St. Benet's Abbey

St. Benet's constitutes the remains of the only religious house in Norfolk before the Norman Conquest. It was also the only religious house not closed down by Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Therefore, the Bishops of Norwich have stayed Abbots of St. Benet's to this day.

The Bishop of Norwich, as Abbot, arrives once a year, standing in the bow of a wherry and preaches at the annual service on the first day of August.

King Canute gave the abbey the manor of Worstead.

In 1987 a cross made from oak from the Royal Estate at Sandringham was erected on the site of the High Altar.

The site was enclosed by a wall with battlements in 1327.

In more recent times, a farmer built a windpump inside the abbey structures.