Hear the story of Norfolk’s Angel of the Bridewell

Norfolk’s Angel of the Bridewell - a tale of compassion, courage and Christian conviction -  can be heard in a Norwich church on New Year’s Day.

On Thursday January 1, Norwich Evangelical Free Church is due to host Matthew Pickhaver from Briston, to give an illustrated talk about Sarah Martin, 'Angel of the Bridewell' (1791-1843).  
 
Sarah was a poor dressmaker from Caister-on-Sea whose conversion to Christ led to a remarkable life of service for others. Daily walking to Great Yarmouth, she taught children at Sunday school, in an infirmary and workhouse, and at evening classes for factory girls. But she is best remembered as a regular visitor to the town's bridewell and then tollhouse prison, where the museum still commemorates her influence.
 
Her spiritual instruction in the absence of official chaplains, as well as teaching practical skills and following inmates up after release, led to dramatic improvements in one of the most notorious jails in the country, and in the wider Yarmouth community in which she eventually lived.                     
 
It's a tale of compassion, courage and Christian conviction, that challenges us today. Why not start 2026 with what has sometimes been called, 'the story of a useful life'? 
 
The talk at NEFC, in the former Railway Mission building at 79 Prince of Wales Road (NR1 1DG), begins at 2pm, is free to attend, and all are welcome. For more info, contact NEFC elder Luther Chaplin on 07920 178523.

www.efcnorwich.co.uk

Pictures from Matthew Pickhaver.