The Church
St Peter's, Guestwick is a largely complete Medieval church. The tower may be Saxon and was originally at the centre of the church. You can still see the original doorway to the old nave inside the tower.
The church has a superb collection of early stained glass, including St Catherine, two bishops and a feathered angel.
In 2000 the church commissioned a new Millennium window featuring the local wildlife of the village, including their bats. Much of the churchyard is managed for wildlife, with help from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, and there is a wildlife youth group based at the church.
The church is open to visitors from dawn to dusk.
Our Work
Guestwick has a large colony of Natterer's Bats which roost in various locations throughout the church.
The church has worked with bat ecologists for many years, helping research techniques for limiting the impact of bats on the church, including interior boxes, exterior roots and using acoustic deterrents.
In spring 2021 the project created a series of enclosed boxes in the eaves of the church. Work is now ongoing to exclude the bats from the church interior and keep them confined to their roost boxes.
Cameras inside the boxes will broadcast a live video feed of the roosting bats, which will hopefully be available online for everyone to watch.
Guestwick Case Study Poster
Guestwick Fact Sheet
Guestwick Bat Management Plan 2020
Upcoming events
If you’d like to contact or find out more about the church, visit their page on A Church Near You