Thursday 21 June 2018

Gipping Church

Yet another post that's been in drafts for ages.....there was still blossom on the trees when I took this photo!

In one of the quietest parts of Mid Suffolk is a church that was built as a private chapel back in 1474/80 for Sir James Tyrrell the then Lord of the Manor at Gipping Hall which was demolished in the 1850s. Sir James Tyrrell was supposedly responsible for murdering the Princes in the tower under Richard III. Tyrrell was executed in 1502 for treason

Gipping itself is a tiny village, population under 100, that gives it name to the river that rises there and flows through Stowmarket and to Ipswich and the River Orwell and then out into the North sea.
The church was never a Parish church but has been cared for by trustees since 1743.

 I just took a couple of quick photos as I was passing through the little hamlet
.
The outside

The walls are a chequer -board of knapped flint limestone and septaria, which is................................

a concretionary nodule or mass, usually of calcium carbonate or of argillaceous carbonate of iron, traversed within by a network of cracks filled with calcite and other minerals
Who knew?

According to my book it is regarded as the finest in Suffolk.

The very plain tower was added in the 17th Century by a Tyrrell of the time and looks quite out of place compared to the rest of the church.

Inside is simple.

 There is only one stained glass window and that is made up of fragments of medieval glass. There are much better photos and information on the Suffolk Churches Website .
From the notice board I could see they have a service here once a month as part of a neighbouring parish.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

21 comments:

  1. Small but pretty inside and out. Intersting that the tower is plain compared to older part. Hmmmm! A bit of history always interesting to read! Thanks Sue! I'll check out the link too!

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  2. A very attractive church but I see what you mean about the tower. It doesn't match and looks almost 'industrial'. Maybe that's all they could afford or, in the 17th century, maybe it was puritan inspired. I will check out the link, thanks.

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  3. Such a very lovely little and simple church! I like the simplicity (inside) of it.

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  4. Amazing what they can do with flint, that is decorative. The rendered tower is an odd addition. I do like that very simple and calm interior.

    One of the old churches near here was completely rendered at some point, talk about spoiling a beautiful building!

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    1. and how many insides of churches were spoiled by plastering over paintings

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    2. There is one 10th century church near us which was restored and 'Victorianised' with Minton tiles... Betjeman described it as being like a public loo - and it does, sadly.

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  5. The tower is different because it was added about 300 years after the chapel was built. The chapel was built by the wealthy landowners of the time for their private use. They would probably have turned in their graves at the addition of that tower.

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  6. Incidentally we have a small chapel near here like this built by a landowner in the 1920s, we used to cart her sugar beet to Bury factory in fact. Wonderful lady. It has been adopted as the local church, given to the people by her, but no tower added she will be pleased to know. It also has a very simple interior.

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    1. 1920's sounds quite late for a private chapel although I did hear something about Ed Sheeran wanting one on his estate near Framlingham - I didn't even know he had bought an Estate near Fram!

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    2. Actually I got that date wrong. I just called in to have a look and it was actually built in 1847 by her family and there is a plaque inside dated 1920 when it was consecrated and handed over to the village.

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  7. Beautiful church...but a shame about the tower.
    Hugs-x-

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  8. Beautiful church and thanks for the info about the construction method. At least the church is still in use as so many round our way are now houses, furniture shps etc.

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  9. I'm enjoying "touring" these churches with you.

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  10. What a beautiful looking church, inside and out. Apart from the eyesore of a tower, of course.

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  11. The flint chequer-board design is different and lovely.

    In September I’m planning to visit the UK for the first time in 30 years. One place I’m planning to see is a tiny church in a tiny village in Somerset where my great-grandparents were married in 1844. I’m excited to see it.

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    1. You will see a difference in the amount of traffic on the roads since 30 years ago!
      I hope you have a wonderful visit and get to see the church

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  12. Such a beautiful little church Sue - and there are so many buildings like this dotted around the countryside. At least this one has been kept in very good repair.

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  13. Oh how pretty is that - I had never heard of that stone before, but it's lovely to learn new things. I agree with you about the tower though - a bit overpowering.

    I wonder if Sir James Tyrrel WAS responsible for killing the Princes in the Tower? We will never know for sure.

    I am glad you got out with your cameraa and we have benefitted. Thank you.

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  14. You have taken some wonderful photos! It is amazing to me to see churches built so long ago. I love the look of this one both inside and out. That stained glass window built of fragments of medieval glass is fascinating. I did go to the link you provided and enjoyed the close up pictures of the glass.

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  15. I live about a mile from here and had no idea about the history and of Gipping Hall itself. Can anyone pinpoint the location of where Gipping Hall once stood? There is nothing immediately obvious on google maps and very little imagery online. Thanks Gethyn.

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