Friday, 23 January 2026

Stradbroke, All Saints

I ventured out last Saturday for a church visit, I've discovered Saturdays are quite a good day to find churches open in winter.

All Saints Church in Stradbroke can be seen from all around and stands in the middle of this large village in North Suffolk. 

The tower dates from the C15 and has a large stair turret on the outside.







View down through the church. It is a large church with clerestory and side aisles.



The corbels holding the roof beams all have different faces.



The vicar here in the second half of the C19 was J C Ryle and was very keen on putting bible passages everywhere as he did at Helmingham

On the chancel arch.............


and on all the cross beams.



Very early photos from the church restoration in late Victorian times show how the insides of the church including the box pews were ripped out.







A couple  in the church were doing some cleaning and the lady told me all about the US flag....


and how it was stolen and how later a new flag had to be specially made because modern flags had 50 stars and the original only had the 48 stars - pre the adding of Alaska and Hawaii.

Like so many villages in Suffolk and Norfolk Stradbroke had a USAF base just up the road at Denham/Horham during the latter years of WWII.


There is a memorial plaque in memory of the man who made the new flag. 



I've often seen The Royal Arms from centuries past in churches, at one time they had to display them by law, but apparently Stradbroke is one of the few churches to have a modern one.



The East window



More texts above the altar


The font survives from medieval times but was recut during the restoration. It still has a memorial dedication on the base.







 Back Soon

3 comments:

  1. That has an imposing tower, no wonder it can be seen from all around. Plenty of interest to look at inside.
    The only advantage of the constant rain is I don't feel so guilty sitting down with a book and a pot of tea. Going to pour for the next few days here.
    Penny

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  2. JC Ryle wrote commentaries on various books of the Bible, designed to be used at daily household prayers. I did follow one, but my attention always wandered as I read the old-fashioned sentences... as, did, no doubt, yhe assembled childer, housemaid, cook, etc...

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  3. I'm not sure I have ever come across a font being recut before. Quite an unusual design too - angels and I can see a (several?) Lion on the bottom. What a shame that they decided to rip the box pews out. We are fortunate in Wales and they survived in quite a few churches here. I love the tower.

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