SS PETER AND PAUL CHURCH – CARBROOKE

The Church of SS Peter and Paul at Carbrooke is situated on the only hill in the vicinity.   With a tower of 99 feet -the third largest in Norfolk - it certainly is a focal point and can be seen for many miles around.

Location and Early History

At first sight this parish church appears to be a typically fifteenth-century Perpendicular church, but it was founded in around 1193 as a Commanderie of the Knights Hospitallers, when Matilda, Countess of Clare, made a gift of the lands to the Knights. There are several features that date from the early thirteenth century, although the church was largely rebuilt during the fifteenth century.

The Commanderie was closed in 1540 at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but the church building remained, becoming the Parish Church. If you would like more details on the Commanderie of the Knights Hospitallers, and information about who they were, there are two booklets produced by Carbrooke Heritage Group, which can be purchased from that Group.

The land belonging to the Commanderie extended over the field where the school now stands, and also across the field behind the church. When the foundations for the new additions to the school were being dug out a team from the Norfolk Archaeological Unit was also present. Some fascinating finds of artefacts and the remains of the Commanderie buildings were made. Unfortunately it was not possible to leave these remains on show, so the foundations were covered over and the school built on top.

Originally the Manor of Carbrooke was split in two, with two churches, both mentioned in Domesday Book: Carbrooke Parva, where a church was sited to the left of the bridge on the Ovington Road at Caudle Springs; and Carbrooke Magna, where the Church still dominates the village. In about 1424 the Church at Carbrooke Parva had fallen down, but stone from that was removed and used to extend the other church, thus making this the large church it is today. The road connecting Carbrooke Parva to Carbrooke Magna is known as Drury Lane; this is believed to have originated with the local vicar of the time, Richard Drury, who used this route to travel between the two churches.

Whilst there is no longer a Carbrooke Parva, Carbrooke is still a village of two halves, because of its geography; one part lying in the dip around the church, and the other part, a more recent addition, being the three former RAF housing estates on the main Watton to Norwich Road, about a mile or so away. The latter first came into being with the Second World War; the airfield initially being used by the RAF, then by the USAAF and finally once again by the RAF.   Housing was built at various times during the life of RAF Watton, playing a central part in accommodating the servicemen and their families based here. Flying operations ceased in 1969 and the use of the base gradually decreased over the following twenty years. Some of the housing accommodation was used to house Vietnamese Boat people, before finally being sold off in stages as private accommodation.

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