Great Yarmouth Minster

Great Yarmouth Minster, dedicated to St Nicholas, is the parish church of Great Yarmouth and one of the largest parish churches in England by floor area. Founded in 1101 by Bishop Herbert de Losinga, the same Norman bishop who established Norwich Cathedral, the building has grown, burned and been rebuilt across nine centuries of the town's fishing and maritime history. It was granted minster status in 2011.

The church was gutted by incendiary bombs during a Luftwaffe raid in 1942, leaving only the walls and tower standing. A sensitive post-war restoration led by Stephen Dykes Bower reopened the building in 1961, and much of what you see inside, the pale stone piers, the painted ceiling and the tall clear windows, dates from that rebuild. The overall footprint, however, remains medieval, and the west tower is largely 13th century.

Inside, look for the striking modern stained glass, the memorials to Yarmouth mariners and herring fishermen, and the Priory Hall attached to the north side, which incorporates surviving medieval fabric. The Minster sits at the head of the historic Rows district, so it makes an easy pairing with a wander through the old town, the Tolhouse and the South Quay merchants' houses.