Blofield: Church, Herb Garden and Local History

Blofield has several distinct points of cultural and historical interest: the Church of St Andrew and St Peter, the Blofield heritage walk with its medicinal herb garden, and the Blofield Courthouse. If you are looking for a hotel in Blofield and are interested in local history, these themes can help shape your stay. The church represents medieval architecture and furnishings, the herb garden the history of medicinal plants, and the courthouse Baroque style and holding cells.

Church: Tower and Font

The four-storey west tower of the Church of St Andrew and St Peter dates from the 15th century. It is designed in the Perpendicular style and has eight bells. Its architectural features include a polygonal stair turret and diagonal buttresses. “Polygonal” refers to the many-sided shape of the stair turret; the buttresses create a diagonal line along the tower. This makes it possible to distinguish the different forms on the exterior. The storeys further divide the tower into clearly recognisable levels.

Inside the church is a 15th-century octagonal font depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The tower and font therefore belong to the same period, but offer different points of interest: the architecture outside, and the shape of the font and its figurative scenes inside. The official visitor information dated 1 July 2024 states that the church is open to visitors daily. If you are planning to visit the interior, check the latest information beforehand.

Blofield heritage walk and medicinal herb garden

The medicinal herb garden is in the churchyard, against the south wall of the church. Its planting reflects medicinal plants from the Middle Ages; the garden is described as a peaceful place. The connection between the garden and knowledge of plants is especially vivid in terms of local history: the planting features medieval medicinal plants, while a reference book in the north aisle explains the historical uses of the herbs in the garden.

The Blofield heritage walk offers a free audio guide that tells the story of Edward Paston. The audio guide and the reference book provide two different ways of sharing information: an audio experience and a written explanation. Parking for the Blofield heritage walk is listed outside the Church of St Andrew and St Peter. The route information thus provides a specific planning detail without stating a particular number of parking spaces.

Blofield Courthouse

The Blofield Courthouse was built in 1905 in the Baroque style. The Blofield Court House has four holding cells, an unusual feature for a rural courthouse. Taken together, the date, style and number of cells present a different picture from the church’s architecture: while the tower and font date from the 15th century, the courthouse dates to 1905. This also makes it possible to distinguish Blofield’s cultural and historical themes by period—from the church’s architectural and decorative features to the later courthouse architecture.

If you would like to plan your trip around a particular interest, these differences offer a practical guide: the church combines the tower’s design with the font, the herb garden illustrates medieval-inspired planting, and the courthouse adds Baroque style and holding cells to the local history. This lets you choose the focus that interests you most for your stay in Blofield.

Discover more destinations: Great Witchingham, Colby, Melton Constable, Diss, Burnham Market, Helhoughton, Winterton-on-Sea, Cromer.

For the broader travel overview: Norfolk.