Gislingham

St Mary, Gislingham

Once you get west of the A140, the villages get larger, prettier, more self contained, and you know you are entering the historic county of West Suffolk. Gislingham is a good example of this, and is typical of the west. It is not to be confused with East Suffolk's Gisleham, in the suburbs of Lowestoft.

Imposing St Mary. (Photo by Alan Thurkettle).

One of my favourite sights of the tower of St Mary is that from the walks on the Thornham Estate of the Hennikers. One can imagine the 18th century residents, treating it as a 'view' and planting their copses accordingly.

Closer, it looks grand, yet mellow, one of the best red brick towers in Suffolk. And it is rather unusual, because it actually post-dates the Reformation; it is a proper 'protestant' tower. The neglect that set in the Church of England in the later part of the sixteenth century would cause more than a few Suffolk church towers to collapse during the course of the next 250 years, before the Victorians stepped in to rescue them. Gislingham's was probably the first to fall, hitting the ground in the winter of 1598. Robert Petto paid for the replacement in 1639, so it was probably an act of Laudian piety, and one that would have seemed heartily pointless through the twenty years of the Commonwealth period that followed. Come the Restoration, however, and John Darbye of Ipswich would cast two bells for the tower - he may be the same John Darbie who had given £100 for its construction thirty years earlier.

Unusually, St Mary presents its north face to the village street, with the grand porch and busy graveyard belying any theories that the north side was in some way 'unconsecrated'. This was always an intention, because the tower was rebuilt flush with this side, not centrally as before. It is a big church, and looks all of its 40 metres long.

Above: Mortlock's missing tracery.

Left: The view to east now, through the high chancel arch.

(Photos by Alan Thurkettle).

There is a lovely hammerbeam roof. Mortlock noted the pulleys on several beams - only one of which, of course, could have been for the Lenten veil; but probably none of them were. Perhaps they were for pulling up candle lights.

The church has undergone a lot of repairs in recent years, and there is still some way to go, but it is looking increasingly magnificent. The font is a bit shabby, but bears a dedicatory inscription to the Chapman family, who also gave the porch outside. There are some basic box pews, and the position of the three-decker pulpit halfway down the nave reveals the Protestant pedigree of the preaching here; it is a reminder that, for a couple of centuries, it was the pulpit rather than the altar which was the focus of worship in an Anglican church. Of course, the Oxford Movement put a stop to that.

The pretty 19th century sanctuary. (Photo by Alan Thurkettle).

St Mary has a good collection of medieval glass, many of the figures being composites of others. Elaborate tracery from the former rood screen is set on the wall; Mortlock bemoaned its absence in 1987, when he described the condition of the inside of the church as being one of 'filth and decay'. I'm sure he is pleased with the improvements since.

St Mary, Gislingham, is located in the centre of this pleasant village, between tha A140 and B1113, near to Thornham. I found it locked without a keyholder; however, it was undergoing structural repairs at the time, so this may no longer be the case.

Please note that the photographs are by Alan Thurkettle, and retain his copyright.