On the edge of the Great Estuary, into which flow the rivers Bure, Yare, and Waveney, St John the Baptist, Reedham, stands on a small promontory of sand and shingle. Although the existing structure was mostly built c.1300 (though its west tower dates to the mid-15th century), it stands out from Norfolk’s many other medieval churches for the quantity of reused Roman building material in its fabric. Initially, archaeological attention focused on the Roman brick and tile, which is widely used in the nave and choir, and is especially prominent in the north wall, where a section from foundation to eaves is entirely built in this way. More recently, though, following a disastrous fire in 1981, Edwin Rose observed that the grey quartzite stone that is also abundant in the church has similarly ancient origins. The same stone was used to build the Roman shore fort at Brancaster on the north Norfolk coast. Roman brick and stone therefore account for the great majority of building materials used in the medieval church – but what kind of structure had they been recycled from?
Tellingly, Professor John Allen traced the grey quartzite stone to the Leziate Beds of the Lower Cretaceous formation that overlooks the shores of the Wash in the Hunstanton–King’s Lynn–Downham Market area, in the north-west of the county. This is relatively close to Brancaster, but represents a journey of around 80 miles (130km) by sea to Reedham. Sourcing materials over such a distance suggests organised efforts, and it is likely that the Roman building for which they were destined had an official, possibly military, purpose. There has been considerable speculation over the years as to the nature of this structure and, given the position of the church in signalling distance of the Roman forts at Caister-on-Sea and Burgh Castle, a favoured interpretation has been that of a pharos (lighthouse) or signal station – or a building serving both functions – presumably located close to the site of the church. But where, exactly?
Over the years, several locations around the village have been suggested for where the Roman structure may have stood, but the obvious starting point is the church itself. In order to try to resolve this question – and, perhaps, establish the character of the Roman building itself – between 2013 and 2016 a small team from the University of Reading’s Department of Archaeology undertook geophysical surveys inside the church and within the churchyard, using ground-penetrating radar. A subsequent, more targeted survey was carried out too in 2017, focusing on an area close to the walls of the church. The results of these investigations were intriguing: within the church, strong anomalies could be seen along the north and south sides of the nave, indicating wall remains running roughly parallel with each other but not quite lining up with the footprint of the present structure (deviating from the church’s orientation by about 10°). Meanwhile, across the churchyard there were further hints of possible building remains to the west.
Excavating Wiltshire