The parish of Runham lies in eastern Norfolk about 6 miles west of the port & seaside resort of Great Yarmouth. Runham sits on a peninsula of lane, part of the ancient island of Flegg, which penetrates between the two course of the Muck Fleet & the Bure. A marsh-edge community with almost two thirds of its land grazing marsh and reed-bed the parish would have enjoyed not only arable farming on higher ground but also the benefits of thatch growing, wildfowling and other marshland activities to supplement the pastoral base. Runham sits barely a couple of metres higher than the neighbouring marshland but sufficient to keep it reasonably dry, to its south the reclaimed area of Breydon Marshes stretches unbroken to the Norfolk/Suffolk borders and beyond. Much of Runham is dispersed along nearly a mile of marsh edge reflecting the interests of the early dwellers in both marsh and drier land.

St Peter & St Paul's church sits alone to the west of the village and a hundred yards or so south of the main access lane to the village. Whilst the nave shows some windows, albeit renewed and potentially suspect, of the 14th century Decorated period the remainder of the church is 15th and 16th century and Perpendicular in style. Documentary evidence, in the form of bequests, are helpful in giving some more precise dates, money for building the tower was bequeathed between 1473 & 1505 and for setting the bells two years later. The church has received restoration after restoration, in 1857 the nave windows were renewed and the chancel re-roofed, in 1864 the tower received its pinnacles and battlements, in 1877 the chancel was once more restored whilst in 1884 the tower was also restored. Despite these restorations the church came close to closure being derelict & boarded up at Pevsner date of visit. Thankfully the church is once more open. The church sits tucked into the dead-end lane of Church Lane behind an ivy-covered low wall, the churchyard like the fields surrounding it is open and contains no obstacles to photography.