Wymondham Abbey, Norfolk, England, UK Stock Photo

Wymondham Abbey, Norfolk, UK. The Abbey serves as the parish church of Wymondham, but it started life as a Benedictine priory in 1107. The church was originally cruciform in shape, with a central tower and twin west towers. When it was built, Caen stone from Normandy was imported to face the walls. The central tower was replaced in about 1376 by a tall octagonal tower (now ruined), which held the monks' bells. In 1447, work on a much taller single west tower began. This replaced the original Norman towers and held the townspeople's bells. From the start, the church had been divided between monks' and townspeople's areas, with the nave and north aisle serving as parish church for the town.