Cromer church, which is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, and was probably erected in the reign of Henry IV. is a very handsome structure, built with flint and freestone, and consists of a nave and two aisles: the tower, which is square, with an embattled top, is one hundred and fifty-nine feet in height. The entrance at the west end, which is a beautiful specimen of gothic architecture, is in ruins, as are also the north porch, and the chancel, of which little now remains. At one time indeed the other parts of the church were so much in ruins, that Divine service was performed in the tower. {14} Many of its ornaments were destroyed by the soldiers of Cromwell, and the church itself converted into barracks. The flinting, in many parts of the building, can scarcely be excelled in the beauty of its execution. The nave and aisles are spacious and neatly fitted up, and made capable of containing a large congregation; but except the double row of arches which support the roof, and divide the aisles, very little of what it once was now remains; these, however, are of beautiful proportions. The windows, which were formerly of noble dimensions, and were decorated with painted glass, are, on the north side especially, either totally or partially closed, by the introduction of common bricks. It possesses a well-toned organ, and galleries have lately been erected by the contributions of the visitors and inhabitants, obtained through the strenuous exertions of the Rev. W. Sharpe, whose conduct on the occasion deserves the sincere gratitude of all parties. Before these galleries were built, the fishermen used to sit together in the middle aisle, and they formed an impressive and pleasing spectacle. Our best feelings, as well as our gratifications, are much enhanced by the association of ideas; and it was next to impossible to behold these persons, many of whom were venerable with age, and not be put in remembrance of Him whose the sea is, and who is so peculiarly the fisherman’s protector. These men, who do their “business in the great waters, and see the wonders of the Lord,” are themselves a testimony of his goodness. There is also something sacred in their occupation, which, added to the circumstances of their safety, thereby bringing them calmly to worship him in the haven where they would be, that arrests even the careless eye, and promotes devotion in the more serious. The church contains but very few monuments, and these belong principally to the Windham and Ditchell families. Indeed, with the exception of one to Mr. B. Rust, and another erected by the inhabitants to a singularly amiable and talented individual, a surgeon and general practitioner of the place, Mr. Charles Stewart Earle, with some ancient slabs, are all it can boast of. The following circumstance may seem trivial; but, as affording an instance of a providential escape, may not perhaps be unacceptable.