All Saints, Hargham, Norfolk In Summer Stock Photo

Hargham, pronounced harf'm, was already a ruin, of course. The western bays of the nave collapsed in the 18th century, an unfortunate date because this was a low point in the history of the English church. The nave was never rebuilt. There was obviously a major restoration in the late 19th century to the chancel, but by the middle of the 20th century it had become a ruin, the building full of ivy and elder.It was rescued in the 1970s by a local couple, Clifford and Jacqueline Amos. He was a builder, and set about restoring the integrity of the chancel and what remained of the nave. The couple still maintain the building to this day, leaving the tower to grants from funding bodies to keep it standing. "When Lady Harrod came, she didn't just stand and stare, she got down on her knees and scrubbed the floor with the rest of us!"