The parish of Castle Acre lies in western central Norfolk roughly 4 miles north of the market town of Swaffham. Castle Acre sits just west of the A1065 road which links Swaffham with Fakenham and which sits on the northern banks of the River Nar. Castle Acre has an ancient history, believed to have been a Roman station sitting on the line of the Roman road linking Thetford and the coastal station at Brancaster, the site was chosen by the Norman knight William Warren as the base for his operations in the country establishing the castle, described by Pevsner as "one of the grandest motte-and-bailey castles in England". A castle is mentioned as early as 1085 in documents but was probably begun in the 1070s. Castle Acre's status as centre was enhanced further in 1090 when it became the site of a Cluniac Priory, subsidiary to Lewes in Sussex, which dominates the western end of the village with ruined cruciform church and extensive cloisters. Castle Acre is almost of sufficient size as to have become a market town but its proximity to that at Swaffham probably prevented such. Like most Norfolk parishes the wider and rather extensive parish of over 3,200 acres was almost entirely devoted to arable farming, the Nar valley providing some riverside pastures by way of variation. Today the antiquities and the presence of the Peddars' Way & North Norfolk Coastal National Trail which passes through the village provide a steady stream of tourists to its attractive large village green surrounded by lively inns and cafes.

Whilst the cruciform priory church lies in picturesque ruins the formidable parish church of St James sits at the western end of the High Street. The church was presumably begun in the late 13th century as Early English Gothic styling of that period is found in a blocked archway above the priest's door, similarly early 14th century Decorated style windows sit on the northern face. It is to the great church-building era of the Perpendicular that most of the fabric relates, clearly a major rebuild of an earlier church removed almost all traces of the earlier version except for these traces. The western tower is the church's centrepiece and is well documented in will donations to the late 14th century with money left in 1396 for its construction. Evidence for reuse of earlier structures is pointed out internally by Pevsner where Decorated quatrefoil piers of the earlier church are incorporated into Perpendicular piers in the arcades. The main nave of 5-bays is topped by a typical Perpendicular feature, the clerestory designed to improve internal lighting. A restoration of 1875 is mentioned by Pevsner but his sole comment on its extent is limited to a moan about the poor plate tracery of the 4-light eastern window. The church is best seen after parking at the village green and strolling westwards along the High Street, a broad wooden gate gives entry to a diagonal pathway crossing an open & uncluttered extensive churchyard to the church which has no obstacles of note for the photographer, the church, priory & castle make for an interesting day's visit to this attractive village.