St Margaret's Church Westhorpe

So very different to Southwold church that I wrote about HERE is St Margaret's Church in the small mid Suffolk village of Westhorpe. But it has lots of history and most is still visible.

Westhorpe hasn't been restored and tidied as so many were during Victorian times. So you step in to bare brick floors, going green with age.

The font might be the plainest found in any church I've visited so far

The view down the nave. It is a nice light church - very little stained glass. The pews are plain pine and everything is very simple.

Except on the South side of the church, there is the carved parclose with some signs of how it would have been colourfully painted in the past.

This is the reason for the fame of this church - it was once the parish church of Mary Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII

Not sure which King these Royal Arms are for but the board is propped up against a wall and fading away.

There is just one box pew - some say it was used by Mary Tudor but it probably isn't that old.

 A memorial to a William Barrow - with his two wives - presumably not at the same time! Dating from the early 1600s

6 large candles on the altar

A plain pulpit

In the corner is a pile of  broken stone carvings

The village is trying to raise money to repair the 5 bells that are there and add a new steel bell frame and  another bell so a proper peal of 6 bells can be rung.

     

                                                                                   

Outside a board shows how the fund raising  appeal for  restoration of the bells is going. It's a very small village, population only just over 200 - it's going to take a while to get to £129,000

And inside there are photos of the old bells and details  about the fundraising.

Back Tomorrow

Sue