I went in search of the ruined 13th century church of St Edmund's in Southwood, Norfolk. 
It's almost impossible to see from the road if you don't know what you're looking for.
The landscape of the Yare Valley is one of secretive lanes divided by high hedges and wooded coppices.
The landscape of the Yare Valley is one of secretive lanes divided by high hedges and wooded coppices.
The church is easy to miss in the shaded woodland. It's completely covered in ivy, a mouldering ruin in the undergrowth between two fields.
Gravestones dating back to the 18th century can be found here, their inscriptions faded and almost impossible to read.
Lumps of masonry fallen into the grass have turned into little hillocks of ivy.
The roof of the church was once thatched in the local style, but has long since rotted away.
Only the chancel, nave and western tower survive, boiling with greenery.
Only the chancel, nave and western tower survive, boiling with greenery.
The church was in use until about 150 years ago, when two parishes were combined into one. The decision was made to abandon one church and rebuild the other.
St Edmund's was simply left for nature to reclaim it.
The walls are now overgrown with ivy and elder, and birds roost high in the tower.
The walls are now overgrown with ivy and elder, and birds roost high in the tower.
The chancel and nave of the church, where people would once have sat, are completely overgrown with nettles and ferns.
It's a haunting and beautiful place. It's rare these days to find ruins left in such a natural state of overgrowth.
It's touching to stand in the abandoned nave and imagine the lives that passed in and out of this church and the memories it holds.
It's touching to stand in the abandoned nave and imagine the lives that passed in and out of this church and the memories it holds.
Thanks for listening! I'd like to explore more of Britain's forgotten ruined places, and if you'd like you can chip in for my bus fare here: ko-fi.com/paulmmcooper
