The parish of Norton Subcourse lies in southeastern Norfolk not too far from its border with neighbouring Suffolk. Norton Subcourse is located about 3 miles east of the small market town of Loddon and sits a mile north of the B1136 road which cuts off the corner between the Loddon/Beccles road and the Great Yarmouth/Beccles road. Norton Subcourse is a small village, one of a pair with Thurlton which sit either side of their joint staithe, Boyce's Dyke, a water-course designed to allow the bringing of boats into the margins of nearby villages. Norton Subcourse sits at the very edge of Norton Marshes which stretch north the two miles or so to the course of the River Yare which marks the northern boundary of the parish. This position gave the parish not only dry land for arable cropping but also extensive grazing marshes and wetlands for the traditional trades of wildfowling & reed thatch harvesting, the staithe gave it access to the wider Broadland waterway network allowing transportation to the port of Great Yarmouth and upstream to the city of Norwich.

St Mary's church sits some 10 metres higher than much of the village at the junction of the Loddon & Church Roads, it sits 50 metres or so south along Church Road. The presence of a round tower is usually indicative of an early church and whilst Pevsner is not explicit in stating it is 12th century he does add that the bell-openings are from the late 13th century Transitional period. The main body of the church, a single chambered church with no structural divide between nave & chancel, is slightly later than those bell-openings and dates from the early part of the 14th century in the Decorated style. Documentary evidence dates the roofing, nowadays a splendid example of thatching, to the period of the 1310s. For once Pevsner does not mention a substantial Victorian restoration albeit the internal reredos and seating carry an 1898 dating, if one occurred at all it was clearly light and sensitive. Church Lane is narrow but the verges are well used for parking, the churchyard is hedged to the road with metal gates at the southern end for entry. Sadly the church, itself, sits very close to that southern edge effectively removing the favoured aspects from the photographer's arsenal and making for a tricky subject especially on a sunny day.