The parish of Hemsby lies on Norfolk's eastern North Sea coast about 7 miles north of the port of Great Yarmouth. Whilst Hemsby was once a mid-sized village sitting on the edge of Broadland it has expanded and nowadays incorporates not only the original old village but a substantial seaside community. Growth originally came to Hemsby as a result of the construction of the Great Yarmouth to North Walsham branch railway line which fueled a rise in seaside traffic. That rail line disappeared in the cuts of the 1960s but motor traffic has kept Hemsby and its dune-lined beaches a popular resort for the holiday trade. In recent times erosion has endangered the community behind the dunes as the sea has taken away numerous chunks of land threatening the kind of inundation last seen in the Great Storm of 1953. The inland community was, despite the coastal setting, largely a farming community exploiting the light and sandy soils of what, in Roman times, was the island of Flegg. The coastal side of the village saw fisherman who hauled ashore to beach their boats there being no natural harbour between Yarmouth and the north coast ports.

St Mary's church lies in the old village on the eastern side of "The Street". The church is a typical Norfolk church commenced in the early 14th century using the Decorated style and finished later in the same century in the Perpendicular style that supplanted it. The chancel is the earlier portion and is Decorated in style featuring reticulated tracery fashionable in that era. Both western tower and nave are later and employ Perpendicular motifs, also of the mid 14th century comes the southern porch. The church has received two main phases of restoration, the first in the 1860s gave the church an unusual timber chancel arch whilst a recent restoration of 1974 saw much work on the tower. Most coastal traffic passes to the east of the site and The Street is relatively quiet, parking can be found within the old village. The churchyard has a typical Norfolk flint & brick wall with metal gates granting access, the churchyard is uncluttered and has few obstructions to photography albeit is a little tight to the building necessitating the need to get some images from the street.