brantham

St Michael, Brantham

Brantham is border country. The rather industrial village straggles down to the muddy Stour, and on the far bank sits the fine Essex town of Manningtree. The busy Ipswich to Manningtree road funnels through Brantham and is rather unpleasant, I'm afraid. But the church is away from it, tucked among cottages in a little lane, and you wouldn't know any different.

The most striking sight as you approach St Michael is E.S. Prior's wonderful Arts and Crafts lychgate, all curves and dynamic tension. It is quite different to his other Suffolk piece at Kelsale. It really is a beautiful object, and would grace any of the finest churches in the county.

Prior's lychgate outpaces Hakewill's church.

But St Michael is not one of these. It is a pleasant enough village church, despite being thoroughly Hakewilled in 1869. E.C. Hakewill was one of the 19th century's less distinguished architects; his work is sound, but not outstanding. Typical Hakewill churches include Shottisham and the old part of Rushmere St Andrew. His most familiar motif is a north aisle which slopes down under the nave roof to within five feet of the ground; there's one at Shottisham and at Rushmere, and there's one here, too.

It has to be said that E.S. Prior's lychgate is an unlikely adornment for Hakewill's mediocre work.

The lower part of the tower is still pretty much all its medieval self, and Hakewill reset a piscina and image niche inside the church, although not in their original places. He also reset some fragments of medieval glass.

One striking 19th century feature is the magnificent pair of corbel angels either side of the chancel arch. One is St Michael, the other St Gabriel. Their style is reminiscent of the 1890s drawings of Beardsley and Mackintosh. The pulpit is also in an Arts and Crafts style, but was the work of a parishioner.

This church has a painting by John Constable which used to stand behind the altar. It was one of three local church pieces (the others were for neighbouring Manningtree, and Nayland, the best). This one shows Christ welcoming the children, and hangs on the south chancel wall - or, at least, a copy of it does. The original has long since gone elsewhere.

Like a figure out of an Alasdair Gray book, St Michael dispatches the dragon.

So - what do you think? A decent stab at a reasonably interesting entry for one of Suffolk's minor but pleasant enough parish churches? Not one of the site's greatest entries, but a fair overview of Prior and Hakewill's work? Well, I do try. Unfortunately, one of the congregation doesn't think so. Is there anything about Brantham parish church you do like? writes Keith Nixon. I've just read your sniffy,down the nose view of our church. I always say if you can't say anything good about something, shut up.

Blimey, I replied. If you think this one's bad, you should read some of the others!

St Michael and All Angels, Brantham, is slightly to the east of the A137 Ipswich to Manningtree road, near the middle of the village. I found it open.