Aldeby is a parish in south-east Norfolk, situated approximately 5km NE of Beccles and close to the N bank of the River Waveney, which forms the county boundary with Suffolk.
The church of St Mary is of 12thc origin, with substantial additions and alterations of the 13th and 14thc. It is constructed of flint, brick and limestone with limestone dressings. The north transept is largely 13thc in character, with paired lancets in both the east and west walls and traces of a blocked doorway between the lancets in the west wall. The chancel was extensively remodelled in the 14thc and contains a piscina and stepped sedilia, and a south aisle or chapel appears to belong to the same campaign of enlargement. The north porch, built of knapped flint with flushwork decoration, is also of 14thc date, as is the octagonal font, decorated with shields and roses. The church was extensively restored during the 19thc, when the chancel roof was rebuilt, windows were renewed, and structural repairs carried out.
The principal Romanesque feature is the west doorway of the nave. A Romanesque window also survives in the N wall of the nave. The crossing tower is generally regarded as Norman in origin, although it has undergone extensive later alteration and may have been partially rebuilt in 1633, a date recorded on the north jamb of the tower arch.
