Open day August 2023

We had an amazing turnout for our Open Day at Waterden on 28 August. About 150 people came to listen to talks, tour the church and sip wine. Thank you to everyone who attended. Philip Venning, former chief executive of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, gave a fascinating presentation on the origins of the conservation movement in the 19th century, which began with churches and was helped along by William Morris. Philip did a lot of research on Norfolk churches and was able to illustrate via a slideshow how Morris railed against the kind of restoration being pursued at the time. Afterwards chair of the Friends Michael Prest (pictured above in the white t-shirt) gave a tour of the church and churchyard. Thank you to the new church warden Jayne Cubitt, who spent the day with us.