St Margaret's Church, Ipswich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Margaret's Church, Ipswich
St Margaret's Church, Ipswich
St Margaret's Church as seen from St Margaret's Green
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	TM 166 441
Location	Ipswich, Suffolk
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Margaret's Church, Ipswich
History
Founded	c.1300
Dedication	St Margaret of Antioch
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	19 December 1951
Architectural type	Church
Style	Perpendicular Gothic
Specifications
Materials	Flint with stone dressings

St Margaret's Church is an old church in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It was built around the year 1300. Back then, it was made by a group of monks called Augustinian canons. They lived next door at the Priory of the Holy Trinity.

The church was built to serve the growing number of people living nearby. It was just outside the old town walls of Ipswich. Most of the church you see today was built in the 1400s. However, its tall tower was rebuilt much later, in the 1800s.

Cool Features of the Church

The Amazing Roof

The church has a special type of roof called a hammerbeam roof. This roof was built in the 1400s. It's a very clever way to build a strong, open roof without needing lots of pillars. Later, in the late 1600s, some cool paintings were added to the roof.

The Church Organ

St Margaret's Church has a large organ that was bought in 1981. Before coming to Ipswich, it was in another church in Bedford. That church closed down in 1974.

The organ was first built in 1859 by a company called J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd. Organs need to be tuned, just like a guitar or piano. This organ was originally tuned to a slightly different musical pitch. But in 2012 and 2013, it was cleaned and repaired. At that time, its tuning was changed to the standard pitch used today.

Church Leaders and History

The Simeon Trustees have helped choose the leaders for St Margaret's Church for many years. In 1867, they chose a person named Samuel Garratt to be the minister.

Past Ministers

Many people have served as ministers at St Margaret's Church. Here are some of the people who led the church from the 1500s until 1994:

Images for kids

• 

  St. Margaret's Church in 1977

• 

  A wedding at the church in 1989

• 

  View from Christchurch Park in 2009

• 

  A winter view later that year

• 

  Inside the church, showing the nave, in 2020