The parish of Acle lies in eastern Norfolk about 11 miles east of the city of Norwich and astride the A47 road which connects that city with the port of Great Yarmouth. Acle is a substantial village, now thankfully bypassed by the A47, and was formerly an important inland port for the transfer of goods between the rivers of Broadland. Nowadays Acle is a substantial settlement, almost market town in size and with all of its facilities intact is an import regional centre. The village sits on the edge of the grazing marshes of the Yare valley, its feet on dry ground but is employment was much influenced by both river and marshland.

St Edmund's church sits at the heart of Acle and dominates the village scene. The church is one of those which has been extensively restored by the work of the Victorians and Pevsner is reluctant to date much of the fabric as a result. What is significant is the round tower which usually indicates an early Norfolk church and in this case Pevsner gives a 13th century date although the pinnacles are datable using documentary evidence to the late 15th century. Much else he attributes to Victorian restoration although he grants a 14th century date to the nave windows. The church on the western side of what was the original route of the A47 through the village, now much quieter as the main street.