Churches

St Margaret, Breckles

First appeared in Let's Talk! Norfolk, February 2005

EXTREMELY rare elsewhere, round church towers are commonplace in Norfolk . Most of the county's oldest towers are round.

Was their purpose defensive? Was the shape dictated by a lack of large stone suitable for building corners? Or was it simply a question of local style? The reality is probably a combination of all these answers.

The delightful church in the tiny village of Breckles is one of 120 Norfolk examples, and like most its tower dates from before the Norman conquest - probably the first half of the 11 th century. The octagonal belfry stage on top was added more than 400 years later.

So far, so familiar. But step inside and you immediately face a real surprise.

East Anglia is also known for its fine fonts, but few are as striking - or as old - as this one.

It probably dates from shortly after the Normans ' arrival and their enforcement of the practice of infant baptism. The primitive style of the carving, ornate as it is, seems to hark back to a much earlier period still.

The four sides are all utterly different. On the west a strange near-symmetrical design suggests the pagan Green Man symbol, rich foliage springing from his mouth.

Most striking is the east face, where four figures, three in long cloaks, stand under four arches. Who do they represent?

The four evangelists, perhaps, or the four orders of the clergy? Are they, perhaps, four unidentifiable saints? There is simply no way of knowing.

Their faces and body language express shock and awe - but awe at what?

They are simply there, speaking to us silently in a lost language, at once a glorious survival and an unsolvable enigma.