Wymondham Abbey

Overview

Wymondham Abbey is the parish church of Wymondham, a town in South Norfolk. As such its primary purpose is to promote the Gospel and to build its community. The church sees its role as part of the glue in society. Its work helps all living in the Parish, not just those within the congregation.

Wymondham Abbey is Grade I listed. It has been in continuous service as the parish church of Wymondham for over 900 years. It is one of only three churches in England to have been founded not only as a Priory but also a parish church. This dual purpose, not always a happy arrangement for the monks and parishioners, makes the church’s early history unusual and colourful.

At the moment, an almost entirely hidden element of the heritage is the Abbey’s archive and collections, housed on site in a hidden room above the north porch. It is extremely unusual in having kept its archives on site. The archives and collections date back to the thirteenth century and include several rare and important items including a recently re-discovered 1613 edition of the King James Bible.

Greenwoods managed a project to create a new display gallery for the archive, educational spaces, and visitor facilities which will also be usable by community groups. The project was Lottery Funded.

Client
Wymondham Abbey

Project
Wymondham Abbey

Value
£700,000

Role
Project Manager

Procurement
Traditional

Duration
18 months