Wymondham Abbey

The monastery was founded in 1107 by William d'Aubigny, Butler (Pincerna) to King Henry I. William was a prominent Norfolk landowner, with estates in Wymondham and nearby New Buckenham. The d'Aubigny (sometimes Latinised to d'Albini) family originated from St. Martin d'Aubigny in Normandy. William d'Aubigny's monastery was a dependency of the Benedictine monastery at St Albans, where his uncle Richard was Abbot. Wymondham Priory was relatively small, initially intended for some twelve Benedictine monks, but grew in influence and wealth over the coming centuries. William d'Aubigny, the founder, and Maud his wife, who was the daughter of Roger Bigod, and sister of Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of…

The church was originally cruciform in shape, with a central tower and twin west towers. When it was built, Caen stone in Normandy was shipped specially across the English Channel to face the walls. The central tower became unstable and was replaced in about 1376 by a tall octagonal tower (now part ruined), which held the monks' bells. In 1447, work on a much taller single west tower began. This replaced the original Norman towers and held the townspeople's bells. The parish part of the church (see above) was almost doubled in size in the 14th/15th centuries by enlarging of the north aisle to be wider than the nave. In c.1450 the nave height was raised with new Perpendicular style…

The Church of St Mary and St Thomas of Canterbury serves as the parish church of Wymondham. The Parish also incorporates the Victorian church of Holy Trinity in Spooner Row village nearby. A wide range of services for worship take place at the Abbey, including Sunday Sung Eucharist, Daily Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. In 2016, with financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and local donors, new extensions were built at the east end. These provide display areas, comfortable social and refreshment facilities and vestries. There is much interest in the history of the building and parish, with a Preservation Trust and Hon. Archivist. The Parish Archives, some dating back to the 13th…