All Saints Church, Little Wenham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints Church, Little Wenham |
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All Saints Church, Little Wenham,
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| OS grid reference | TM 081 392 |
| Location | Little Wenham, Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 22 February 1955 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint and brick Roofs tiled |
All Saints Church is a very old Anglican church located in the quiet village of Little Wenham, Suffolk, England. It's no longer used for regular church services, which is why it's called a "redundant" church. This special building is protected as a Grade I listed building, meaning it's very important historically. The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it. You can find it in a peaceful spot near Little Wenham Hall, about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) northwest of Capel St. Mary.
Contents
History of All Saints Church
This church was first built in the 13th century. That's over 700 years ago! Later, in the 15th century, a tall tower and a south porch were added. In the 16th century, the tower was made even taller to include a bell chamber. The church has also been linked to Saint Lawrence.
Church Architecture and Design
Outside the Church
All Saints Church is mostly built from flint stones. The very top part of the tower is made of brick. The porch, which is like a covered entrance, is made of wood, and the roofs are covered with tiles.
The church has a main area called a nave and a smaller section at the east end called a chancel. It also has a south porch and a tall tower on the west side. The tower has three levels. It has strong supports called buttresses decorated with special patterns. On the south side of the tower, there's a small, angled staircase.
The lowest part of the tower has a window with three sections. The middle part has small, louvred openings on three sides. Below the opening on the west side, there's a small niche, which is like a shallow alcove. The top of the tower has a battlement (like a castle wall) and small openings for bells.
The east wall of the church also has strong supports and a low wall at the top with a cross decoration. The east window has three sections. On the north side of the church, there's a window with two sections and a "Y" shape design. Further west, there's a narrow lancet window, another three-section window, and a doorway.
On the south side, starting from the east, there's a large six-section window placed higher than the others. There's also a doorway leading into the chancel and three windows with "Y" shaped designs. On one of the middle supports, you can see three old "scratch dials" and the shadow-casting part of a former sundial. The porch is made of wood on a brick base. Above the doorway, in the triangular part of the roof, there are three wooden niches.
Inside the Church
The floor in the chancel is covered with old medieval tiles and bricks. On the floor of the sanctuary, which is the most sacred part, there are five memorial stones from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The east wall has interesting paintings. To the left of the east window, there's a painting of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus. To the right, there are three female saints under decorative covers: Saint Martha, Saint Catherine, and Mary Magdalene.
In the north wall of the chancel, there's a structure decorated with shields. It might be a tomb or an Easter sepulchre, which was used during Easter celebrations. In the south wall, there's a detailed memorial for Sir John Brewse, who passed away in 1585. This memorial is brightly painted and shows a kneeling statue of Sir John inside a rounded arch. On the sides of the arch are columns supporting a triangular top with a coat of arms. More coats of arms are found around the memorial. This monument partly covers the arches of a former sedilia, which were seats for priests. Above the priest's door in the south wall, there's a marble monument from 1682.
On the chancel floor, there's a brass memorial from the medieval period. It remembers Thomas Brewse, who died in 1514, and his wife. They are shown standing side by side, and below them are their five children. This brass is considered one of the best from before the English Reformation in the county.
Between the chancel and the nave, you can see the stone base of what used to be a rood screen. This screen separated the two parts of the church. On each side of this base, in the west wall, there's a piscina, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels. In the north wall of the nave, there's a doorway that led to stairs for the former rood loft, a platform above the screen.
Near the north wall of the nave, there's an old medieval coffin lid. To the east of the north door, there's a wall painting of Saint Christopher carrying the Christ Child. To the west of the door, there's a board with the Lord's Prayer written on it. In the south wall of the nave, there's a large tomb with an elaborate canopy. People believe it honors Gilbert de Debenham, who died in 1371.
The wooden, six-sided pulpit, where sermons were given, dates from the 17th or 18th century. Two of the church benches have special carvings that look like folded linen and flat columns. The font, used for baptisms, is from the 14th century and stands on an eight-sided base. You can still see traces of red paint on it. Above the arch leading to the tower, there's a round opening. Inside the tower, there's a wooden altar. The church bell was made by Thomas Gardiner in Sudbury in 1714.
Churchyard Features
In the churchyard, there is a table tomb with cast iron railings. The railings show the dates 1797 and 1799. This tomb is also a protected building, listed as Grade II.
See also
