The parish of Stow Bedon lies in south central Norolk roughly 7 miles west of the market town of Attleborough, Stow Bedon sits about 1 mile east of the A1075 road that links Thetford with Watton. Stow Bedon is a rather dispersed settlement lying along the shallow valley of a small tributary of the River Thet with properties scattered along a lane running from the A1075 to Lower Stow Bedon and the 18th century house of Stow Bedon Hall. Stow Bedon sits on the edges of Norfolk's Breckland, a broad area with shallow and gravel rich soils deposited by retreating glaciers from the last Ice Age. Whilst poor for agriculture those gravels were exploited for their materials including for flint production. Stow Bedon Mere, at the northern end of the parish, is also an example of the local "pingoes", sunken and often circular ponds formed when blocks of ice melted slowly under a cover of deposited till. The poor soils were of little value for arable farming, typical of the county, but of use for both sheep and the local use of warrenries for supplying rabbit for the table.

St Botolph's church sits on the western side of Gravelpit Hill roughly midway between Stow Bedon and Lower Stow Bedon. St Botolph is a church which has had a chequered history, the earliest signs, a small lancet window in the chancel which has, internally, a Norman style arch is the only remaining indication of a 12th or 13th century origin. The nave shows both Decorated & Perpendicular styled windows from both halves of the 14th century whilst within a late 19th century western porch lies a doorway also of the 14th century. St Botolph once had a tower to match the nave & chancel but this fell in 1797 and has never been rebuilt. Instead the thorough restoration of the 1850s saw it replace with today's hexagonal bellcote. Gravelpit Hill is fairly narrow but has a well-used and broad verge opposite the churchyard entrance enabling parking, a pair of metal gates leads through the bordering hedging into a churchyard which is open & uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.