Anyone who is interested in old churches must go to East Anglia, which has the highest concentration of mediaeval churches in Britain, possibly in Europe. There's a treasure in just about every village. If you can't get there, the next best thing is Simon Knott's East Anglian Churches site, a labour of love if ever there was one. You can see his 700+ Norfolk churches and almost 600 Suffolk ones here (I've posted this link before, I think):

http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/

I have so many favourites, but here is one I love, more for its setting than its interior - St Botolph, Iken in Suffolk. It stands on a sort of promontory overlooking the Alde estuary. It has a partly thatched roof, and there are usually sheep in the churchyard:

I mentioned Wells, trj, and I think someone else did too - lovely place.

At the other end of the scale from Iken in Suffolk is the great Holy Trinity, Blythburgh, "the Cathedral of the Marshes". No photo does this one justice. Somehow one always seems to come to it suddenly, like a vision, floating on light and water.

I think that St Albans should get an honourable mention here. A real treasure trove. I was particularly struck by the pillars in the Nave which had been restored to reveal the painted images undeneath, somewhat faded and fragile but somehow alive. I had a very strong sense of being able to reach out and touch the past.

Perhaps our esteemed Snorbans resident may have more to say on this subject?  

I'm with Mary on the East Anglian churches. So human in scale and such unforced perfection.

I'd like to add a mention for the Romney Marsh churches too. I love their loneliness and, I suppose, the fact that someone bothered.




   

I do so agree about those wall paintings, Mort. They are very simple, almost crude some of them, and as you say quite badly damaged but they speak very directly in a powerful way that you don't quite expect. There's a personal communication still from whoever it was who painted them.

For the building as a whole I think 'honourable mention' gets it about right . It's my local so I'm quite fond of it but it has to be said it's a right old mixture of about 800 years' worth of architectural styles all jumbled up together. It's matter of 'celebrating diversity' rather than gasping in awe at the architectural integrity as you do with blinding masterpieces like Canterbury or Durham.

Here's the fine Norman tower, built from Roman bricks salvaged from the ruins of nearby Verulamium.

                             
  

Thank you for introducing me to 'Royal Peculiar', Don Basilo. I had to google it because I thought you were making a joke that I didn't understand!

I must show off this term at every opportunity


Durham has to be my favourite Cathedral -- not just because it's my local! I admit that I don't know a lot of Cathedrals inside and out but whenever I visit a new place I try to visit the Cathedral, and I still haven't found one to rival Durham.


I grew up near Lichfield and the view of the "three spires" on the skyline always tells me I'm almost home. I don't think anybody's mentioned it yet, but it is rather fine... here's a full page of photos on a web site with a rather interesting name: http://www.gotterdammerung.org/photo/travel/uk/lichfield/index.html

For those who like their Anglicanism high (in more senses than one), check out the funboat brickwork Noah's Ark that is St. Bartholomew's in Brighton. Betjeman called it 'one of the great churches of the nineteenth century - the cathedral of  what used to be called the "London-Brighton and South Coast Religion" with its incense, ritual, embroidered vestments and lights.'

Would that have been this year, martle?


                        


And I do agree about St Bartholomew's, Brighton being a hoot (meant in the nicest possible way) and not to be missed. I paid my usual visit there before your 'Fairground' concert. An amazing place. It is right, isn't it, that it is built using the dimensions, or proportions anyway, of those laid down for the Ark?