The ruins of St Saviour's church, Surlingham form a prominent and evocative land-mark overlooking the marshes of the Yare Valley. The church was an early Norman (late 11th Century foundation and is notable for its large coursed flint-work and axial tower plan. Originally there were two parishes in Surlingham, and St Saviour was linked to the nearby Surlingham manor. By the 13th century it was under the control of the Abbess of Carrow Abbey. The population of the parish subsequently declined and eventually St Saviour was subsumed into the parish of St Mary in 1705. It gradually decayed, a process accelerated by the robbing of the church for building materials. For the last two centuries the site has provided a tranquil destination and a place of contemplation for generations of local people, walkers, naturalists and antiquarians. It is also the final resting place of a number of local residents including 'the people's naturalist', Ted Ellis (1909-1986) writer, curator and founder of Wheatfen nature reserve. St Saviour was repaired and preserved in 2011.