St John Maddermarket, Norwich

The best view of St John’s is from the north, where its beautiful tower stands over Maddermarket Alley, affording one of the city’s most attractive townscapes. It dates from the mid-15th century when Norwich was one of the wealthiest cities of Europe. Squeezed ingeniously into a cramped site, St John’s is rather oddly proportioned, being almost as wide as it is long. It is believed that an original chancel may have been demolished as part of a road-widening scheme when Queen Elizabeth I came to visit Norwich. St John’s is a typical late mediaeval church of the Perpendicular style, with close set windows in the upper level that flood the church with light. However, the east window is a wonderful example of the earlier Decorated style, flowing and sumptuous. Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of the church is the eclectic, if not eccentric, collection of furnishings made at the beginning of the 20th century by the vicar at the time, William Busby. The magnificent Georgian canopy over the high altar was installed by him, as was the continental reredos in the Lady Chapel. There is a fine collection of monuments in the church, including one to Nugent Monk who founded the nearby Maddermarket Theatre and was one of the earliest people to recreate a Shakespearean stage in the 1920s.