I'm glad I looked on a map and then in Street-view to find the church, or I might have been driving up and down the roads through the common for ages.
Mellis is famous as having the largest - 239 acres - and oldest area of open common land in Suffolk. Managed partly by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust in the same way as it has been for centuries. Here is their website. Mellis was home to the late author and environmentalist Roger Deakin.
In the distance you can see one of the old mill buildings dating from the time that there was a busy railway station and junction here. Now the trains just rush through between Norwich and London.
The church is up a dirt track off the road with a couple of houses nearby and is hidden by trees all around it. It has no tower as that collapsed in 1730
I thought the modern door into the building at the base of the old tower looked slightly out of place. I think the end of the single bell rope is inside. The remains of the tower were turned into buttresses for the church.
Inside the church are the stairs that would have gone up into the tower 300 years ago
The Nave and chancel are both light and bright despite the trees all round. The carved rood screen remains when so many were removed.
The stained glass in the East window is modern by Surinder Warboys whose studio is in the village.
The pews at the front of the church - where the gentry would have sat - have doors to keep out the draughts. The pews further back for the common villagers don't have anything to keep them warmer!
One of the first things I noticed when walking in were the very colourful stitched kneelers beautifully done.
The font is very traditional Suffolk style dating back to the C15 with lions at the base.
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Sue
That's a lovely place, the kneelers and triptych especially beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I think the kneelers are gorgeous - they would make lovely pictures
DeleteThe enclosed pews do look more snug. That is some display of kneelers. I wonder why so many of them are secular in design?
ReplyDeletePictures of the village I think
DeleteI'm glad you found it; a nice rustic old church full of character. It must be something in the air around there - I can easily imagine Roger Deakin taking 300 years to get around to repairing a fallen tower!
ReplyDeleteI'm not exactly sure where in the village he lived and where he swam everyday in the pond
DeleteI love it when the kneelers are up on display like that. And yes, that modern external door is out of place! The modern stained glass, however, blends in well. Thanks Sue for the pictures
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I found the church - tucked away
DeleteMellis Common looks delightful. I smiled at the thought of stained glass in an old red telephone box. It must be quite eye-catching.
ReplyDeleteI know two other villages with stained glass in the telephone box now that they are no longer used
DeleteI have my eye on that pheasant Sue!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it lovely
DeleteI love the landscape with the open long views. For me, the modern stained glass seems out-of-place. Somehow I like the old more traditional windows found in churches. The kneelers are amazing. Each one unique and nicely displayed like pieces of custom art.
ReplyDeleteI like to see new along side old sometimes
DeleteI will have to add that one to my list to visit.
ReplyDeleteBTW as I learnt from John Vigar pews have doors - otherwise they are benches. He said that he was contemplating having “benches not pews” engraved on his headstone.
I didn't know that about pews/benches. In the Baptist chapels there were never any doors and they were always called pews
DeleteWhat an attractive display of kneelers. Don't you just feel sorry for the poor old common 'riff-raff' who had to sit without the advantage of doors to keep them warm?
ReplyDeleteImagine being forced to go to church for services lasting hours!
DeleteAnother really interesting post, thankyou - I didn't know that there was a Suffolk style of font. Mellis Common is the size of a medium sized farm here in Devon! I wonder how the Suffolk Wildlife Trust became one of the "Lords of the Manor"?
ReplyDeleteJulie
I didn't know we had a style of font either but I read it in a leaflet somewhere
DeleteAnother great church. I love the kneelers. They are beautiful
ReplyDeleteMust have been lots of good sewers in the village
DeleteWhat a lovely little church. I have a soft spot for the isolated ones. I'll make a point of visiting next time I'm in Suffolk.
ReplyDeleteSo many are a long way out of where the village has grown more recently. With Mellis common being so big the village buildings are spread out all around it
DeleteThe kneelers are beautiful. Are they old, or are they something that continue to be created to this day?
ReplyDeleteA lovely old church. I'm glad you were able to find it. The stitched kneelers are works of art.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for internet to zoom in on the village
DeleteI really love that stained glass window - beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Street View a useful thing. I use it a lot. xx
Street view is very handy quite often for finding churches
DeleteLovely church-rood screen, kneelers and the stained glass. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThere is often great art and architure in smaller out of the way churches.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely church. Those stitched kneelers are absolutely gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.