St Matthew's church stands to the west of Ipswich town centre and tends to be one of the lesser known of the medieval churches here, being a little out of the way and normally closed to visitors outside of services. This is a pity as it is actually one of the most rewarding churches here and contains much of interest. It was sheer good fortune that enabled me to see inside here, having heard that it may be possible to get a key or someone to open the church at the parish office over the road I started there, only to find that the usual staff weren't present owing to it being Ascension Day and that being a holiday in the C of E, However at that very moment as luck would have it the vicar arrived and kindly offered to let me in as she was going over to the church anyway, so her timely arrival and generosity were much appreciated!

St Matthew's appears to be mostly of 15th century date externally and is quite a grand, sprawling building with spacious aisles and chapels flanking nave and chancel. Entry is via the west door under the tower, and within the pleasantly light whitewashed interior appears largely Victorian by contrast, but there are a few things here that should be sought out. The windows are full of Victorian and Edwardian glass by a mixture of firms so there is at least variety and the whiteness of the walls helps to counter any gloom these windows might induce.

The outstanding medieval features here are at either end of the north aisle, at the east is a Victorian screen which incorporates at its base several painted panels from the former rood screen, four figures of sainted bishops and two remarkable scenes showing groups of devotees, all dating from the first decades of the 16th century. Of a similar date is the striking font at the west end (sitting beneath a much more recent gilded cover) which is adorned with busy relief carvings around the bowl, six of which include scenes (the remaining two being foliate), one representing Christ's baptism but the rest all feature episodes from the Life of Mary, culminating in images of her Assumption and Coronation as Queen of Heaven, a highly unusual if not unique scheme for a font.

This was perhaps my favourite among the Ipswich churches I was able to visit (I went on to find a few others were locked that day, probably also as a result of marking Ascension Day) and I remain indebted to the Vicar and to Simon Knott who kindly gave me details of where to seek the key and also provides a much fuller account on his website below.

St Matthew's is not normally open outside of service times but visiting the parish office to gain entry is still recommended (on most days other than Ascension Day in May! ;-)

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/ipsmatt.html

Tags:   Ipswich church Suffolk painting screen medieval

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One the absolute highlights of my visit, St Edmund's church in Southwold is one of -the most impressive parish churches in the country. Arriving late in the afternoon I was delighted to find the church still open and lose myself in its beautiful interior.

The building dates from the latter half of the 15th century and makes an assertive statement, all grandeur and civic pride on a grand scale. Great Perpendicular traceried windows punctuate the walls of the entire edifice and make it gloriously light inside (mostly plain glazed as no original glass survives and wartime bombing removed what the Victorians put in).

Within the eye is drawn to the hammerbeam roof, adorned with angels (though all are partially or wholly Victorian replacements for the originals that were mutilated by iconoclasts). The chancel beyond (structurally continuous) adds to the effect further with its ceiling painted in a heavenly shade of blue. A canopy of honour is created between the two halves with painted figures of angels, overpainted by restorers but stylistically clearly close to the original work underneath.

This ceilure of course added emphasis to the rood, long since vanished alas but the screen that supported it remains and is the most remarkable feature of the church, extending its entire width (though the screens in the aisles could be identified as separate additions). All the lower panels retain their sequence of late medieval painted figures including an unusual sequence of angels, but sadly all have been defaced by iconoclasts, most likely during the reign of Edward VI when the biggest militant purge of church artwork occurred. The quality and richness of detail however is still apparent.

The choir retains some fine medieval carved woodwork including choir stalls (the misericords are disappointingly plain designs, but the armrests feature more lively details). Ornate screens enclose this space on either side.

This vast church requires time to soak up its atmosphere and bask in its beauties, it is one of the loveliest buildings one could hope to visit and will reward any visitor to this pictureque seaside town, being generally kept open and welcoming within reasonable hours.
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/Southwold.htm

Tags:   Southwold church Suffolk woodwork wood carving medieval carving misericord

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St Mary le Tower is the largest of the Ipswich town churches and remains in use for worship and clearly a source of civic pride considering how much money was spent n it in the Victorian period. What we see today is almost entirely the work of R.M.Phipson who rebuilt the church in the 1860s, leaving only the nave arcades within from the medieval building. The new church was richly furnished and given a full set of Victorian stained glass which comes as a surprise after so many mostly clear-glazed interiors in Suffolk. Clearly this was a well funded church in the closing decades of the 19th century.

The exterior is somewhat elusive despite the scale of the building, tucked away behind the streets in a leafy churchyard which makes it very difficult to get a complete view of the building (let alone a photograph of it!). The graceful tower and spire soar above and are the most easily appreciated feature, with the entrance porch situated immediately below them.

Once within the interior opens out to grand proportions, the light levels muted by the abundance of Victorian glass. There are a few reminders of the old church in the font and some old woodwork but overall this all appears to be very much high Victorian work, the medieval arches blending seamlessly with their later surroundings. The furnishing of the main altar and Lady Chapel with their rich reredos paintings is especially fine.

I had very little time to explore inside this church: despite spending several nights in the hotel adjoining its churchyard I found the church locked on a couple of occasions and was generally leaving too early and returning too late to try again during my stay. I only got lucky at the very last minute when I noticed the door open and a service about to start, and asked the lady at the door if she'd mind me having a quick look inside. I was very brief but still managed to outstay my welcome (though I would probably still have just avoided the telling off from the vicar had my camera not decided to momentarily malfunction as he approached and delay me long enough to make things awkward).

I may have picked a bad week to visit as I have heard the church is more regularly open to visitors. Simon gives a fuller description and coverage of the windows and fittings I missed in his summary below:-
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/stmaryletower.htm

Tags:   Ipswich church Suffolk Victorian architecture ceiling vault vaulting

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It was getting late in the evening by the time I reached Henstead so there was never much hope of finding the church still open, though after a surprise success at Wrentham previously I did wonder if my luck might continue. Alas it didn't, though I still got to see the church's best feature regardless since the locked south door in the porch that barred entry beyond that point is also a superb example of a Norman doorway.

I quickly gave up and headed off to the railway station at Beccles, though just missing the train I wanted and then the next being cancelled meant a long wait there (stuck without any information) and a very late return to where I was staying, a gruelling end to an otherwise fine day.

I'm not sure what normal arrangements are here but I'm guessing had I come earlier than nearly 8pm I might have had better luck seeing inside. To see what I missed check out the entry below on the Suffolk Churches site:-
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/henstead.htm

Tags:   Henstead church Suffolk architecture medieval

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St Andrew's church at Rushmere (or more correctly 'Rushmere St Andrew') at first glance appears to be a fairly ordinary but well loved church, the first view from the road being dominated by a large modern extension used as the parish hall, immediately suggesting this church has continued to expand and be well used into the modern era. Of the ancient building however fairly little has survived, the 15th century west tower stands proud and a beautiful Norman doorway on the south side entice, but are actually all that remain of the medieval building, the rest having been rebuilt in 1861 by architect Edward Hakewill whose home parish this was, thus this begins to look like a rather disappointingly Victorianised church, it's old essence almost 'restored away'.

A further chapter however adds considerably to its interest, in fact it makes this church rather unique. The narrow and rather gloomy Victorian church had become too small for this small rural community gradually being absorbed into Ipswich's outer suburbia and a remarkable extension was built in 1968 under the guidance of renowned modern church architect George Pace. The new building was conceived as an extension to the Victorian chancel which had its eastern and northern walls removed, opening into the new building which vastly increases the church's capacity and makes an impressive contemporary space for worship, intriguingly grafted on to the old structure with surprisingly little disturbance. The altar remains in the chancel, but is now technically central with an old and a new nave on either side.

Entering the church through the Norman south door the initial impression is of a largely Victorian interior with glass and furnishings to match, but the view east reveals the impressive space beyond, marked by Pace's steeply pitched wooden roof and large clear-glazed windows flooding the newer structure with light. It turns what could have been a rather dull and run of the mill testament to over-zealous 19th century rebuilding into something rather more exciting and memorable.

Initially my visit seemed to be poorly timed, it was Sunday morning and despite being early a prayer session was taking place so I was about to leave it for another time when a nice lady appeared from the parish hall and assured me the session would soon be over so if I waited a short time I could see inside (she kindly also offered me a cup of tea). I thus had a good look round and met a few of the delightful parishoners who were some of the most charming and welcoming people I have ever met, inviting me to join them in the church hall afterwards when I had finished looking. The true spirit of Christian welcome and hospitality is alive and well here, and really made my visit such a pleasure.
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/rushmerestan.htm

Uploaded originally for the 'Guess Where UK?' Group.

Tags:   Guess Where UK GWUK Rushmere church Suffolk modern architecture George Pace

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