The parish of Thurning lies in northern central Norfolk about 5 miles north of the small market town of Reepham. Thurning sits a little over 2 miles west of the B1149 road which connects the city of Norwich with Holt. There is not much to Thurning, a mere strip of properties running from north to south between two branches of the Blackwater. It is assumed that this is created from Thurning being a "closed parish" where most land was held by a single landholder and inbound migration being discouraged, the affairs of Thurning Hall thus coming to dominate the economy of the parish. Whilst Thurning would have been largely arable, like most Norfolk parishes, the valleys of the twin streams provided pastureland to around 10% of the parish acreage. Whilst something of a rural backwater, modern developments did temporarily come to the parish as the M & GN railway line from Melton Constable to Aylsham did cut through the northern part of the parish, now closed and largely removed from the landscape.

St Andrew's church sits towards the northern end of the strip of properties on the western side of Reepham Road. Like many Norfolk churches it is a mixture of the Decorated and Perpendicular styles and represents a build that covered most of the 14th century. The church is curiously short as the chancel, dilapidated in the early 18th century, was demolished leaving only traces of its northern wall. The earliest item within the fabric is the lancet window of the western tower, the rest being shown well within the nave where the southern face has Decorated style windows whilst the northern shows early Perpendicular. The church has a broad triangular parking area, well shaded by trees as is the wooden gates granting entry to a rather tightly enclosed and cramped churchyard where many normal angles are not available to the photographer.