"From the Battle of Hastings (1066AD), the Normans wanted to show that they had an authority in religion that would match their military authority, so stone churches were built as well as stone castles. Anglo-Saxon churches were usually small wooden buildings in the villages of England, and only a very few of them still survive. Even in towns, like Norwich, there were lots of small churches for small district communities, rather than large structures. If you drive through rural England, you will see many beautiful examples of Norman churches still being used as places of worship."