Bentley

St Mary, Bentley

Despite the 14th century tower, this is essentially a 19th century building, largely the work of Richard Phipson, and very little older survives. What does, suggest that this was a Norman building, since some of the reset lancets are genuine. Not genuine, of course, is the grand mock-Norman south doorway, although it is done rather well, the chevrons and peacock eyes familiar from the surviving genuine articles around the county.

Medieval tower and Victorian church - well, the tower top is 19th century, too.

The niche reset in the porch seems genuine too, or at least the canopy does. There's a nice modern image of Our Lady inside it.

We know a little about the former life of this church, since Bentley was the seat of the Tollemaches before they esptablished themselves at Helmingham. One of the vast Tollemache memorials there was originally in this church; when they got it to its new home, they found that it wouldn't fit, and had to build a little dormer window in the roof above it.

St Mary is a mile or so from its rather suburban village, down a long, lonely lane encroached on by woodland. A pair of angry jays chattered at me as I leaned my bike up, and the churchyard felt ancient and peaceful several tombchests ivy-encased as at Hintlesham.

I've no idea what this church is like inside, except that neither Pevsner, Cautley nor Mortlock found anything interesting. It was locked, without a keyholder; for once, I couldn't be bothered to get worked up about this.

Norman style, not done badly.

Until the 1960s, the Colchester to Hadleigh railway line ran along the edge of this graveyard, and this tower must have been a familiar landmark to travellers. Now, few people see it; but if, like me, you are enticed by such ghosts of the past, then you too will feel a frisson as you locate the route of the old line.

St Mary, Bentley, is located about a mile north of the village, just west of the A137 Ipswich to Manningtree road near Tattingstone. Locked, I'm afraid.