St Catherine's, Ludham
Ludham NR29 5QA
Most Norfolk villages, however tiny, have a church, though it's usually sited outside the village centre rather than at its heart. Ludham's church of St Catherine is a rare exception to this rule, plus it's also one of Broadland’s most
interesting buildings. It's a late fifteenth-century structure, with a wooden beamed roof and a
painted rood screen that is one of the finest in the county – beautifully
preserved, with its ranks of saints on one side and arms of Queen Elizabeth I
on the other, added hastily on her accession to the throne in 1558. In the
north aisle, you can see the mangled old alms chest, which is roughly contemporary with the rood
screen, and the font, at the back of the church, is late fifteenth century,
carved with figures of the Evangelists and images of wild men and – unusually –
wild women, clad in skins and carrying clubs – a not uncommon theme on fonts in this part of the world, but unusually well preserved.
