The ruined St Saviour's church

Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 25 Dec 2009

Winter is a good time to visit buildings such as ruined churches, which for most time of the year are overgrown, surrounded by dense vegetation and often inaccessible. Dating from the 12th century, St Saviour's church was in regular use until about the year 1705. The ruin is not marked on OS maps. Little is known of the parish of St Saviour's except that two buildings once used to stand here - the church and a barn which has not survived. Some of the gravestones were moved to St Mary's and others have disappeared with the passage of time. In more recent times the writer and naturalist Ted Ellis (1909-1986) was buried here > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1280803. Edward Augustine Ellis lived in a cottage at Wheatfen Broad with his wife Phyllis for 40 years. He set up his own nature reserve on the 130 acre site comprising woodland, fen and marshland. From 1928-1956 he was the Keeper of Natural History at the Norwich Castle Museum but at the age of 47 he resigned to concentrate on his work as a naturalist. He had an extensive knowledge of the wildlife and eco-systems of the Norfolk Broads and eventually became known as 'the people's naturalist'. http://www.wheatfen.org/tethtml/tet.html

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