Roman recycling at Reedham: Exploring the imperial origins of a Norfolk church

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, E