For hundreds of years, they have stood relatively unscathed in the wooden hammer beams of a medieval church.
And now, during a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, admirers from all over the country have flocked to see a group of spectacular cherubim angels in a north Norfolk village's 14th century church.
The chance for members of the public to climb up to the roof of Cawston parish church and marvel at the carvings and original paintwork inside St Agnes has come about thanks to a major repair project.
Team vicar, the Revd Andrew Whitehead, first came to the church more than three years ago. He said by hosting the 'hard hat' days , it gave people the opportunity to get close to the heritage within the building and showcase what was happening there.
'There are many unique and interesting features within this church,' he added.
'It has been great to be have been able to offer such a unique experience for people.'
The church was recently awarded £221,800 of Heritage Lottery funding for urgent repairs on the high leaded windows and to introduce a state-of-the-art drainage system to take rainwater away from the building.
It also means the community will benefit from the creation of a new multi-purpose space.
The work, which has involved putting up scaffolding inside the building, has allowed the now fully-booked tours of the angel roof to take place. It is believed that only 170 other examples are left in existence, including ones in Wales and York, with 140 in East Anglia.
Mr Whitehead explained that the display in Cawston's church is unique due to its rare features, including the scale of the angels and the upright position they stand in looking at each other.
The angels are also a higher rank known as 'cherubim angels' as shown by their double wings and feather suits.
The white chalk and glue primer used before they were painted is also visible and some even have red and green paint on them preserved from the 15th century.
- To learn more about the church and on-going projects there visit the website where you will find a wealth of information.
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