The parish of Wiggenhall St Peter lies in western Norfolk roughly 5 miles south of the port of King's Lynn. Norfolk has a group of 4 Wiggenhall parishes each qualified by the dedication of their church, St Peter parish is the smallest of the four. Wiggenhall St Peter is located in a narrow strip of land separating the course of the Great Ouse from a man-constructed and straighter channel to its east, a strip of land less than a quarter mile wide by the church, the whole parish is a little over 2 miles west of the A10 road which connects King's Lynn through Downham Market and onward to Cambridge. Early gazetteers show that this was a parish with the farming land almost equally divided between arable and pastoral farming, the landscape today is radically different with a mixture of vast cereal fields with a more intense market gardening on the rich peaty soils of the Fens. This area is much influenced by man's drainage schemes and channels, drains and dykes criss-cross the flat landscape which is barely above sea level for many a mile. Wiggenhall St Peter parish was small, more reminiscent in size to a Broadland parish, covering less than 1,000 acres and with a tiny population to match.

St Peter's church is rather oddly described by Pevsner as "an excellent ruin" by which he means that only the roofs are missing. The church stands below the levees that line the River Great Ouse and protect it from flooding. The remaining fabric shows a typical origin within the Perpendicular style, documentary evidence indicates the chancel as being under construction in 1421 which is entirely consistent. The church was already falling into ruin as early as 1840 when the southern aisle was demolished, however postcard views from the 1920s still show the church as complete. Today the ruin is deconsecrated and maintained by the Historic Churches Trust. The church sits on the western side of the lane leading south from Wiggenhall St Germans' eastern crossroads and has a wide verge opposite for parking. The former churchyard has metal gates set into a low brick wall and is largely mown and almost cleared of gravestones, a single tree partially blocks the southeastern aspect but it is otherwise obstacle free for the photographer.