Wednesday 18 July 2018

Debenham Parish Church

Another church from the book


Debenham is a big village with a population of just over 2,000 and the church is the largest I have been to so far.


 And it is the only one so far where I've seen people! There were ladies cleaning and a man in the office.

Also the only one so far with a clock and a bell chiming the hours.

 The things to look out for according to the book are these stones on the corner of the tower, which were laid about 1,000 years ago. They are called quoins and alternate between horizontal and vertical which is the way Saxon masons worked.

The lower part of the tower is thought to date from the 11th century when Saxon and Norman styles of architecture overlap. The upper part of the tower dates from the 14th century and lost about 20 feet of height in 1667 when it was struck by lightening.
The large two-storey porch was added to the west of the tower in C14.



Inside has a floor of local red and yellow bricks, laid in 1871.

It's the first church I've visited with big marble effigies on a tomb



Plenty of room for everyone in this church and a few stained glass windows, difficult to photograph in bright sunlight.
The church has 8 bells and there are lots of plaques in the porch commemorating various peels that have been rung over the years.



I had to take a photo of this smiling lady by the main door (a sticky-out bit like this is called a corbel I think, although corbels usually support something and I don't think this carving is supporting much stonework above it). On the other side is a grumpy looking counterpart - a man - didn't bother to take a photo of him!

Many more details can be found HERE

Many thanks for comments yesterday, it was interesting to find that magazines were often called "books" by lots of  other mums and grans, and to hear which magazines other people read as a child.

 

Back Tomorrow
Sue


30 comments:

  1. What a lovely church, Sue. I'm not religious but I love church architecture. Thank you for showing us another lovely church.
    Margaret P

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    1. I'm glad that so many are well loved and looked after

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  2. I do like a church visit. I don't think I've ever seen one with a brick floor before. Thanks Sue. x

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    1. Very local bricks I think, made in the village

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  3. What a lovely church to wander round. I was looking forward to looking round the tiny Church at Mwnt yesterday - until we discovered we had no money for the (expensive NT!) parking . . .

    Thank you for sharing.

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    1. One of my gripes is the cost of NT membership - saving the nations treasures for everyone............... but only if you can afford to join!

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  4. That's a very impressive church.

    My ex MiL called magazines 'books'. It always sounded slightly odd to me.
    xx

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    1. It seems lots of people called their magazines books I wonder why

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  5. My eye was immediately drawn to all those kneelers so beautifully sewn. I also love the brick floor pattern which make me think of quilt blocks.

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    1. I think all the churches I've been to have had lovely kneelers lovingly stitched. I shall have to feature some

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  6. What a nice church, especially the floor! It's a great book about the churches, looking forward to the next one, either in real life or in one of your posts.

    https://ruraltownliving.blogspot.com

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    1. Plenty to visit, there are 100 in the book and another 600 in Suffolk not mentioned!

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  7. Thanks for the photos of the church. Funny that the molding of the woman's face was smiling (a Mona Lisa smile?) whilst the man's face was scowling. He was probably wondering what she was smiling about. :)

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    1. I should have taken a picture of the man too, wish I had

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  8. What a lovely church. It is so interesting seeing something built in part in the 11th century. Here in the U.S. something built in the 17th century is as old as it gets and even that is unusual.

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    1. We are surrounded with history everywhere here and probably don't appreciate how lucky we are

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  9. I bet there are no swinging cobwebs and mice running around in that church! The two storey porch is very handsome and unusual. I wonder what a Peal of Superlative Surprise Major Changes sounds like - apart from very long and noisy. The brick floor is superb!

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    1. The ladies were very busy with their dusters and mops.

      I reckon long and loud for the peel is about right!

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  10. Thanks for the tour. When we did a walking tour in Cotswold we stopped in every church we could. Most were open.

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    1. All the ones I've visited so far have been open and cared for . The Suffolk Historic Churches trust raise money for care of some churches

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  11. I’ve got a great book on East Anglian flint buildings with lots of examples of different techniques and styles. I find them very attractive, from a simple cottage to enormous parish church’s.

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  12. Was surprised to see churches in London with burials in the basements and restaurants built over those
    I could not eat here sorry

    So sorry about your dear husband

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    1. Many churches in towns and cities are used for other things, it's the only way for the building to survive. One in Ipswich is Tourist Information Office and another is a cafe

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  13. Thank you for sharing another of the wonderful churches you've encountered. As always I am amazed at the preservation and continued use.

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  14. Wow.. what a great place! Such history.. if only the walls could talk. Someone should write a book like that.. the walls telling stories of things over the centuries. Thank you so much for sharing it with those of us who will never get to see it. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. A thousand years of history..... amazing to think of all the people who've passed through the church

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  15. I love the old Norfolk and Suffolk churches with those huge naves Sue.
    We went in a few when we stayed in Blakeney and also when we stayed with friends in Thaxted just in Essex.

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  16. Quite a large church - I love the floor. When I was training in fashion we went around churches to study those marble or stone effigies on tombs as they potrayed the fashions of the period!

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