15th-century stained-glass angel in the East window of St. Peter Hungate Church.

From Norwich to the New World:
Churches Preserved by the Norwich Historic Churches Trust

Last year Partners staff connected with peer organizations in England to foster dialogue within the field and learn from the different ways in which we approach our preservation work on each side of the pond. One organization that stood out through this endeavor was Norwich Historic Churches Trust, and we discovered some surprising connections between the medieval churches the Trust supports and our own history in America.

Norwich, England, is home to the greatest concentration of surviving medieval churches in Northern Europe. Of the 32 in Norwich, 18 are cared for by the Norwich Historic Churches Trust. Founded in 1973, the Trust preserves and reuses these medieval churches, which are officially protected as buildings of internationally significant historic importance. Though no longer active places of worship, the churches continue to serve the community—as concert venues, exhibition spaces, a circus training center, and even a skateboard park—while preserving their remarkable architecture and keeping their stories alive.

Those stories include powerful connections to early American history. One of the churches, Sts. Simon and Jude, holds the tomb of Sir John Pettus, a 17th-century Member of Parliament and signatory to the Second Virginia Charter of 1609, which helped finance the expansion of Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in North America. John Robinson Jr, son of the pastor whose Leiden congregation led the Mayflower voyage to New England in 1620, was baptized at St. Peter Hungate Church. St Peter Parmentergate Church’s parish register records the 1635 baptism of John Gedney, whose children helped shape colonial Salem—one served as a judge during the infamous witch trials, another built Gedney House (1665), now one of Salem’s oldest surviving homes cared for by Historic New England.

The Trust, led by Dr. Oliver Coulson (Brown University alumnus), is dedicated to preserving these remarkable buildings and the stories they continue to tell. “Norwich’s medieval churches have long been part of the city’s social fabric as well as its physical makeup, in some cases for over a thousand years,” says Coulson. “Our mission is as much about placemaking as preservation: honoring the architectural and historic significance of these churches whilst sustaining them as useful, living parts of the city. After more than fifty years of adaptive reuse, Norwich may offer an inspiring model for churches in other historic urban centers, including the United States, that are seeking creative ways to unite heritage values with a positive contribution to contemporary community life.”

Visitors from the United States, including those exploring early American connections, will find a warm welcome at these extraordinary places, as our own president, Bob Jaeger, did on his recent trip. Learn more at www.nhct-norwich.org.

Sir John Pettus Monument in Sts. Simon and Jude Church.