CHURCH LARKING - Churches In Sheringham

I thought I'd start off the new 'larking' season with one that is very close to home in Sheringham. In many ways Sheringham is interesting because it's a town with relatively recent origins. Yes, there was a small fisherman's village from Viking, pre-medieval times. But no early church either survives or was to our knowledge ever built here. Any money for the upkeep of a religious building went into the much larger medieval church, in the equally small fisherman's settlement, further inland, in Upper Sheringham. From medieval times Lower Sheringham was more a fisherman's Staithe for Upper Sheringham. A review of Upper Sheringham church will be coming soon.

Its not until Sheringham transformed itself into a tourist destination in the 19th century, that you find all the various church denominations beginning to appear in the town. How each has decided to represent itself is then a matter of choice, rather than an evolving development over centuries. Though Sheringham has always lived in the sentiments of another era. It has a lively and thriving Christian presence, from traditional through to evangelical. Each with its own style of architecture to represent their ethos, and the aesthetic values of the time when they were built.

St Peters Parish Church

St Peters is the daughter church to All Saints Upper Sheringham. The land and money to build it was donated by the Upcher Family, who kick started Sheringham as a seaside town. Opened in 1897, its a flint knapped church, with sandstone door and window tracery, aping its Gothic antecedents in a relatively restrained undemonstrative fashion, topped with a small shuttered belfry. 

St Joseph's Catholic Church

St Joseph's Catholic Church completed in 1936, was designed by a famous architect, Giles Gilbert Scott. The renowned designer of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Bankside Power Station (Tate Modern). Also the iconic, now largely obsolete, red telephone box. You see here in St Joseph's his familiar architectural mixture of brick built, industrial style gothic, lofty and imposing. St Joseph's, at present, is the sole Grade 2 listed building in Sheringham, entirely because of this connection with Giles Gilbert Scott.

The Quaker Friends Meeting House,

The Quaker Meeting House is a hall and meeting rooms. Though built in 1936 the same year as St Joseph's, it architecturally represents the Pre World War Two, mid century modernist era in which it was built.  Its the first religious building in Sheringham not to be mimicking Victorian medieval Gothic architectural styling. For its time, this was an extremely contemporary forward looking building. With a mix of concrete and glass and an angular off kilter copper roof. Though not of a size to be impressive, it is a small stylish building, with clean lines and an optimistic uncompromising stance.

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St Andrew's Methodist Church

St Andrew's Methodist Church has a strikingly post war exterior, in the manner of the Festival of Britain. With its pierced angular spire and colourful mosaic exterior. Internally, the Chapel has a beautiful bay of dramatic stained glass as a back drop to its altar and lectern. Two Methodist chapels had previously existed within Sheringham since the 1850's. These were united in 1966, prior to the present impressively styled church being built, finished and opened in 1969.

The Salvation Army Hall

A Salvation Army Hall, was first built in Sheringham in 1895. The current iteration on that site is of a much more recent date, opening in 2011. Though stylistically it looks as though it was designed twenty years prior to that. With its strong bright blue paintwork, it looks more corporate than religious in purpose. Its a fairly perfunctory piece of architecture, unfussy, no doubt practical, but architecturally not going to win any awards.

Lighthouse Community Church

The Lighthouse Community Church is one of Sheringham's more recent additions. Originally the Baptist Church, they arrived in the 1930's, meeting in private houses. Eventually founding a hall in 1952. The present building, opened in 2013, is post modern inspired, with a mix of red brick, concrete rendering, with a glass bay floor to roof and floating sheet glass insertions. Cleverly evoking associations with 1920's seaside architecture without being imitative. It presents an inviting and welcoming frontage, for what appears a very social community focused church.

The Life Church

Opening in 2019 The Life Church was before that a house church. It began the prolonged redevelopment of its current site from a previously badly dilapidated, long neglected building. An open plate glass frontage installed on two sides, makes the most of its corner position. Ensuring a transparency you can easily see through from outside, as you drive past it on the main roundabout leading into town.