St Lawrence, Beeston St Lawrence

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St Lawrence proudly stands alone atop a hill, its large round tower facing the nearby busy road that leads to Stalham. All signs of the medieval village from which the church takes its name are long gone and whilst the majority of the building dates from the 14th and 15 centuries, the lower portion of the tower is late Saxon, as is the north part of the nave.

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The walls and ceiling of both the nave and chancel are painted white, giving the church a light and airy feel. The lack of colour is only relieved by a simple border of yellow shields interspersed with red and blue ornaments. But rather than feeling stark, the church has a real ethereal quality to it.

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The church was redecorated and re-roofed in 1803 by Thomas Hulton, who in 1805 assumed the name of Preston before being made the 1st Baronet in 1814. The work on the church included the creation of the unusual plasterwork ceiling which replicated the design of the one in the entrance hall of the Preston family's nearby residence, Beeston Hall. In the chancel are several marble memorials to members of the Preston family, including the sixth Baronet and his wife, which dates from the end of the last century.

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The pews, like the rest of the church, are pleasingly simple, each carrying a different circular carving on the end. All of the church windows are clear except that of the chancel, which features a geometric pattern in pale blue and green glass.

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