St Mary's Church, Rickinghall Superior facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Rickinghall Superior |
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St Mary's Church, Rickinghall Superior, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | TM 041 746 |
| Location | Rickinghall Superior, Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade 1 |
| Designated | 29 July 1955 |
| Architect(s) | W. M. Fawcett (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint with ashlar and brick dressings Nave roof slated chancel roof tiled |
St Mary's Church is a very old church in the village of Rickinghall, Suffolk, England. It is no longer used for regular church services, which means it is a "redundant church". It belongs to the Anglican faith. This church is a very important historical building. It is listed as a Grade I building, which is the highest level of protection in England. The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it.
There are actually two churches named St Mary's in Rickinghall. The other one is still an active church in the middle of the village. St Mary's Church, Rickinghall Superior, is located south of the village, across the main A143 road.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
This church was first built way back in the 14th century. That's over 600 years ago! In the mid-1400s, the main part of the church, called the nave, was rebuilt. The south porch, which is like an entrance hall, was also changed around that time. The church had a big "makeover" in 1868. This restoration work was done by an architect named William Milner Fawcett.
What the Church Looks Like
Outside the Church
St Mary's Church is built mostly from flint stones. It also has some ashlar (finely cut stone) and brick details. The roof over the nave (the main part) is made of slate. The roof over the chancel (the part near the altar) is made of tiles.
The church has a wide main area (the nave) with no side aisles. It also has a narrower, shorter chancel. There is a porch on the south side and a tall tower at the west end.
The tower has four levels. It has strong corner supports called buttresses. On the west side, there's a window with two lights (sections) that goes through the bottom two levels. The third level has cool, clover-shaped openings. The very top level has two-light openings for the bells, with wooden slats called louvres. The top edge of the tower is embattled, meaning it looks like the top of a castle wall. It has decorative panels with special symbols and patterns. You can also see gargoyles (stone carvings of creatures) on the north and south sides.
The nave has a decorated base and four large windows. These windows have three lights each and are in the Perpendicular Gothic style, which was popular in the 14th to 16th centuries. The south porch has two levels and decorated buttresses. Above the entrance arch, there's a two-light window.
The east wall of the chancel has a three-light window from the 14th century. The north and south walls of the chancel each have two two-light windows from the 15th century. There's also a small, low door on the south side.
Inside the Church
Inside the chancel, you can find a 15th-century piscina. This was a stone basin used for washing sacred vessels. There is also a sedilia, which are special seats for the clergy. Another piscina is in the southeast part of the nave.
The font, where baptisms take place, is octagonal (eight-sided) and dates back to the 14th century. You can also see a wooden bier in the nave, which is a stand for carrying a coffin. This one is from 1763.
On the tower wall, there are boards listing people who gave money to the church (called "benefactions boards"). There are also "peal boards" that record special bell-ringing events.
You can still see small pieces of original 15th-century stained glass in one of the nave windows and one of the chancel windows. The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made in 1868 by O'Connor. Other stained glass, in a chancel window and the tower's west window, was made around 1875 by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.
The church has a set of six bells.
- Three of these bells were made in 1712 by John Goldsmith.
- One was made by Thomas Newman in 1741.
- Another was made by John Taylor and Company in 1850.
- The newest bell was made by Alfred Bowell in 1911.
Churchyard Features
Outside the church, in the churchyard, there are five old structures that are also protected as Grade II listed buildings. They are located to the north of the church:
- The chest tomb (a stone box-like tomb) of H. Elmy, who died in 1738.
- A pair of headstones for other members of the Elmy family, from 1743 and 1748.
- The chest tomb of J. Parson, who died in 1811.
- A group of nine headstones for members of the Mills family, dating from the late 1600s and 1700s.
- A memorial for J. Smith and his wife Susanna, who died in 1810 and 1838.
See also
