In 1955 Bramblewood was closed and the Chapel building was offered to High Kelling residents for £500. At a public meeting, the Bishop of Norwich told the capacity audience of local residents that if the community decided to purchase the building the Diocese could help with a loan, but could not buy the building. Those at the meeting retired to the Schoolroom of the Children’s Hospital for an informal meeting and refreshments and before the end of the evening sufficient donations and loans were offered to guarantee the full purchase price of the chapel which was subsequently purchased for worship by the local community.
The first service was held in November 1955 at All Saints Tide, and the Rector of Holt (The Rev’d John Southern) agreed to take responsibility for the services. The church was used for fifteen years in an unofficial capacity served by the Holt clergy, and was not officially licensed for worship until September 1970.
In 1977 the Chapel became part of the ecclesiastical parish of Holt. At that time “High Kelling” straddled the junction of three parishes- Kelling, Bodham and Holt – and it was not until 1987 that the civil Parish of High Kelling was established.
In 1978 All Saints Church was finally recognised as a District Church within the Parish of Holt with High Kelling. The warden who became involved with the legalities of this new status was Ernest Fuller and in his memory and in recognition of his work his fellow Church Warden made the Warden’s Staves which were dedicated by the Bishop of Lynn at the service to mark the District Church status.
A relic of the period when it was used as a hospital chapel is the tiny silver chalice which held the Communion wine. This was administered to patients by the dipping in of the Bread, so avoiding the transfer of germs by the usual passing of the cup.
A further link with the Sanatorium is the Credence Table which is to the memory of Sister Byth who worked at the Hospital until it closed , and continued nursing t the Children’s Hospital until she retired.
It is one of the smaller churches in the Diocese of Norwich, seating only 60.
The building has undergone a series of refurbishments, the most recent of which saw the roof replaced and the bellcote built to house a bell that, perhaps uniquely for a Church of England church, was bought for £200 on Ebay. The church was licensed for weddings in 1994.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication
To view the church micro stats page, please click here
There is a small church car park with room for 5-6 cars. The cache is placed on a footpath than runs alongside the church boundary. The path can be accessed from the road or from the land at the back of the church – see waypoints below.
You are looking for a small container a little larger than a film pot. Please bring your own pen and ensure that the cache is secure in its hiding place after signing the log.