The parish of Smallburgh sits in eastern Norfolk about 2 1/2 miles west of the small market town of Stalham. Smallburgh sits on the busy A149 road which connects North Walsham with Great Yarmouth and sits on the southern banks of a small tributary of the River Ant where that road crosses to its mirror image neighbour Dilham. Smallburgh has most of its properties along the A149 together with adjacent lanes heading both east & west along the course of that stream. Like much of Norfolk Smallburgh would largely have earned its living from arable farming, the river meadows would have provided some variation as would river transportation of goods along the nearby Ant. The land is fairly level around the village, barely 10 metres above sea level and very suitable for cereals, oil seed and beet. Like many Broadland parishes Smallburgh was relatively small, covering just 1,250 or so acres.

St Peter's church sits almost a half mile south of the main concentration of property on the eastern side of Hall Lane and halfway to Smallburgh Hall. First glances reveal the main "feature" of the church namely the bellcote, this 1902 construction was completed to finally end the gap created when the original tower fell in 1677, merely patched up for 235 years, Pevsner unrestrainedly calls it "ugly" and I have some sympathy. The remainder of the church is fairly typical Norfolk Perpendicular of the turn of 14th into 15th centuries augmented by extensive restoration, exteriors in 1902 and interiors in 1885. hall road is narrow but busy and there's only a small patch for parking by the white-gated entrance, once within the screening trees the churchyard is open and with few obstruction for photography.