North Norfolk church celebrates 100 years

All Saints Church High Kelling will be celebrating the hundredth anniversary of its first service during the last weekend of June with a series of centenary events and a flower festival.

The church will be open to visitors from 1.00 pm on Friday 28 June until Monday 1 July, and throughout the weekend the church will be decorated with themed floral displays that reflect on events of the church’s history.
 
The first event of the weekend will be a classical concert in church at 7pm on Friday 28 June, accompanied with strawberries and fizz.
 
On Saturday, the church will be open to visitors throughout the day when morning coffee and afternoon tea will be available.
 
On Saturday evening, 29 June, the Sheringham Shantymen will be live in an open air concert starting at 6.30 pm. Street food will be available to purchase or bring your own picnic. Tickets are £10.
 
On Sunday 30 June the usual Morning Eucharist will be at 9.15, while in the afternoon at 3.00 pm there will be open air Songs of Praise accompanied by the Cromer and Sheringham Brass Band. The Bishop of Lynn, Rt Revd Jane Steen will preach, and Lady Dannett, Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, will be in attendance.
 
On the Monday the church will continue to be open for visitors.
 
Tickets for events will be available from Lynn Morgan, 23 Avenue Road, High Kelling, phone 01263 711489.
 
All Saints Church in High Kelling held its first service in August 1924. It had been built as a chapel to serve the Tuberculosis Sanatorium for Children and the adjacent Bramblewood TB Sanatorium for Women. By 1955 TB treatment had become so advanced that sanatoriums were no longer necessary and Bramblewood closed.
 
The now unused chapel was offered to the residents of the growing community of High Kelling for £500, which in today’s money would be closer to £16,000. The residents rose to the challenge and the money was rapidly raised, and the chapel was renamed All Saints Church, with the first service taking place at All Saints Tide in November 1955.
 
For several years the church acted independently, and although not officially licensed, clergy from St Andrews Church in Holt agreed to take services. In 1978 All Saints became formally recognised as a District Church within the Parish of Holt and this new status was formally recognised at a special service led by the Bishop of Lynn. In 1994 the link with St Andrews was further strengthened when the benefice was renamed “The Benefice of Holt with High Kelling”.
 
Over the years local people have lavished attention on this church, which is said to be the smallest in the Norwich Diocese. A memorial garden was dedicated for cremated remains and for the last 30 years the church has been licensed for weddings. Flowers have always been a major feature of the church, with impressive displays for major festivals always drawing large numbers of visitors.
 
The photo of All Saints High Kelling is courtesy of the church

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