St Mary-at-the-Quay Church, Ipswich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary-at-the-Quay Church, Ipswich |
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St Mary-at-the-Quay Church, Key Street at Night
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| OS grid reference | TM 166 442 |
| Location | Ipswich, Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Membership | Evangelical |
| Website | River Church Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Anglican Church plant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 19 December 1951 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Perpendicular Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint with stone dressings |
St Mary-at-the-Quay Church is an old Anglican church in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It is a medieval building, which means it was built a very long time ago. Today, the Churches Conservation Trust looks after it. This trust helps to save important old churches.
Since 2021, a group called River Church has used the building. They are part of a network of churches that aim to share Christian beliefs in new ways. The church used to serve people who worked near the docks in Ipswich. It closed for regular services in the 1950s. In 1973, it was given to the Churches Conservation Trust. The church then had a big repair project that finished in 2016.
Contents
Building the Church: History and Style
This old church is on Key Street in Ipswich. It was once known as The Key Church. It was also called the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, or Stella Maris.
The church is built from flint stones and has stone decorations. It has a main area called a nave with high windows, and side sections called aisles. There are also parts that stick out on the sides, called transepts. At the west end, there is a tall tower.
The tower has strong supports called buttresses. These supports have special patterns made from flint and stone, called flushwork. The top of the tower has a battlement design, like a castle wall. The church's style is called Perpendicular Gothic. This was a popular building style in England a long time ago.
Inside the Church: Special Features
Inside, the nave has a special roof called a double hammerbeam roof. This roof has carvings of important figures. These include the apostles and famous people from Ipswich's past.
There is also a 15th-century (1400s) font. This is a large stone basin used for baptisms. It was moved to another church but has now been brought back. You can also see the tomb and a metal plaque, called a brass, for Henry Tooley. He built almshouses, which were homes for poor people, nearby. There is also a copy of a brass for Thomas Pounder. He was another important merchant from Ipswich. The original Pounder brass is in the Ipswich Museum.
The current St Mary's building was built between about 1450 and 1550. It stands where an even older church from the 1200s used to be. The church is in the dockland area of the town. This was once the center for merchants and trade. St Mary's was one of twelve medieval churches in Ipswich. It was also one of three churches for sailors. At that time, it was probably known as Stella Maris.
In the 1700s, the dockland area became less important. Because of this, fewer people came to the church. Over the years, the church often flooded. This caused problems for the building. In the 1800s, the underground burial areas were filled with concrete to try and stop the flooding. During World War II, from 1940 to 1942, bombs damaged the church. Most of its beautiful stained glass windows were lost.
Saving and Using the Church Again
After the war, the church stopped holding regular services. In the 1990s, a group called the Friends of Friendless Churches helped to repair it. For a while, it was used by Ipswich's Boys' Brigade as their main office.
When the Boys' Brigade left, the church closed again. In 1973, it was given to the Churches Conservation Trust. By this time, most of the church's furniture and items had been taken away. The Trust has done many repairs, especially to fix the flooding problems. Salt water was damaging the stone columns inside the church.
In the 2000s, the church was used for art shows and performances. For a time, an arts group called Key Arts was based there. In 2010, there were plans to turn the church into a mental health center. This center would be run by Suffolk Mind. They received money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help with this project.
River Church: A New Chapter
River Church started using the building in 2021. It is led by Amy and Matt Key, who are both Church of England ministers. River Church wants to reach out to students from the nearby University of Suffolk.
River Church often runs courses called Alpha. These courses were created by leaders at Holy Trinity Brompton. They try to make learning about faith easy and fun. They offer free food, short talks, and live music. River Church also serves drinks and snacks during weekdays.
See also
