Shotesham () is a village in

South Norfolk South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. The largest town is Wymondham, and the district also includes the towns of Costessey, Diss, Harleston, Hingham, Loddon and Long Stratton. The council was based in Long S ...

which lies approximately 5 miles south of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

. It sits next to

Stoke Holy Cross Stoke Holy Cross is a village in South Norfolk which lies approximately south of Norwich. Geography Stoke sits on the River Tas. It covers an area of and had a population of 1,568 in 674 households at the 2001 census. The village is access ...

and

Saxlingham Nethergate Saxlingham Nethergate is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England, about south of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of and the 2001 Census recorded a population of 676 in 276 households, the population increasing to 688 at the 201 ...

in the valley of the

River Tas The River Tas is a river which flows northwards through South Norfolk in England - towards Norwich. The area is named the Tas Valley after the river. The name of the river is back-formed from the name of village of Tasburgh.E. Ekwall, 1928, ''E ...

. It covers an area of and had a population of 539 in 210 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 562 in 227 households at the 2011 census. Shotesham was for many years the Norfolk seat of the D'Oyly family and of the

D'Oyly baronets Three baronetcies were created for persons with the surname D'Oyly (surname), D'Oyly, two in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2008. The D'Oyly Baronetcy, of Shotesham, Shotti ...

'of Shottisham', Norfolk (not to be confused with

Shottisham Shottisham is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It lies in the Wilford Hundred, about four and a half miles south-east of Woodbridge, Suffolk, Woodbridge, between ...

, Suffolk), who also possessed estates in Suffolk.'Doylye' in W. Rye, ''The Visitacion of Norffolk, (etc.)'', Harleian Society XXXII (London 1891)
pp. 113-14
/ref> The country house and estate of Shotesham Park, designed by

Sir John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the Ro ...

, is the seat of the Fellowes family.

Churches

Four churches were once to be found here: two are intact and two are ruins:

All Saints’

The present parish church stands in the centre of the village, and is from two distinct periods. It has a medieval tower and

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, with a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

from the early 20th century.

St Mary's

On the other side of the valley from All Saints, about a mile away, is this church, which had a

Victorian restoration The Victorian restoration was the widespread and extensive wikt:refurbish, refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England church (building), churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century Victorian era, re ...

, next to a large farmhouse, and the ruin of St Martins. There is a monthly service.

St Martin's

Standing in the shadow of St Mary's, the church has been a ruin for centuries. The narrow nave and chancel survive mostly to head height, with a well-preserved east gable. There are also remains of the south porch.

St Botolph's

The area has been cleared and replanted and the ruin consolidated for public viewing.

Notes

External links

Shotesham Village Website
{{authority control Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk