Story of St Wulframs
The parish church of St Wulfram is a noble building in every aspect, one of the largest medieval churches in the country, seating around 700 people. Simon Jenkins in his book England’s Thousand Best Churches gave it a five-star rating, in part for the tower and spire.
"
Here is the finest steeple in England
— Simon Jenkins
The spacious interior has fine vistas across the broad nave and aisles. Inside and outside is a whole gallery of carved stone heads, most of them medieval, some no doubt portraits of local people of the time, some grotesques, some animals. There is even a hippopotamus head to look out for.
There are plenty for visitors to enjoy and discover. They can go up to the Chained Library and down to the Crypt Chapel. The windows, with wonderfully varied tracery, contain fine Victorian and modern glass.
The Visitor Centre in the North Porch provides full information and a touch screen to help you make the most of your visit.
Come and see all this for yourself. You will be most welcome at St Wulfram's.
Who Was St Wulfram?
The church is dedicated to St Wulfram, a 7th century missionary born in about 650 AD near Fontainebleau, south of Paris.
- He was the son of a Frankish soldier but instead of following in his father’s footsteps, he took Holy Orders.
- He was Archbishop of Sens in 693.
- In 700 he became a missionary to the pagan Frisians in what is now northern Germany.
- He died in 720 and was canonised after numerous miracles had been attributed to him.
- There is a large collegiate church dedicated to him at Abbeville in northern France .
- In pre-Reformation times the church contained a shrine of St. Wulfram. The reliquary was probably housed in the Crypt and at times in the upper chamber of the North Porch.
For more information about St. Wulfram’s building, history and contents and The Friends of St Wulfram's, please click on the link below.
