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St Mary's

Snettisham

YOUR LOCAL CHURCH WHERE ALL ARE WELCOME

St Mary's Church, Old Church Rd, Snettisham, King's Lynn PE31 7NA

About
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ABOUT US

 Welcome to St Mary's Church in Snettisham

St Mary's is a friendly, welcoming Christian church determined to encourage the Lord's work in this part of Norfolk. As well as being a centre for Christian worship for over 700 years, the church provides a safe haven for our community and regularly holds concerts, recitals and other events which attract both church and village alike.

For any enquiries please contact:

Rev. Dan Tansey

Tel: 07928 825060

Email: revdantansey@gmail.com

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 Church Warden & Safeguarding Officer

Andy Gee

Tel: 07786 330980

 Church Warden

Sarah Keen

Tel: 01485 544374

Our Safeguarding Commitment

We are committed to Safeguarding Children, Young People, Victims/perpetrators of Domestic Abuse and Vulnerable Adults. The PCC has adopted the Church of England’s policies and best practice on safeguarding.

OUR CHURCH

A brief history of St Mary's

"The most exciting

14th Century decorated church in Norfolk"

Nikolaus Pevsner

St Mary's church with its 175 foot tall tower and spire, sits on high ground above the village of Snettisham, West Norfolk, and was often a landmark for mariners navigating The Wash.

 

The present church was built in 1340, but a previous church existed and Snettisham village was built around it. The Black Death sadly destroyed the original village.
 

St Mary's church was regarded by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner as the best "decorated" church in East Anglia. Its stone spire, soaring 175 feet, is a rarity in Norfolk, with only the Cathedral and three other churches having one. 

 

The stained-glass windows alone are spectacular with an equally impressive Medieval pulpit and eagle lectern. Various hatchments decorate the vestry and, for such a small Norfolk village, St Mary's dominates the skyline.

As well as being a centre for Christian worship for over 700 years, the church provides a safe haven from the busyness of 21st Century life - and regularly holds concerts, recitals and other events which attract both church and village alike.

Our Church
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OUR COMMUNITY

Our vision is to love God and love people

CONNECT WITH US

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Friends of St Mary's was set up for those with or without faith who are interested in supporting and protecting the church building itself and the significant role it plays within the village and the wider community.

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@fosmsnettisham
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FOLLOW US 

Follow our Facebook Page for the latest news and  events at St Marys.
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@snettishamstmaryschurch
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"St.Mary's is a church that passionately  worships God, reaches out to others and positively impacts our community"

Rev, Dan Tansey

Community

NEWS & EVENTS

What is going on at St Mary's?

Warming up....

So there hasn’t been quite so much activity in St Mary’s during the winter months, largely because it’s so cold in the church! 

 

However the PCC have been working on a solution to the challenge of warming up a building as ancient and vast as St Mary’s. And that solution is focussed on warming up the people in the church, rather than trying to warm up the space, which is far too big to heat properly without installing a nuclear reactor.

 

The solution we’ve been working on involves the use of infa-red heaters, mounted over the pews on wooden frames. We trialled this setup during the winter and will be installing more units in the autumn, so that anyone sitting in the nave will be comfortable. The frames currently in use are there for the trial and aren't very pretty. But the final design will make use of a far more sympathetic design.

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Floral Beauty

The one advantage of the church being so cold is that the flowers stay fresh for longer! Which is a good thing because the team of flower arrangers we have at St Mary’s go to tremendous effort to put on some beautiful seasonal displays throughout the church. 

 

The Coronation display around the font  was particularly beautiful, and I would encourage you to visit the church throughout the year to enjoy the full range of floral beauty on display.

Wild Ken Hill presentation

In March we were blessed to host a presentation from the team at Wild Ken Hill, led by Dominic Buscall, with an update on developments across this innovative and vital project.

Looking ahead.....

Well there’s a lot to look forward to this Spring and Summer at St Mary’s, with several concerts in June and July, and the return of the Art and Crafts Festival on the August bank holiday weekend.

 

Salvation Army Fakenham Fellowship Band

For the first of our concerts we will be hosting the Salvation Army Fakenham Fellowship Band on 23rd June at 7:30pm. This will be a free concert, with donations to support the work of the Salvation Army in Norfolk welcome.

CLASSICAL MUSIC ROCKS!

Classical Music Rocks will be returning to St Mary’s on 30th June with a performance from violinist Philippa Mo, with a programme entitled PARTITA FANTASIA CAPRICE:

“Philippa begins her programme with joyous Bach and Telemann displaying the shine and sprightly sparkle of the violin.  She chooses two birdsong inspired pieces by the brilliant British based composers Wendy Hiscocks and Errollyn Wallen. The programme also includes Prokofiev's Sonata for solo violin with its sheer power and ironic drive. Since the Baroque era, the instrument together with master virtuoso performers encouraged experiments and imagination in musical practice. The violin itself demanded the development of composition and has seduced composers ever since.Come along to explore the limits of the solo violin and violinist alike!”

 

Telemann Fantasie No.8 in E major

Bach Partita No.3 in E major

Caprice by Wendy Hiscocks

For Airi by Errollyn Wallen

Prokofiev Sonata for Solo Violin

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25th July 6.30pm - First performance 

The first performance  will be by The English Chamber Orchestra directed by John Mills

 

Programme:

SIR MICHAEL TIPPETT (1905–1988) Little Music for String Orchestra

GERALD FINZI (1901–1956) Romanze in E flat major, Op. 11

INTERVAL

BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913–1976) Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841–1904) Serenade for Strings 


 

26th July 6.30pm - Second Performance

This is entitled Celebrating William Byrd:

 

“This concert marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, one of the great composers of the late Renaissance and arguably one of the finest choral composers that England has ever produced.”

 

VESPRI SEGRETI directed by DAVID BANNISTER

with CHRISTIAN WILSON organ

 

Programme:

WILLIAM BYRD (c.1540–1623) O Lord, make thy servant, Elizabeth

BYRD My mind to me a kingdom is

BYRD ‘Credo’ from Mass for Four Voices

PHILIPPE DE MONTE (1521–1603) Super flumina Babylonis

BYRD Quomodo cantabimus

BYRD Ave verum corpus

INTERVAL

SARUM CHANT Te Deum

BYRD Deus venerunt gentes

BYRD Why do I use my paper, ink, and pen?

BYRD ‘Agnus Dei’ from Mass for Four Voices

BYRD O Gloriosa Domine 

BYRD Sing joyfully


Drinks (alcoholic and soft) will be available before both concerts and during the interval. You are also welcome to picnic in the church grounds before and after the concert.

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MUSIC IN COUNTRY CHURCHES CONCERTS

On 25th and 26th July 2023 we have the great privilege of hosting two performances in partnership with Music in Country Churches. This is a pretty big gig for us, and we expect a full house on both evenings, so book your tickets now! Tickets are available via musicincountrychurches.org.uk, and a link will also be posted on www.snettishamchurch.com.

ART & CRAFT FESTIVAL

Over the August bank holiday weekend we will hold the Art & Crafts Festival, beginning with a launch party on the evening of Friday 25th August , featuring a return performance by Hexachordia, who played beautifully for us two years ago and whom we are excited to welcome back. 

 

We’re expecting a wide range of exhibitors so please contact Sarah Keene to book a space on wmffarmline@icloud.com.

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SUPPERS & LUNCHES

During Lent we held a really fruitful series of lunches and suppers in which raised £539 for the Hunstanton & District Food Bank, and had a lot of fun in the process. These shared meals were so successful that we have decided to carry this on with regular Thursday Suppers and Friday Lunches (seedates in our calendar below).


These gatherings are a great opportunity to meet new people and also include some light teaching and discussion of Christian life. These are free events, and any donations will go to support the Hunstanton & District Food Bank. All are welcome.

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News & Events
Services

OUR CALENDAR OF SERVICES & EVENTS

Living the Life

Our Sunday Services at St Mary's start at 10am.

These are very relaxed and accessible services for everyone, and the regular congregation are always welcoming and friendly. 

 

We also now have an Activity Space for Children and creative types to use during services.

Everyone who’s been Christened is welcome to come forward for bread and wine at Holy Communion or for a simple blessing if you’d prefer. Or you don’t have to come forward at all if you don’t want to! We’re also happy to bring the bread and wine to you if it’s difficult for you to get up to the front of the church.

 

Morning Worship is a regular church service but without Holy Communion. Tea, coffee and cakes are served after every service!

We have also added an extra BCP Holy Communion service to each month, held at 8.30am on the first and third 

 

We also meet for Coffee & Prayers on Friday mornings. Some come along and chatter away, and others sit quietly and enjoy praying with others in their own way.

 

Below is a timetable of everything that’s coming up at St Mary’s between now and the end of AUGUST.  Everyone is welcome at every service and event!

Sunday 21st May
8.30am
BCP Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Sunday 21st May
10.00am
Morning Worship & APCM
St Mary's Church
Thursday 25th May
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 26th May
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 26th May
12.30am
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 28th May
10.00am
Pentecost Common Worship Holy Communion 
St Mary's Church
Thursday 1st June
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 2nd June
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 2nd June
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 4th June
8.30am
Trinity Sunday BCP Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Sunday 4th June
10.00am
Trinity Sunday Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 8th June
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Snettisham Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 9th June
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 9th June
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 11th June
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 15th June
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 16th June
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 16th June
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 18th June
8.30am
BCP Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Sunday 18th June
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 22nd June
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 23rd June
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 23rd June
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
St Mary's Church
Friday 23rd June
7.30pm
SALVATION ARMY Concert
St Mary's Church
Sunday 25th June
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 29th June
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 30th June
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 30th June
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Friday 30th June
6.30pm
CLASSICAL MUSIC ROCKS Concert
St Mary's Church
Sunday 2nd July
8.30am
Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Sunday 2nd July
10.00am
BCP Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Thursday 6th July
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 7th July
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 7th July
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 9th July
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 13th July
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 14th July
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 14th July
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 16th July
8.30am
BCP Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Sunday 16th July
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 20th July
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 21st July
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
Church Hall, Station Rd
Friday 21st July
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 23rd July
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Tuesday 25th July
6.30pm
MICC CONCERT
St Mary's Church
Wedsnesday 26th July
6.30pm
MICC CONCERT
St Mary's Church
Thursday 27th July
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 28th July
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 28th July
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 30th July
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 3rd August
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 4th August
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 4th August
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 6th August
8.30am
BCP Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Sunday 6th August
10.00am
Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Thursday 10th August
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 11th August
12.30pm
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 11th August
9.30am
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 13th August
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 17th August
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 18th August
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 18th August
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Sunday 20th August
10.00am
Morning Worship
St Mary's Church
Thursday 24th August
7.00pm
Thursday Supper
Park Farm Visitors Centre
Friday 25th August
9.30am
Morning Prayers & Coffee
St Mary's Church
Friday 25th August
12.30pm
Friday Lunch
Church Hall, Station Rd
Friday 25th August
7.00pm
Art & Craft Festival Opening Night
St Mary's Church
Saturday 26th August
7.00pm
Art & Craft Festival
St Mary's Church
Sunday 27th August
8.30am
BCP Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Sunday 27th August
10.00am
Holy Communion
St Mary's Church
Sunday 27th August
7.00pm
Art & Craft Festival
St Mary's Church
Monday 28th August
7.00pm
Art & Craft Festival
St Mary's Church

 OTHER SERVICES & CEREMONIES 

We are here for you

Other Services
Contact
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CONTACT US

If you have any enquiries please don't hesitate to contact us: 
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Church Warden

Sarah Keen

Tel: 01485 544374

Priest

Rev. Dan Tansey

Tel: 07928 825060

Email: revdantansey@gmail.com

Church Warden and Safeguarding Officer

Andy Gee

Mobile: 07786 330980

Contact Us

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FIND US

At the heart of the village

St Mary's Church

Old Church Rd

 Snettisham

King's Lynn

Norfolk

PE31 7NA

Limited parking on road outside church

Wheelchair access

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We look forward to welcoming you to St Mary's Church

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