Occurring
for 2 hours
Venue Address
School Road Bergh Apton Norwich, NR15 1BX, United Kingdom
…how two diving Norfolk brothers, Julian & Lincoln Barnwell, discovered the wreck centuries after the sinking that nearly killed a future king

The Royal Navy warship carrying James Stuart, future King James II, and a number of other luminaries of the time ran aground on a sandbank off the Norfolk coast on May 6, 1682, with huge loss of life. The diarist Samuel Pepys witnessed the event from another ship.

For 325 years, Gloucester’s exact whereabouts was a mystery – until 2007, when it was discovered by Norfolk divers, brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell and their friend, retired ex-Royal Navy submariner and diver James Little. Their search had taken 4 years, and only after another 5 years was it certain that they had found the Gloucester.

To preserve the site from looting, the finding of the legendary missing wreck was kept secret for another 6 years before being revealed to the public in 2022.
The discovery of the Gloucester, and the wealth of artifacts recovered, were the subject of a major exhibition in Norwich Castle Museum in 2023, which attracted over 70,000 visitors.

Perhaps you were one of them.

Come along to Bergh Apton Church to hear the story first-hand from Julian.

Tickets £12 – please book in advance especially if we’re close to the date when you read this notice. Call 01508 558440 or use the Eventbrite link on our website: https://berghapton.org.uk/bergh-apton-festival-2024 for details,

Bergh Apton: St Peter & St Paul

The Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul is open daily and serves a parish comprising one-fifth of the Thurton Benefice; the others being Ashby St Mary, Framingham Pigot, Thurton and Yelverton.

Although there may not always be someone on hand to welcome you, do come in.  Have a look around, sit, pray, meditate .... or just be.    Do sign the visitors’ book; it's always interesting to discover what brings people to our door and where they have come from to visit us. We’re a friendly, if smallish, congregation, like to share coffee and chat after every service, and we'd love to see you.

There’s variety in the type of services offered here,  just have a look at our ‘What’s on’ or ‘Services & events’ pages for details.

We're an ancient church with Norman (1300s) origins, Victorian features and a fair few bits and pieces in between. You'll find us settled in 2.6 acres of peaceful churchyard where you might hear the plaintive mewing of the buzzards overhead, the 'Whoo' and 'Wheet' of the tawny owls who live in the adjacent nature reserve, a couple of rowdy nuthatches or a myriad others. A muntjac deer is a regular visitor. Parts of the churchyard are deliberately un-manicured.  This is to encourage a diversity of wild flowers and the small beasties who enjoy the extra protection the longer grass gives.  

In the more than 700 years that a church has been on the site, there’s no telling how many residents of Bergh Apton are buried here. We do know the names of over 1300 souls who lie at peace in this little corner of Norfolk, although memorials for only 600-700 exist.  The earliest is dated 1686. If you are looking for family history information do get in touch; we have a local history group which may be able to help.

A grassed field lies adjacent to the churchyard, which is available for parking.  The gate is kept closed but not locked.  Respectful visitors are always welcome.

Get in touch

Rev'd Chris Ellis (Rector) / Shirley Rimmer (Churchwarden)

Shirley Rimmer
01508 480576(C'wrdn)
What's on

Satruday 29th June, 7pm - A Talk by Julian Barnwell

Occurring
for 2 hours
Venue
Bergh Apton: St Peter & St Paul
Address
School Road Bergh Apton Norwich, NR15 1BX, United Kingdom

…how two diving Norfolk brothers, Julian & Lincoln Barnwell, discovered the wreck centuries after the sinking that nearly killed a future king

The Royal Navy warship carrying James Stuart, future King James II, and a number of other luminaries of the time ran aground on a sandbank off the Norfolk coast on May 6, 1682, with huge loss of life. The diarist Samuel Pepys witnessed the event from another ship.

For 325 years, Gloucester’s exact whereabouts was a mystery – until 2007, when it was discovered by Norfolk divers, brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell and their friend, retired ex-Royal Navy submariner and diver James Little. Their search had taken 4 years, and only after another 5 years was it certain that they had found the Gloucester.

To preserve the site from looting, the finding of the legendary missing wreck was kept secret for another 6 years before being revealed to the public in 2022.
The discovery of the Gloucester, and the wealth of artifacts recovered, were the subject of a major exhibition in Norwich Castle Museum in 2023, which attracted over 70,000 visitors.

Perhaps you were one of them.

Come along to Bergh Apton Church to hear the story first-hand from Julian.

Tickets £12 – please book in advance especially if we’re close to the date when you read this notice. Call 01508 558440 or use the Eventbrite link on our website: https://berghapton.org.uk/bergh-apton-festival-2024 for details,

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Safeguarding

Our parish of Bergh Apton: St Peter & St Paul is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO), Mrs Leo Smith. Our Diocese of Norwich’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO.

If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the PSO : Mrs Leo Smith 01508 493695; email: [email protected] or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor 01603 882345; email: [email protected] . More details at https://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/home/safeguarding/

If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services."

Useful contact information:
Childline: 0800 1111; website: https://childline.org.uk
Local Authority Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub: 0344 800 8020
NSPCC: 0808 800 5000
In an emergency do not delay – contact the police on 999