Not many small village churches have a transept or cross aisle and the south side at Baylham is quite big.
The transepts were added when the church was completely restored in 1870 although the tower dates back to the C14 and the font from the C15.
The East window is also from 1870
It's always interesting to find paintings of the church in a church, I couldn't see if there was a date on this one although it doesn't look as old as some.
The memorial on the north side of the sanctuary is for the Actons. This is what Simon Knott says on the Suffolk Churches Index
On the north side of the sanctuary is the late 17th Century Acton memorial. John and Elizabeth Acton face each other across a prayer desk, while behind them a skeleton bursts in waving a dart of death. There's something similar at St Nicholas, Kings Lynn. Beneath them are their children kneeling to mourn, three boys and two girls. The inscriptions for the main figures are odd. Elizabeth's records that she died at the age of 36 on the 27th of March, but omits to tell us which year. John's inscription has been left completely blank, but we know he died in 1695. The monument must have been erected before his death. In the great storm of October 1987 the chancel wall was destabilised, and this memorial needed to be reset. The local builder who carried out the work found that it came apart like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, and each piece had been pegged separately into the wall with wooden dowelling. It was put back in place using the same late 17th Century techniques.
All the tiling dates from 1870 too. Once the church would have been heated by a boiler with water pipes providing a bit warmth coming up through the metal grill down the central aisle.
Just down the road from the church is the village school, it would have been part of the churches estate when built at much the same time as the church was restored but now long closed and turned into a house.
The south transept has pews but the north has the organ and behind that a handy toilet has been added.
All the tiling dates from 1870 too. Once the church would have been heated by a boiler with water pipes providing a bit warmth coming up through the metal grill down the central aisle.
Just down the road from the church is the village school, it would have been part of the churches estate when built at much the same time as the church was restored but now long closed and turned into a house.
I found this old photo of the school on line. It dates from 1910 and is taken just down the hill from my photo
Good morning Sue. I am a quilter, just look at that amazing tiled floor. Just stunning.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts were the same as Karen's. A great quilt pattern!!
DeleteInteresting and very beautiful old church.
ReplyDeleteI do like a proper old-fashioned stone font! My church was built in the 1960s and has a stainless steel bowl in a teak stand. It's handy to put in the centre of a church for baptisms, but then gets tucked in the corner out of the way, losing the symbolism of having the font near the entrance to the church.
ReplyDeleteThat font was outstanding. I had to go off and have a read about it. Amazing to me that it was from the 14th century. I read also about the alabaster scene of the crucifixion removed and hidden away in the rafters so that the puritans would not discover and destroy it. There were no pictures of it. I would have liked to seen it.
ReplyDeleteA well built church and a beautiful font. Also I note, the church has a loo. Which is logical but how many churches have we all been in without a loo. It makes you think what happened in past centuries.
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