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Thorpe Market
A small village in North Norfolk
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Calling all film fans!

On May 11th at 7.30pm there will be a meeting at the church to further discuss the formation of a Film Club.  The church owns a quality video projector, sound equipment and large screen.  There is already a core of film buffs waiting in the wings and this meeting will discuss, over a glass of wine, how best to utilise these facilities and create a friendly, community-based  village activity.  Anyone who feels able to contribute ideas or experience, please do attend!

Cantamus Community Choir Spring Concert

 

Samson might have brought the roof down upon the Philistines (Judges chapter 16), but the 45 strong Cantamus Community Choir are celebrating the roof going back on St Margaret’s Church, Thorpe Market with a performance of Handel’s oratorio “Samson”. It was written immediately following the more famous “Messiah”, with a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton, after John Milton’s “Samson Agonistes” and was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 18th February 1743.

This rarely performed work has meant that library copies have had to be acquired from around the country thanks to the support of Norfolk Library Services.  The work, in the style of an Italian opera, contains a number of lively choruses and is proving extremely popular with members of the choir.

The soloists will be Jan Bird (Soprano), Elizabeth Knight (Contralto), Eric Forshaw (Tenor) and Clive McCombie (Bass). The organist will be Alan Morris.
 Cantamus Community Choir will be performing this work on Friday 30th April 2010 at 7.30 p.m. at St Margaret’s Church, Thorpe Market. Admission by programme £6 (seats bookable on 01263 833252)



The Re-roofing Project
The church was closed in August 2009 in order that major work to the roof and interior could take place.  Broken slates had allowed water to  damage the decorated ceiling with potential health and safety issues looming action needed to be taken.
In 2007/8 a two-stage project to investigate and repair was instigated by English Heritage.
 The project has cost in excess of £160,000.00, with funding being provided by English Heritage, The Joyce Mayes Trust, Norfolk Churches Trust, Historic Churches Trust, Wolfson Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, The Mercers, Allchurches Trust Ltd., and PCC fund-raising events and individual donations.
The church now has new slates, improved churchyard drainage, repaired ceiling and total re-decoration.
The main contractor for the project was Pikestaff Traditional Roofing and Ruth Blackman of Birdsall, Swash and Blackman was the architect.

ST MARGARET'S CHURCH UPDATE - Easter Day
Easter 2010 saw the long-awaited re-opening of St. Margaret's Church.   On Good Friday Cantamus Community Choir  performed Stainers "Crucifixion".  Easter Day was celebrated with our first service "back home" led by Rev. Janet Stewart.  In the course of the afternoon more than 150 visitors viewed the newly decorated and re-roofed church, enjoyed music by Village Folk Band and sampled our home-made cakes and tea.  The Village Library facility has returned with an enormous supply of good quality books.



Churchyard Conservation
The churchyard is maintained by volunteers. Since 1998 it has received many awards and accolades.  This February we recorded over 500 visitors viewing the snowdrops and aconites, who also joined us in the church for refreshments and music.
Our churchyard team has 4 regular mower persons, who cut all the short areas weekly between March and November. Other volunteers take on specific tasks such as the flower borders.  This June we hope to welcome a team from the Unpaid Work Unit who will provide younger muscle to do those jobs that are currently left undone! (Painting gates, repairing the car park, removing ivy from walls, lopping overhanging trees etc.)
The longer conservation areas are cut and raked  in July/August, in order to allow butterflies an extended breeding season
The Hazel Grove area is now used as a Green Burial area for the interment of ashes. (See "Woodland burials").
We encourage visits by conservation-minded people. May and June are particularly colourful months, especially in the Hazel Grove.
We welcome new members to our team and any offers to undertake a specific task are gratefully received.

Recycling
We now have 2 bottle banks as well as the paper skips on the church car park. The paper skips already earned  £1300+ in 2007/08 towards the church's £7000 running costs - so please bring all your bottles and paper to Thorpe Market!

Book Recycling - Our Village Library
The back pews are now occupied by a large shelf. The books thereon have been donated and may be borrowed, read,  and returned, or taken for "keeps" in return for a small donation in the wall box. There are modern novels, classics, biographies and special interest books. We hope that it may provide a resource for avid readers between village visits by the county library van. Bags of unwanted books to refresh the selection may be left at the back of the church.


Village memories
The intention is to create an archive of historical village photographs and memories. We have posted Anthony Beck's diary of life in the village during WW2 on this site. We always welcome any archive material and photos may be e mailed to us.  We receive queries from around the world and are always delighted to respond if able.




This website has been designed to provide a source for visitors, residents or indeed anyone seeking information about the village of Thorpe Market. The website has been created with data provided by St. Margaret's Church, Thorpe Market.