Norfolk's religious past will be the focus of a special new four-part series on Mustard TV.

Eastern Daily Press: 'Chris Bailey & The Holy Trail'. A 4-part series, starting on Tuesday 7th Feb on Mustard TV. Photo from Mustard TV'Chris Bailey & The Holy Trail'. A 4-part series, starting on Tuesday 7th Feb on Mustard TV. Photo from Mustard TV (Image: Mustard TV)

Chris Bailey and The Holy Trail starts tomorrow on the channels Freeview 7 and Virgin 159 at 8pm.

The presenter spoke about the series and why it is important.

Our fine county has more churches, abbeys, priories and cathedrals collectively than any other in England.

Some built with strong Norman influences and developed between the 11th and 13th centuries. Following their conquest and occupation of England, the Normans carried out not just a complete redistribution of land, but also undertook a huge reorganisation of the institutions of both church and state.

This was accompanied by a massive building programme.

The cathedrals of England were totally rebuilt, new parish churches took shape in virtually every parish of the land, and monastery after monastery was planted across England.

At the heart of this renewal were the Benedictine monasteries.

On my journey around Norfolk I consider the position of these buildings today and what part they play in our 21st century community.

My Holy Trail starts at our Anglican cathedral and indeed ends there - some 900 years after its foundation as a Benedictine Monastry.

The journey takes in St John's Catholic Cathedral, the former Wymondham priory and town's remaining abbey, which remains important.

Onto Thetford and a peek at the remnants of the Priory that was once one of the largest and richest religious foundations in medieval East Anglia.

Among the many extraordinary sights to see, the Saxon wall paintings at St Mary The Virgin church in Houghton-on-the-Hill near North Pickenham were certainly stand-out.

They are the rarest in western Europe, over 900 years old.

And onwards to Creake Abbey, Walsingham and Binham.

It has been an interesting and hugely informative journey through just a small portion of the many hundreds of ecclesiastical sites throughout our county.

A trail that allows us a peek back in time, to possibly gather an experience of life in centuries past, from which we can both indulge and learn.

A trail to reflect the many twists and turns of life.