The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Lavenham

Lavenham has a coach park as well as car parks so you know it's one of those places that's on the tourist route and many people come to look at the church.

It stands at the top of a hill on one edge of this small town in  South central Suffolk, which in medieval times was one of the richest towns in England. The wealth came from wool and cloth and the wealthy families paid for this huge church to be built between 1480 and 1520 the tower is over 140 feet tall.

The south entrance  porch has many good carvings.

 

I arrived as a morning communion  service was taking place in the side chapel so sat at the back just here by the font until the service finished and I could move around for photos. The font is older than the church by about a century so may have come from elsewhere.

This was interesting to see - all the the rectors right back to 1260

The view all the way up the nave. I have to agree with Simon Knott on his  Suffolk Churches website  (one of his rather long winded and pompous church descriptions IMHO) and say that the 19C benches aren't very good looking and modern chairs as found in many cathedrals  would look better.  The stone arcades are almost as magnificent as a cathedral.

A closer look at the plush altar and carvings

 

 At the east end of both the north and south aisles are something I'd not come across before - a new word - a Parclose

Once the verger had tidied things away from the service I was able to have a proper look at the reason this church is mentioned in the 100 Treasures in Suffolk Churches book .......The row of Misericords. Misericords are hinged wooden seats that tip up to reveal a small shelf giving support to the user to "perch" without actually sitting down during the long prayers in the past. When the seats are down the carvings are completely hidden

As you would expect from a church this size and so much past wealth there are some really big and colourful stained glass windows

 

This is The Lady Chapel at the end of the south aisle where the service was taking place with a congregation of just 8 people.

 

And a closer look at the stained glass window there

 

 

And another from the west end of the church

 

 

 

Here's a curious little door and a plaque explaining where it goes and what is found there now.

 

It's good to look down as well as up..........there are a few of these decorated tiles around the floor

 

I was out and about all morning and the  fog kept coming and going all the time, by the time  I'd walked back to the car-park the top of the tower had almost disappeared from view.

Lavenham is one of those places that tourists love but only gets visited just once or twice by ordinary Suffolk people! This is just my second visit and my first was about 50 years ago.

I took a few photos of other bits of Lavenham  and will share another day.

Back Tomorrow

Sue