The parish of St Mary Coslany lies in the northern part of the city of Norwich, in the area known colloquially as "Norwich-over-the-water" (North of the Wensum River). Coslany was one of the founding Saxon areas of the city, slightly higher than the river but close to the ancient fording point that is marked by the present day Oak Street. At the time of this transcript this was one of the most overcrowded and fetid areas of the city, a maze of yards and courts off the principal roads housed a population which had been almost dependent upon the weaving and ancillary trades, they were suffering from the decline of that trade badly. Even through until the late 20th century this was an industrial area but nowadays it has lost that focus becoming once more a residential area.

St Mary Coslany church sits at the junction of St Mary's Plain and Oak Street, it is no longer used for worship being one of the many redundant churches in the city - it is now used an arts and crafts centre. The round tower marks the church as one of the original Anglo-Saxon churches of the city, it is probably the oldest surviving church building in the city. The present day structure owes much to an extensive early 20th century restoration which took the building from near dereliction to its present state. That restoration is not the only one the building has needed, the history shows major works in both Decorated and Perpendicular styles which have updated the building over the centuries.