church spires. The profits of the medieval wool trade fuelled an extraordinary ecclesiastical building boom in Norfolk. This ancient, peaceful church is one of the best in Norfolk, partly due to its location, perched on a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside and views to the coast at Winterton. About a hundred years later, the 315 foot spire was added - among the English cathedrals, only Salisbury's is bigger. Norfolk has more medieval churches than any other county in Britain, and the greatest concentration in the world. Two of the chapels here also postdate the original building, the Bauchon Chapel dating from 1329 and St Catherine's Chapel from about 1375. The north Norfolk landscape is dotted with medieval church spires. Round towers are also seen in north Germany in Lower Saxony and Schleswig Holstein and parts of Sweden (once Danish), Norway and The Orkneys. You will find fine examples of 14th century wool churches built from the profits of the medieval boom in wool trade, particularly in Worstead, which gave its name to the cloth. It was created on the shell of a medieval building in the 19th century by the rector Revd Whitwell Elwin over a period of 50 years. Its a gothic fantasy, with palace-like towers on the outside, and hosts of oak angels and stained glass on the inside. The large village church of St Nicholas has a small turret at the corner of the chancel where a light would burn as a beacon to guide ships safely into, In a commanding position, overlooking the sea is the large village church of St Mary's in. There were over 1,000 medieval churches built in Norfolk and 659 still remain, this is the greatest concentration in the world. Norfolk wool was best suited to heavier cloth, and so Norwich and Norfolk eventually gained almost a complete monopoly on worsted. Once inside, you enter an atmosphere of medieval splendour - an echo of the great English churches of the thirteenth century. Booton Church of St Michael and All Angels is a highly individual church. With over 650 churches, Norfolk has the greatest concentration of churches in the world. Look closely and you'll see subtle differences in the stone the flint knappers used. Across north Norfolk there are differences in the stone used to build the round towers; brownfield flint in Fakenham, light grey in Holt, and in Wells-next-the-Sea, Sheringham and Cromer, they are made from rounded beach flints. Dominating this end of the village, it seems at times almost too cathedral like for the small village. Look beyond the crossing and notice that the chancel at the east end is slightly off-centre. In fact, it's said you can't see a horizon in Norfolk without there being a church spire in it! Remember that most medieval churches existing today have either been 'improved' in accordance with fashion, or vandalised over the centuries. No tour of Norfolk's churches is complete without a visit to Booton. People have worshipped here for over 900 years and the building contains craftsmanship from various dates and periods. Each church a fascinating history and story to tell. It is well worth a visit and is a haven of calm in a busy city. Wymondham, Diss, North Walsham, East Harling, Attleborough, Aylsham also have good examples of wool churches. No county in Britain is richer in its historic churches than Norfolk - there are over 650 of them, every one of them with a treasure to discover and a fascinating story to tell. These date from the 13th to 15th century - work was slowed down by financial problems and the arrival of the Black Death in 1349. At St. Mary's Church at Worstead, the village which gave its name to the cloth, the village church built by local weavers in the fourteenth-century towers over the small community, its tower jutting strikingly above the landscape. The chancel leans slightly to one side, as does Christ's head on the cross. One feature to watch for is the shape of the radiating chapels, which consist of two intersecting segments of a circle. Don’t believe anyone who says they’re old lined wells, revealed after a great flood when the land level fell. 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