WELCOME TO
ST MARTIN'S CHURCH
THOMPSON
St Martin’s History
Thompson is an ancient settlement dating from the 10th century and the church of St Martin dates from approximately 1300. Our timeline shows a fascinating history since its endowment as a Collegiate Church in 1349 and the building of the college in which six priests resided. Several influential people have been associated with the church, including John Pory, who was born in Thompson in 1572 and became the first Speaker of the first Legislative Assembly in Virginia, and Prince Frederick Duleep Singh who helped save the church 100 years ago.
Our church is once again in need of help. The work to the nave roof was much more extensive, complex & unfortunately more expensive than we expected and as a result we have had to postpone works to the chancel roof, which is likely to be suffering from the same issues as the nave, and also the below ground rain water drainage system, without which the fabric of the church will not fully dry out. This is before we start on the interior....
Letter from Vanessa - September 2025
“Come and Sing our Songs of Praise!….”
I love singing! It’s a fantastic communal activity. I grew up
surrounded by musicians, I joined my first choir at seven years old,
and have continued to sing ever since. If you’re in a choir, you will
know that singing with other people can help build connections and
feelings of togetherness.
Research also shows that the sense of self-merging we experience
by synchronizing our voices with others is a great way to fast-track
social attachments. But did you know that the sense of community
and belonging when singing in group settings, even online, can have a huge impact on
stress reduction? It synchronizes heartbeats and regulates our breathing, so we’re all
breathing as one huge lung!
As well as benefitting our lungs, breathing properly helps to relieve anxiety, aiding a
transition to a state of rest and relaxation. Singing also aids mental alertness, and helps
our memory and concentration: it involves focusing on multiple things at once by
engaging different areas of the brain simultaneously. In recent years singing has become
a feature of dementia care, in part because it provides a powerful tool in sparking
memories, often long after other forms of communication have diminished.
In church, singing helps us in our worship, to praise, pray, and proclaim, but it also
helps us in our thanksgiving.
So, if you love to sing hymns and you’d like to sing at our Songs of Praise Service to
give thanks at the end of our Adventures of the Church Mice festival, you are very
welcome to join us on Sunday 7th September at 6.30pm in St Martin’s Church
Thompson. There are numerous well-loved hymns to enjoy, and we really want to give
thanks to God for all the hard work, imagination and craftsmanship of people by raising
the roof in song! The service is being led by the Bishop of Thetford, the Rt Reverend
Ian Bishop.
The festival itself runs in all of the Wayland Benefice churches between 10am and
4pm on 5th,6th and 7th of September, with a grand finale to celebrate in song. So come
and sing our Songs of Praise!
And don’t forget that children under the age of twelve gain free entry to the exhibitions
throughout the festival!!
Finally, my sincere thanks go to everyone who has been involved in its creation, for
making it happen, and to all of you for coming to enjoy the experience.
I can’t wait to see you!
Vanessa x
Why is St Martin's so important?
It has a rare 5 cant scissor-braced nave roof which we have recently restored.
It is a unique and largely unmodernised gem of historic importance; a Grade 1 listed mediaeval building, said to be the finest example of the Decorated style in East Anglia.
It has many unusual medieval and Jacobean features which need to be preserved.
The problem
for this unique building...
The roof structure is a rare example from the first half of the 14th century of a scissor braced roof and consists of 40 pairs of rafters. Sadly the rafter ends had rotted away and only thin clay lump walls prevented the roof from spreading. Luckily we caught the problem just in time and have repaired each of the 80 rafter ends using traditional techniques and new materials to match existing. The work was far more extensive than originally envisaged and although we had a generous grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund we also managed to secure extra funding from many generous donors.
Your donations will:
• Help to re-focus religious and community activities in the church and its immediate surrounds.
• Enhance community cohesion and outreach (local, national and international).
• Using the church as backdrop, enable the PCC to deliver hands on experience to visitors of archaeology, history, heritage, education
and enactment.
• Secure the mediaeval fabric and associated artwork.
• Protect the environment, ecology and wildlife.
There is a lot to do, enable and deliver.
PLEASE BE GENEROUS
How you can donate
Just Giving Page
Revitalising St Martin’s Church, Thompson, Norfolk
Cash or cheque
Cheques and cash can be sent/delivered to:
The Treasurer, College Farm, College Farm Lane, Thompson, Thetford IP24 1QG
Online banking transfer (BACS)
Bank account name: Revi St Martin’s
Sort Code: 20 28 20
Account Number: 9391.4356
Latest News
Shrove Tuesday Pop Up Supper Club
Thank you to everyone who came to our Shrove Tuesday Pop Up Supper Club on Tuesday 25th February. We raised a fantastic £430 after expenses! We had a full house with tickets selling out within 48 hours. Our menu consisted of:Parma Ham & MelonPancakes with either Smoked Haddock or Ham & AsparagusDeconstructed Cheesecake with Cherry…
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Quiz Night 21st February
Thank you to everyone who came along on Friday 21st February to our first quiz of 2020. Quiz Master Mark and his lovely assistant, Debbie, prepared an excellent quiz and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening. After expenses we raised a fantastic £150 towards the restoration of St Martin’s. Congratulations to the winning team, Bronwen, Terry,…
Read MoreShrove Tuesday Pop Up Supper Club
Tickets sold out within 24 hours for our Shrove Tuesday Pop Up Supper Club which will be held on Tuesday 25th February. We are making plans to be able to fit more people in so we can sell more tickets so more of you can come next time and enjoy a delicious homemade three course…
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Quiz Night Friday 21st February
We are holding another of our popular Quiz Nights on Friday 21st February in the Thompson Community Hall Tickets are only £3 each Doors Open 7pm Quiz starts at 7.30pm Bring your own drinks/snacks Teams of 4 or we can help you make up a team
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Events at St Martins for 2020
Saturday 15th February Showcase Day at Thompson Community Hall Friday 21st February Quiz at Thompson Community Hall Tuesday 25th February Pop Up Supper Club at College Farm Saturday 7th March Grand Second Hand Book Sale at Thompson Community Hall Sunday 10th May WWII Family Day Saturday 6th June Grand Second Hand Book Sale at Thompson…
Read MoreAnother Successful Pop Up Supper
Edit By Katharine | November 20, 2019 | 0 We had another successful pop up supper club at College Farm on Friday 15th December. Special thanks to our in house catering team, Annabel, Sandie & Katharine, ably assisted by Angus & John, who produced a delicious Lebanese inspired menu. The evening was a huge success…
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Autumn Pop Up Supper Club
Our next Pop Up Supper Club is on Friday 15th November at College Farm. Tickets are only £20/head for a delicious homemade three course dinner. Tickets are £20 each from Katharine on 01953.483.318 or by BACS to: St Martin’s Church Thompson Barclays, Watton Sort Code: 20.28.20 Account No: 3086.9465 As always, space are limited…
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Christmas Quiz
We are holding another of our popular Quiz Nights on Tuesday 3rd December in the Thompson Community Hall Tickets are only £3 each Doors Open 7pm Quiz starts at 7.30pm Bring your own drinks/snacks Teams of 4 or we can help you make up a team Raffle Prize for the best Christmas hat! PCC &…
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Treasure Hunt
Thanks to Derek Webb for organising a fun afternoon of treasure hunting round the winding roads of Wayland on 11th August. Everyone had a fantastic time and raised funds for St Martin’s. The result was a tie for first place for Kate & Catherine Winslow and Mark & Debbie Hickman. We can’t wait for the…
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Heritage Weekend
Thompson Village & St Martin’s combined forces over the weekend of 26th, 27th & 28th July for a weekend of talks, music, flowers & history. The weekend started on Friday evening with a talk by Peter Bance on Prince Frederick Duleep Singh and his connections with Thompson, Merton & Breckles. The Community Hall was open…
Read MoreHistory timeline
Contact us
If you would like more information about the renovations or would like to discus making a donation then please write to The Treasurer St Martin's Church, c/o College Farm, Thompson, Thetford IP24 1QG, get in touch by phone on 01953 483.318 or fill in the form below.