The parish of Wimbotsham lies in western Norfolk around 2 miles north of the market town of Downham Market. Wimbotsham sits on the former route of the A10 linking Downham Market with King's Lynn, this road has now been rerouted further east as Downham Market's bypass and the former route renumbered as B1507. As Downham Market has expanded the gap of clear space between the once distinct village of Wimbotsham and its larger neighbour has diminished to barely more than a half mile, it seems likely that the two will merge in the not so distant future. Like most Norfolk villages Wimbotsham would have largely earned its income from farming, early gazetteers place at least 70% of the parish acreage as set to arable farming with pastures and meadows making up the balance, the parish contained an area of water-meadow from the nearby Great Ouse. The village is rather linear in layout stretching westwards from the B1507 in a strip of properties almost a mile in length.

St Mary's church sits close by the B1507 (Lynn Road) but is not accessed from that road, rather one has to turn into the main lane (Church Road) and access through a roughly surfaced track. St Mary's colours immediately strike you, the use of the local iron-rich carstone giving it an umber glow in evening light. The church is certainly one from early times with extensive Norman Romanesque fabric remaining from the inaugural church, the chancel arch, in particular, is a fine example of the work of the period matched by the doorways. The chancel itself, Pevsner describes, is Neo-Norman and also, presumably, of the late 12th century. Pevsner gives space to a dispute over the origins of the apse preferring the theory that it previously existed, was removed and recreated in Victorian work. Besides the Norman evidence the remainder of the church follows that typical Norfolk period of the Perpendicular, however it is toward the latter end of that period that the documentary evidence places the western tower, donations place the build at the first quarter of the 16th century.Of course much work was done by Victorian restorers, in this case of the mid-1805s to arrive at today's church. Parking should be made in Church Road followed by the short walk, between houses, to the churchyard which is open, uncluttered and with no obstacles for the photographer.