Our Services page shows all services across our Benefice.

Winfarthing lies 4 miles north of Diss on the main road to Attleborough (B1077). It is a busy village with several working farms, a thriving pub, medieval church, and a popular primary school.

Church and School

St Mary’s church is always open for visitors and offers a varied service pattern. Each month there is ‘Village Church’, an informal, all-age worship, which seeks to encourage families and new churchgoers; Morning Prayer, led by the churchwardens, and a Holy Communion service celebrated by clergy from the Diss Team.

All Saints School is situated in the centre of the village and attracts children from a wide area. It is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Norwich and maintains close connections with St Mary’s Church. Together with St Andrew’s at North Lopham and Hapton School it is part of the Saints Federation, overseen by an executive headteacher and a single board of governors.

History of WInfarthing

The village has a rich history which continues to maintain local interest. Roman remains have been found here and in 2014 a grave with rare Anglo-Saxon jewellery, dating from the 7 th century, was discovered suggesting that there has been settlement in the area for around 1500 years. Winfarthing has an entry in the Domesday book, and there are records of residents from the village setting sail for America on the Mayflower in 1620. In more recent history it is reported that up to twenty people could sit inside the trunk of the legendary ‘Winfarthing Oak’; the village also featured in a 2021 episode of ‘Who do you think you are?’

The church of St Mary’s is set well back from the main road and stands in a churchyard of about 2 acres. It is bordered by glebe land, part of which forms the playing field of All Saints School. There are three former rectories in Church Lane, the first being over 200 years old and the most recent built in the early 1980s. The church itself is medieval, mostly dating from the 14 th century, although the site is probably much older. It is a plain structure of flint and free-stone, with a chancel, nave, south aisle and tower, with the only entrance being through a short north porch. The tower houses a ring of six bells, and also a set of chime bells, which allows various changes to rung by one person. The foundations of the nave date from Norman times and the octagonal stone font is also Norman, although there is a suggestion that some of the carving may be of Saxon origin. The main roof of the church is slate while the roof of the south aisle has recently been replaced, the original lead having been stolen.

Local Community

Winfarthing also has a purpose-built village hall run by an active committee which organises a range of community events. The Fighting Cocks is a family-run public house offering home-cooked meals. It has been voted the best family-friendly pub in South Norfolk and regularly holds gigs and quiz nights. Behind the pub there is a community farm where locals can grow and harvest their own vegetables, and the Winfarthing Walkers are a well-supported group which meets monthly to explore the local and wider areas.