Abbey Church, Church Street, Wymondham, Norfolk
This building is the Abbey Church of St Mary and St Thomas of Canterbury. It was the church to a Benedictine Abbey. The abbey was originally founded in 1107 by William de Albini as a Priory. It had 10-20 monks. It became an abbey in 1448 under Prior Stephen London. The Norman Church followed the typical Benedictine plan. In 1249 the Pope got involved in a dispute between the monks and the parishioners. He ruled that the parishioners should have the nave, North aisle, and North-West tower for their use, and the monks the rest. In c1400 the central tower was replaced by the Octagon. Its original twin towers at the western end were demolished and replaced by a single tower between 1447-98.
