Erpingham, Southrepps and Mundesley

Current work: thinking about new outline

Listening to: Daughtry

Reading: next on TBR

From Blickling, we headed to the coast. We stopped off to see St Mary’s at Erpingham – Sir Thomas Erpingham, whose family came from the area, commanded the archers at Agincourt. (The Erpingham Gate outside Norwich Cathedral was built by the same man.) Sir Thomas's father is the man in military dress in the gorgeous brass here – Sir John de Erpingham, who died in 1370 (though the brass dates from around 1415).

The glass originally came from Blickling Hall, but was returned there and what’s in the church now is a copy. But what struck me most is something I can’t remember seeing in many churches – Venetian-style glass.

From there, we went to St James in Southrepps. It’s a huge barn of a church with the most enormous tower (one of the tallest in Norfolk). The two things that really struck me here were the medieval angel in the low window of the south chancel...

And a memorial from the 18th century Jane and William Barton (what I really liked was the skull).

And so to the sea. For a change, we went to Mundesley. The sea was so calm, and the beach was almost deserted (other than a couple of dog-owners – there was a red setter having enormous fun racing around to catch a tennis ball).

So there was a bit of gazing out to sea...

We (well, the children) made a sandcastle, and then waited for the tide to come in to fill the moat.

Just a lovely, leisurely day spent filling the well.