Framsden

St Mary, Framsden

Framsden is a quiet little village, now that the B1077 bypasses it. It is near to the great bulk of Helmingham Hall; in fact, Helmingham village school is closer to Framsden village. The houses cluster along the single street, and the key is obtained from one of them. The church is close by, and you cross a little bridge from the north, through a Victorian lych-gate, and the path leads round to the west. The tower is very similar to that of Helmingham. The key lets you into the priest's door of the chancel, and, from this, the nave is cut off by a great curtain.

Framsden from the south. (Thanks to Alan Thurkettle).

The chancel has cheery, modern furnishings, as well as something ancient and wonderful, which we'll come back to in a moment.

For now, step through the curtain into the nave. This is now only used on big occasions; carol services, weddings, funerals, and the other so-called core business of CofE PLC. When I was here, everything was coated with dust, and jumble was piled up on the benches. All rather sad.

The nave and south aisle are mainly 14th century, although the hammerbeam roof is later. Cautley gives two precise dates in the 17th century, and vouches for them with inscriptions, but I could not find them myself; and nor, I discovered later, could Mortlock. The font is rather battered.

Back, then, to the chancel. This is also 14th century, although extensively restored in the 19th century. Mortlock found a Saxon carving of a face in the window surround, suggesting an earlier church on the site. The current building was probably the gift of the Tollemaches who still live, as they did then, at Helmingham Hall.

The misericord seats. (Thanks to Alan Thurkettle).

And now for the ancient wonder. The seats to the north of the altar are probably not in their original place in the church, but possibly date from the 14th century when a community of the Poor Clares was based here. Lift the seats up, and you will find some of Suffolk's finest misericord carvings.

A saint donates a church.

There are four, and perhaps the best shows a saint donating a church (probably not St Barbara, since it seems to be a man) with a pelican on either side. Another shows part of an Annunciation scene. They have been mutilated, probably at the time of the Reformation - it looks as though someone came with an axe and took a swipe at each one.

Mutilated Annunciation scene. (Thanks to Alan Thurkettle).

St Mary is as unsuitable for the day-to-day life of its parish as any large medieval building. The decision to use only part of it is at once realistic and discouraging.

The very nice lady who keeps the key was interested to know what I thought of the misericords. She was as angry about the mutilation as if it had happened yesterday, illustrating graphically how it had happened with the mime of a swipe. I told her I had just come from Helmingham church, home of the outrageous Tollemache tombs. "That's not a church", she growled. "It's a mausoleum". How lovely, that in the last years of the twentieth century, two neighbouring Suffolk villages can still indulge in rivalry about their churches.

Looking east. (Thanks to Alan Thurkettle).

St Mary, Framsden, is off the B1077 Ipswich to Eye road, about 2 miles south of Debenham. It is kept locked, but a key is available from a nearby house.

PLEASE NOTE that all photographs except one on this page are by Alan Thurkettle, and retain his copyright.