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Thursday 2 August 2018

St Mary the Virgin Church, Bramford

When I went shopping a couple of weeks ago I had intended to visit St Mary Le Tower in Ipswich town centre, but every gate was locked, so not even possible to get into the church-yard. Maybe I was too early in the day, although according to the board on the gate it should have been open. I'll try again next time I'm in Ipswich.

Instead I took a detour on the way home to visit Bramford church on the outskirts of Ipswich.

  Gate open but church securely locked. Then a lady appeared and said she had the key if I wanted to visit, apparently they have a wall mounted box for donations which  idiots keep vandalizing.



She let me in and then hovered until I'd taken photos and explained why I was taking them, then locked up securely afterwards.

The reason for this church being featured in the 100 treasures book is the stone chancel screen, dating from C14. Usually these features, which separate the nave from the chancel, are made of wood and there are only about 50 stone screens in England. It would have had a wooden rood loft above and a great rood or cross with a crucified Christ would have been painted so the congregation had a focus for worship in the days before most people could read.

There were lots of other things to see in this very large church. The roof, single hammerbeam constructed in approx 1420
An elaborately carved font cover
and tucked away behind the font, this memorial to the fallen of WW1 who all worked at a large company once based in the village - Fisons (more here).
The lady told me that on Remembrance Day they read out the names of the fallen from the village which are listed on the War Memorial but then also read out the names from this board, people who didn't necessarily live in the village.

I spotted this 'gargoyle' ( I thought gargoyles were outside but this was inside so maybe it has another name). It must have made children smile through the last 6 centuries!

Some lovely stained glass remains, the first behind the altar

and the other in the tower. The lady told me there was another window which was completely hidden by the church organ which was moved from one part of the church to another in the C19.

Much more about this church on the Suffolk Churches website HERE.

Back Tomorrow
Sue


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31 comments:

  1. Frugally challenged2 August 2018 at 07:02

    The gargoyle is a grotesque. Gargoyles are water carrying grotesques (which is why they are outside). But it does look fun!

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    1. Sue in Suffolk2 August 2018 at 07:54

      I thought I was wrong calling it a gargoyle, thank you for the right name.

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  2. sadie c2 August 2018 at 07:27

    this is my favourite church around here, got a lot of ties to it. They do their bell practice on Tuesday nights, which we can hear clearly. Love it. Beautiful photos. x

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    1. Sue in Suffolk2 August 2018 at 07:57

      I thought of you while I was there as I remember a post you did where I couldn't fathom the country church you could walk to from your estate and then guessed you can get here even though the the main road is in the way!

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    2. sadie c2 August 2018 at 11:57

      the main road isn't in the way, not the way we walk it. But I do remember back in the day when we used to dash across that busy road, doesn't bear thinking about now!

      Delete
  3. Joy2 August 2018 at 07:29

    That's quite a font cover, isn't it? I should imagine it takes at least two to take it off and put it back on again.

    I looked up 'gargoyle' and the nearest I can get is 'corbel'. It appears that in some areas gargoyles were called 'hunky punks' and I guess that's where JK Rowling got the name 'hinky punk' for one of her magical creatures.
    Maybe he was meant to scare the children into good behaviour!

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    1. Sue in Suffolk2 August 2018 at 07:59

      I've seen some amazing font covers on my tour so far. A font cover is something I hadn't even given a passing thought to before so I've learned a lot already

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  4. Catriona2 August 2018 at 08:04

    Love all the shapes in this one, Sue. Stained glass is a favourite form of art for me, be it old like this, or modern as in pur own church.

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    1. Sue in Suffolk3 August 2018 at 08:01

      So many churches have such lovely glass, it's a shame few people see it nowadays

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  5. Aril2 August 2018 at 09:02

    A corbel maybe? It looks like it was made to hold something up on top of it. The figure itself could be a mouth puller...thought by some to warn of gluttony. Personally I think there's a lot of Medieval humour in churches...people where God fearing but much more overtly bawdy. There is some incredibly rude stuff in churches and they would have all been ordered and paid for by the church!
    Arilx

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    1. Sue in Suffolk3 August 2018 at 08:03

      I've learned that it's a grotesque thanks to Frugally Challenged above who is certainly a lady who knows about churches!

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  6. Liz Bernard2 August 2018 at 09:19

    I enjoy reading the church visits Sue. You might be interested in a book by Jane Brockett: How to look at stained glass. She also has a blog about it called Glazed Expressions. Best wishes.

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  7. Elaine2 August 2018 at 09:28

    The WW1 memorial is beautifully done, very unusual design with all those miniature portraits. My uncle used to work for Fisons, he got me a summer job in their offices. I bet it wouldn't work that way these days! The church has some very grand features.

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    1. Sue in Suffolk3 August 2018 at 08:04

      It's a shame the memorial is stuck behind the font - makes it difficult to see

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  8. Anonymous2 August 2018 at 09:53

    This looks a lovely church. Just for info Sue, I saw in our local newsletter that St John the Baptist in Needham Market has a celebration weekend for its reopening 14-16 September. PatC

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    1. Sue in Suffolk2 August 2018 at 13:41

      Oh thank you Pat, another church to do - a detour after a car boot I reckon although I've not been to Needham boot sale for several weeks - too blinkin' hot and dusty.

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  9. Mary2 August 2018 at 10:20

    Many interesting aspects to this church, especially the detailed Remembrance Memorial with photos/paintings of those lost, the stone and roof work. Learning quite a bit from your trips. Thank you.

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    1. Sue in Suffolk2 August 2018 at 13:43

      I was glad the lady was there to tell me about this memorial

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  10. Debbie2 August 2018 at 12:58

    I’m enjoying learning about the churches. We have nothing to compare in the US. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Sue in Suffolk3 August 2018 at 08:04

      Our churches are so old and we don't appreciate them as there are so mnay!

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  11. mamasmercantile2 August 2018 at 13:10

    The stained glass was a feast for the eyes, stunning.

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  12. galant2 August 2018 at 18:15

    What a gorgeous church, Sue. I'm not religious, far from it in fact, but I do love to see church architecture.
    Margaret P

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  13. Barbara M.2 August 2018 at 18:32

    I found out that my great-great grandparents small church in Somerset is kept locked. I’m planning to visit it on my trip to England next month. I emailed the church secretary and she sent me the nicest reply. Not only will she open the church for me, she offered to pick me up at the bus or train station (I’ll be taking the bus) and give me a ride back, too. How kind! The church is in an area with no regular bus service and walking would be dangerous. I’m afraid to rent a car and drive on the “wrong” side of the road LOL.

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    1. Sue in Suffolk3 August 2018 at 08:08

      So glad you will be able to get to the church to visit.
      Even driving on the right side of the road in some parts of the country is a worry!

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  14. Jackie3 August 2018 at 00:22

    A lovely church. I am so glad that you managed to get inside to take and then share the photos with all of us.

    God bless.

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    1. Sue in Suffolk3 August 2018 at 08:10

      I thought it would just be outside photos so it was a good thing the lady appeared, maybe she wondered about my car parked outside

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  15. Candace3 August 2018 at 04:51

    Lovely church tour. It still amazes me that you can drive to so many beautiful churches, houses, buildings etc.

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    1. Sue in Suffolk3 August 2018 at 08:11

      A small country full of lovely things to see and yet the majority are more likely to travel overseas

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