The Church
St Mary the Virgin sits high on the hilltop above Dalham village, looking down over fields, thatched cottages and the village windmill.
The tower was rebuilt in 1625 and had the date and an inscription in flint flushwork on the tower, and a dedication painted on the tower wall inside.
There are also several earlier wall paintings inside, including the seven deadly sins, each falling into the jaws of a devil, seven works of mercy and a doom over the chancel arch.
There is a peal of eight bells, one dating from 1425. Local bell ringers ring regularly and they also welcome visitors.
Our Work
Bat numbers in the church have fallen over recent years, but there is still a major roost over the chancel arch.
The church are concerned about the mess and the amount of cleaning required to use the church. There may also be potential damage to some of the wall paintings.
The project funded a complete set of surveys in summer 2021 by The Ecology Consultancy which produced a costed bat management plan with a number of options for mitigation, including installing a deflector board beneath the roost. The church will be fundraising to carry out the planned works in the near future.
To help the church run events we've purchased a range of small pieces of equipment including folding tables and displays. We have also helped the church develop a self-guided walking trail around three local churches, with bat stamps that walkers can collect at each church.
For summer 2023 the church hosted our On A Wing & A Prayer artwork.
Dalham Case Study Poster
Dalham Fact Sheet
Dalham Bat Management Report
Upcoming events
Tues 6 June - Mon 19 June On A Wing And A Prayer art installation tour
If you’d like to contact or find out more about the church, visit their page on A Church Near You