North Lopham and St Nicholas’ Church

The Village

North Lopham, an attractive small village five miles West of Diss, is fairly compact, with most houses situated along the winding (C)1113 road and its branching lanes. Visitors enjoy walking in Thetford Forest or Lopham & Redgrave Fen, and are in easy reach of a Zoo, a Garden Centre and many historic sites and buildings.

St Andrew’s School has close links with the church community. It is a Church of England school, part of a three-way Federation with All Saints, Winfarthing and the school at Hapton, all overseen by an executive headteacher and a single board of governors.

The Lophams’ claim to fame is the Lopham Linen Industry, which became world famous in Victorian times when Thomas Buckenham of North Lopham gained the royal warrant, sending a regular supply of fine linen to the Palace, Sandringham House and many venerable institutions in London, Cambridge and across East Anglia.

The ‘church’ and its community

Regular family services are led by our Home Team, and a Holy Communion is currently held in alternate months. On Sundays when there is no service, an e-letter takes the Gospel reading, a linked message, prayers and hymn words to all members;

As the only public building in the village open to all every day, we aim to make the church a hub for activities for all ages - concerts, exhibitions and other social events have long been a particular feature of N. Lopham life. Locking the door at the start of the pandemic was VERY hard!

The PCC was determined the village would see that ‘the church is not the building; the church is the people’ and still active! Every home continued to receive a free church magazine regularly and a card at Christmas.

 The flower team kept pots in bloom outside and a lantern twinkled in the porch at night; the seasons, church and secular, were celebrated with appropriate decorations in the graveyard between the building and the road; examples include daffodils & an Easter garden; balloons and bunting for the Pentecost birthday; union flags & poppies for VE75 and Remembrance; Sunflower and cress seeds distributed to brighten gardens; a Scarecrow trail through the village cheered the dull August Bank Holiday 2021 . 

Most of these activities have continued into 2022, and events inside church have resumed - Coffee Mornings, a Platinum Jubilee Picnic, and our first concert – by the South Norfolk Youth Symphonic Band, in July*.

The Church Building

St Nicholas’ Church was built in the 13th century, probably on an older foundation, using flint and stone, with a square tower housing a fine ring of eight bells. A beautiful stained-glass East window, showing scenes from Easter Day was nstalled in the early 20th century.

The church was originally dedicated to St Andrew. The modern dedication is a result of an error by an 18th century clerk, who transposed the dedication here with that of South Lopham! The building is home to two fine instruments: a rare chamber organ with integral barrel organ in use weekly, and a two-manual harmonium, which was restored in 1992.

The Future of the Building

The latest Quinquennial Inspection Report highlighted considerable structural problems – with the SW corner, the upper tower, and the rainwater goods, to name but three. The PCC is addressing these, but will need to raise a considerable sum in order to obtain matched funding.

When structural problems in the SW corner have been addressed, an Amenity building project is to install a toilet accessible for all and a wash-up area.

Local Context

North Lopham had one of the oldest Methodist Chapels in Norfolk; sadly, it is now a private house, but with the graves retained and an attractive garden established round them. Local Methodists are welcome in St Nicholas’ Church to hold a mid-week service and coffee morning from time to time. The King’s Head Public House is popular with residents & visitors alike in the evenings and weekends, but its future is uncertain..

The Lophams share a Playing Field & Village Hall, run by folk from both villages. Joint organisations which meet there include Lophams’ Ladies, the Over Sixties, an Art Group and a Garden Club, plus Botolphs Bowmen, Ladies Keep Fit and the local Kumo Judo Club. The Judo Club has achieved international success during its 20 years – achieving Commonwealth Gold, and narrowly missing an Olympic medal in 2012! The monthly Farmers’ Market is popular, and was one of the few organisations able to continue operating during lockdown.