Snettisham
Snettisham (pronounced Snettshum) lies in the north-west corner of Norfolk
between Heacham and Ingoldisthorpe. For many centuries
the 175ft spire of St. Mary's Church has been useful as
a 'sea mark' for shipping in The Wash. The steeple was
erected by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster the son of
Edward III. The village is also characterised by the use
of carr-stone as a building material. With the exception
of flint, carr-stone is Norfolk's only other workable stone.
St. Mary's Church
In The Shrimp and the Anemone L.P. Hartley
fictionalised Snettisham as Frontisham. In the novel
Eustace undergoes a religious experience in the church:
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| 'Meanwhile the
interstices, the spaces where he was not, began to fill
with stained glass. Pictures of saints and angels, red,
blue and yellow, pressed against and into him, bruising
him, cutting him, spilling their colours over him. The
pain was exquisite, but there was rapture in it too.
Another twitch, a final wriggle and Eustace felt no
more; he was immobilised, turned to stone. High and
lifted up, he looked down from the church wall, perfect,
pre-eminent, beyond criticism....to be admired and
worshipped by hundreds of visitors.....Eustace of
Frontisham, Saint Eustace.' |
In 1962 the poet laureate John Betjeman travelled
by train from King's Lynn to Hunstanton and made a stop
at Snettisham station. He dismounted here and waited for
the next train to arrive - while musing about the
differences between Wolferton and Snettisham. The entire
line was scrapped by Dr Beeching soon after.In 1991 a treasure trove of gold and silver ornaments
from the 1st century BC was discovered in Snettisham. It
proved to be the largest treasure ever found in the UK
and now resides in the British Museum.
Snettisham is also the location of an RSPB Reserve.
Thousands of wading birds can be seen
here - particularly during periods of high tide. In midwinter
pink-footed geese are commonly seen flying inland.
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Links:
St Mary's Church
RSPB Snettisham |
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Supported
by Norfolk Tourism