Our History

The much loved Church of St Mary the Virgin was built in the 13th century, making the church the oldest building in the village. It is a true reflection of the village's history since it stands very much at the heart of the village. The church is surrounded by many buildings made from local chalk, carrstone and a terracotta brick once manufactured in the village. Churches designed like St Mary the Virgin of Heacham, with a central tower built on the crossing, are a rarity in Norfolk as buildings designed in this manner required a strong foundation base using good strong building stone. Buildings of this design often collapsed because of poor quality local stone. Others were reduced in height, but St Mary's has survived more than 800 years.
 
In the photograph (right) you can see how transepts rising to a great height were designed to support the tower, but these transepts were not well maintained over the years resulting in the extraordinary buttress on the north side being built to support the tower circa 1800.