East of England

The once great fortified Abbey of St Benet’s covered an area of 38 acres, had extensive fishponds, owned 28 churches, had property in 76 parishes and the right to dig peat in 12 of them. Now the most visible remains are those of a gatehouse, with a ruined windmill built into it. A large wooden cross marks the spot where the high altar of the abbey church would have been. Tradition has it that the abbey was first established in the early 9th century, but it was definitely endowed by King Cnut in the 11th and flourished for the next 500 years. It has the claim of being the only religious house in England to survive the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, but this did not save it from the ravages of the Bishop of Norwich – who is still the Abbot and who holds an open-air service on the site every August. Situated on the banks of the River Bure, it is a lonely and evocative spot.

Benet's is owned and cared for by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust.

St John the Baptist is Peterborough's parish church. It was built in 1407 using materials from the previous church, once located on an area prone to flooding. The sexton of St John the Baptist buried two queens in the nearby Cathedral - Katherine of Aragon (1536) and Mary, Queen of Scots (1587). During the Commonwealth, the parish church narrowly escaped being demolished to provide materials for the repair of the cathedral. Its registers show, among other things, the devastation brought by plague between 1665-67. Extensive repairs were carried out in the 19th century, following the removal of its spire, for safety reasons, and the collapse of a portion of the tower in a gale. Among its many features are a fine south porch and a stunning east window.

There are 18 (or 20) burial mounds at Sutton Hoo, which historians believe was the cemetery for the Wuffingas, the royal dynasty of 7th century East Anglia who claimed to be descendants of the god Woden.   The greatest burial was possibly that of King Raedwald, an amazing ship burial unearthed just before the Second World War.  Most of the artefacts are now in the British Museum in London, but there is an exhibition on site, plus replicas of some of the treasures. And you can visit Tranmer House, the home of the landowner, Edith Pretty, which has been refurbished in 1930s style.

The ruins of Thetford Priory are a short walk from the town centre. Thetford was one of the largest, richest and most important monasteries in East Anglia. It was founded in 1103 by Robert Bigod, the 1st Earl of Norfolk, a close friend of William the Conqueror, though building continued until sometime in the 1170s and alterations took place throughout the priory’s life. A gatehouse, probably the most impressive ruin remaining, was added in the 14th century.

In 1248, the Prior of Thetford, Stephen, was stabbed by a fellow monk and died just outside the west door of the church.

Thetford enjoyed a considerable degree of financial success thanks to a statue of the Virgin Mary, which was reputed to have miraculous powers and which attracted pilgrims by the drove. For 400 years, it was also the burial place of the earls and dukes of Norfolk.

The priory was dissolved by Henry VIII’s commissioners in 1540, though the Prior’s Lodging continued as a private house for another 200 years.

Thorpeness began as a whimsical fantasy holiday seaside village, the brainchild of Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie in the early part of the 20th century. There's a lot of mock Tudor architecture.  It is famous for its House in the Clouds. There is a boating lake, a pub, golf course, tennis courts, walking - a very quiet, gentile, kind of place.