St Mary's Church, Redgrave
St Mary's Church, Redgrave | ||
---|---|---|
St Mary the Virgin, Redgrave | ||
Style Perpendicular Gothic | | |
Specifications | ||
Materials | Flint with ashlar dressings, and some brick | |
Bells | 6 | |
Tenor bell weight | 7 long tons 2 cwt 25 qr (16,600 lb or 7.53 t) |
St Mary's Church is the redundant Church of England parish church of the village of Redgrave, Suffolk, England. It is a Grade I listed building.[1] and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[2] The church is on a rise about 3⁄4 mile (1 km) east of the village.[3][4]
Early history
The initial building of the church was between about 1280 and 1350.
Architecture
Exterior
The church is constructed in
Along the clerestory are ten two-light windows on each side. The parapet of the south aisle is battlemented and has gargoyles. The porch is to the west of the centre of the south aisle. The porch leads to the entrance doorway to the church. This dates from the 14th century, and is elaborately carved. To the east of the porch is a 14th-century two-light window. Further east are two three-light Perpendicular windows. In the west wall of the aisle is a two-light window, and in its east wall is a three-light window, both of these dating from the 14th century. The north aisle has a plain parapet, and its north wall contains a blocked door, two 14th-century two-light windows, a large three-light 16th-century Perpendicular window, and a three-light 17th-century window containing lancets in a square surround. At the west end of the aisle is a two-light 14th-century window, and at the east end is a three-light 15th-century Perpendicular window. In the chancel is a large 14th-century seven-light east window with complex tracery. On the south side of the chancel is a low door flanked by two tall 14th-century three-light windows. There are two similar windows on the north side. The vestry is constructed in English bond brickwork on a plinth. On its north side is an oval window, and to the east is a three-light 18th-century window.[1]
Interior
Inside the church are tall five-
The three-manual organ is at the west end of the church. It was made in 1889 by the Casson Patent Organ Company, and restored in 2007 by Rodney Briscoe.[5]
The west tower has a ring of six bells. Thomas Newman of Norwich cast a ring of five in 1736. Thomas Osborn of St Neots cast an additional treble bell in 1785, increasing the ring to six.[6]
The church contains a "fine collection of hatchments and monuments of national importance"; these are mainly to members of the Bacon, Holt and Wilson families.[2] There are thirteen hatchments, more than any other church in Suffolk.[3] At the east end of the north aisle is a chest tomb in black and white marble with the effigies of Sir Nicholas Bacon who died in 1624, and his wife Anne Butts. It was made in 1616 by Nicholas Stone. Near to this is a wall tablet to R. Bacon who died in 1652. The west end of the north aisle, which contains four black and white marble wall tablets, was formerly the family chapel of the Bacon family; this was also designed by Nicholas Stone. On the north wall of the chancel is a large monument to Sir John Holt, Lord Chief Justice who died in 1710. It is in white, grey and white marble, with some gilt and was made by Thomas Green. In the centre of the monument is the seated effigy of a judge, flanked by statues representing personifications of Justice and Vigilance, all contained in an elaborately carved aedicule. Also on the north wall is a tablet to the children of E. Bacon that was erected in 1660. On the south wall is a black and white tablet to Lady Gawdy, who died in 1621, by Nicholas Stone, and a simple tablet to the children of another E. Bacon dated 1683. In the chancel floor is a brass to Anne Butts, who died in 1609, with a poem inscribed below her figure. There are also floor slabs from the 17th and 18th centuries to former rectors. The hatchments are in the chancel, the nave, and the north aisle.[1]
Recent history and present day
The church was declared redundant on 1 April 2004.
In 2010 the entrance to a burial vault below the church was accidentally discovered. This occurred during a rehearsal in the church for the musical Quasimodo when an actress, Kathy Mills, dislodged a marble flagstone near the altar. Below this was the entrance to the vault. It led by a set of steps into a tunnel, with a chamber containing coffins. In February 2011 the vault was opened for inspection by the general public for a number of hours. The entrance has since been sealed.[9][10][11]
External features
In the churchyard are three memorials, all designated as Grade II listed buildings. To the south of the church is a pair of similar chest tombs to members of the Cay family dating from the early 19th century.[12] Also south of the church is the chest tomb of R. Symonds dated 1766.[13] To the northwest of the church is a pair of chest tombs to members of the Birch and Billingform families.[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Historic England, "Church of St Mary (Grade I) (1254091)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 5 June 2020
- ^ a b c St Mary's Church, Redgrave, Suffolk, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 3 December 2016
- ^ a b c d e f St Mary's Church, Redgrave, Suffolk, Churches Conservation Trust, 11 June 2008, retrieved 25 February 2011
- ^ Redgrave, Streetmap, retrieved 25 February 2011
- National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 1 July 2020
- ^ Baldwin, John (28 March 2019). "Redgrave, S Mary". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ Sheeham, Jane (March 2005), Redgrave Church Refurbishment, 1786, Redgrave Church Magazine, retrieved 25 February 2011
- Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, retrieved 25 February 2011
- Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 13 July 2010, retrieved 25 February 2011
- ^ Suffolk church vault revealed after floor gives way, BBC, 2 February 2011, retrieved 25 February 2011
- ^ Brooks, Stephanie (6 February 2011), "Redgrave church's vault draws hundreds of visitors", EDP24, Archant Regional, retrieved 25 February 2011
- ^ Historic England, "Pair Of Cay memorials about 2 to 5 metres south of Church of St Mary, Redgrave (1254168)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 18 April 2014
- ^ Historic England, "Symonds memorial about 12 metres south of Church of St Mary, Redgrave (1261479)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 18 April 2014
- ^ Historic England, "Birch and Billingford memorials about 5 to 10 metres northwest of Church of St Mary, Redgrave (1254177)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 18 April 2014