Hethel is less than ten miles from Norwich, and its name is associated with the Lotus car factory, so you might think you will find yourself in industrialised suburbia. But this is an area of narrow lanes and woodlands, bypassed by the traffic on the main London and Ipswich roads. And the church itself is remote from its houses, set at the end of a rough road which peters out into a track. In the distance, you can see the famous Hethel thorn, said to be a thousand years old, and the tower of All Saints is probably as ancient, or at least its lower half, which may be a rare example in Norfolk of a Saxon square tower. The top stage is 14th Century I should think, although the pinnacles may be even later, an 18th Century confection. If the tower is striking, then the east end of the chancel is even more so. The Branthwaite family chapel, built on to the north side of the chancel in the early 18th century (the 1819 date on the end presumably refers to the doorway) was built large and square from red brick, and the chancel was squared off, also in brick, to match it. It is as if two outhouses had been built on to the end of the church.

This church is always a favourite of mine to visit, and in recent years the churchyard has been managed delightfully as a nature conservation area. I have heard moans about such things, that the wild growth makes it hard for family history hunters to read the headstones, that it allows dangerous ticks to thrive, and even that it is disrespectful to the dead. But a well-managed churchyard is cut back in early autumn, when in any case inscriptions are easier to read in the slanting light, and if you are worried about ticks then wear thick trousers, and don't allow your dog to go romping through the graves. And if you think wild nature is disrespectful to the dead, then perhaps an English country churchyard is not for you. For Hethel churchyard is one of the most beautiful places in all Norfolk in the summer, the wild flowers and grasses swaying gently in the bright light like a warm sea washing against the 18th and 19th Century headstones. This light makes its way into the church with you, for there is no coloured glass and the windows are large and elegant. There was a very simple 19th Century restoration, without trimmings or excesses, and the benches are now arranged at angles facing into the chancel.

And that might be it, if it were not for one remarkable detail. For on the north side of the chancel stands the Branthwaite memorial of about 1620. This is one of the grandest memorials of its period in the whole of Norfolk, and is doubly striking for being here at homely Hethel. Miles Branthwaite lies on his side in legal dress, his head resting on his right hand. Below and in front of him is his wife Mary in a pious attitude on her back. She lifts her hands in prayer, and Mortlock notes that she is a good exemplar of early 17th Century fashion. Their three children kneel in profile below. The work is of polished alabaster, so crisp and clean that it might have been carved yesterday, and will presumably look the same a thousand years from now. Even Arthur Mee, who usually salivates over monuments to rich people, especially puritans like Branthwaite, was moved to describe it as pompous. Across the chancel, more Branthwaite memorials make a fascinating catalogue of several centuries of epitaphs, and help make this one of the most interesting churches to visit in this part of Norfolk, especially as it is so welcoming and always open every day.

Simon Knott, August 2021

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