Across Norfolk, there are ruins of long-abandoned churches which hold secrets of forgotten communities.

Some are said to be home to ghostly apparitions that haunt the crumbled buildings while others have revealed fascinating archaeological finds.

There are thought to be about 100 ruined and lost churches in the county and are possibly more waiting to be discovered.

Here are seven to explore and the stories behind them.

Norwich Evening News: The ruins of St Felix in Babingley, west NorfolkThe ruins of St Felix in Babingley, west Norfolk (Image: Newsquest)

1. St Felix, Babingley

Located in the fields of the Sandringham Estate, St Felix was still a working church in the early 19th century.

However, the introduction of the mission chapel nearby in 1880 led to its demise.

Babingley is now fields and marshes but in 1845, it was a small village community of 34 inhabitants.

READ MORE: 7 of Norfolk's deserted villages now left as ruins

Norwich Evening News: The remnants of St Mary's Church on the beach at EcclesThe remnants of St Mary's Church on the beach at Eccles (Image: Archant © 2012)

2. St Mary's Church, Eccles

On the eastern coast of Norfolk lying between Happisburgh and Sea Palling is Eccles-on-Sea, a village that has mostly been lost to the sea.

A ferocious storm hit in 1570, wiping out swathes of the houses in the village and leaving the church in disrepair.

St Mary's was once the hub of this community but now its remains are on occasion revealed by falling tides.

Historic first-hand accounts claim that on one windy day, a strong gale swept up the sand from the old graveyard, revealing bleached skeletons nestled in the clay.

Norwich Evening News: The tower is all that remains of St Bartholomew's Church in NorwichThe tower is all that remains of St Bartholomew's Church in Norwich (Image: Newsquest)

3. St Bartholomew's Church, Norwich

Located in Heigham Street in the NR2 area of Norwich lies the remains of St Bartholomew's Church.

The tower is all that is left after it was struck by German bombs during the Second World War's deadly Baedeker Raids.

Prior to its destruction, the church was known for its restless spirits that haunted the building.

Rumours of the 'Heigham Ghost' led to locals descending upon the site in hope of exorcising the spectre in the late 1800s.

Norwich Evening News: The remains of St James Church in BawseyThe remains of St James Church in Bawsey (Image: Denise Bradley)

4. St James, Bawsey

Built in the 11th century, the church is thought to have originated as a monastic settlement in the late Saxon period.

It was the parish church for the now deserted village of Bawsey, about four miles east of King's Lynn.

It is thought to have been disused by 1517 when the village had 60 acres of land converted to pasture and is known to have been in ruins since before 1770.

In 1998, Channel 4's Time Team crew conducted a live dig to uncover its past.

Norwich Evening News: St Mary's Church in East SomertonSt Mary's Church in East Somerton (Image: Archant Norfolk 2017)

5. St Mary's Church, East Somerton

Located in the grounds of Lord Theodore Agnew's Burnley Hall Estate near Winterton, St Mary's Church is one of the county's most atmospheric and mysterious ruins.

Tucked away in woodland, the ivy-clad Medieval church is famous for its legend of a witch being buried alive there - her wooden leg growing into a mighty oak and destroying the church in revenge. 

Built in the 15th century, only the tower and walls of the nave remain. 

Norwich Evening News: The remains of St Theobald's in Great HautboisThe remains of St Theobald's in Great Hautbois (Image: Newsquest)

6. St Theobald's, Great Hautbois

Believed to have been built in the 11th century, the remains of St Theobald's are a striking sight nestled among a scenic field. 

Located down a small path about half a mile from the main road, the church was left to ruin in 1890 after the Victorians decided it was inconveniently placed and built a new church in the centre of the village.

The 11th-century building has had its roof removed, leaving behind the tower and walls which reveal secrets of its medieval origins. 

Norwich Evening News: The ruins of St Mary's Church in Tivetshall St MaryThe ruins of St Mary's Church in Tivetshall St Mary (Image: Archant © 2006)

7. St Mary's Church, Tivetshall St Mary

Located in an isolated position away from the present village, St Mary's Church is a picturesque sight at certain times of the day, when sunlight streams through the pointed east wall.

Large parts of all the walls as well as a number of windows remain, and the earliest parts of the church may date to the 12th or 13th century.

The church had fallen into decay by the 17th century but its final destruction came in 1947 when a low-flying aircraft is thought to have caused the church tower to collapse into the nave due to the vibrations emitted by the plane.