Mutford

St Andrew, Mutford

Like most of the pretty round-towered churches of north east Suffolk, St Andrew has a lovely setting, in the narrow lanes that wind between Lowestoft and Halesworth.

The churchyard is set high above the road, probably as a result of the track cutting down over the centuries, and a path climbs to the church from the west.

The view from here is most unusual, for our first sight is of St Andrew's extraordinary Galilee porch, the only one in England which stands against a south tower.

It was probably built in the 14th century, but was derelict by the 1930s, when it was restored.

The church it stands against is Saxon in origin, the tower largely so, apart from the 14th century octagonal belfry like those at Gisleham and Ashby. It is Suffolk's tallest round tower, and one of the most beautiful.

The combination of Galilee and south aisle give it a rather pleasant off-centre look.

The south chancel chapel was demolished in the 19th century, resulting in the rather ugly brick wall at the end of that aisle, and somewhat alarming domestic window in the south wall of the chancel. But, that apart, this is a lovely old building, and it is a splendid sight across the fields.

The lane up to St Andrew.

The galilee porch - England's only one on a round-towered church. And Suffolk's tallest round tower at that.

We step into the uneven brick floors of the south aisle, so much more attractive than stone or tiles, and see ahead of us a large black rectangular wall painting. It clearly once contained text, and was probably an 18th century decalogue, like that at Sweffling.

When Cautley came in the 1930s, he could still make out the outline of a St Christopher under this, and mentions the scallop shells at his feet. But it has completely disappeared now, and it would take more than a little imagination to conjure up any trace of it. I'd wondered if he actually saw the remains of Moses or Aaron holding a book, as on the decalogues at Chediston and Somersham.

Most curious. The former Decalogue at Mutford.

But he describes it as 'huge'; since they were usually bigger than this decalogue is, one presumes that it must have filled the wall. And Arthur Mee also saw it in 1940, when compiling The King's England - at this time, the shells at the Saint's feet were so clear, that Mee spotted a monk peeping out of one (perhaps in the manner of the carving at Wordwell). But none of this survives at all today.

looking east.

There is a beautiful piscina in the south aisle, which Mortlock thinks was probably to the chantry altar of the guild of St John the Baptist, which existed in the village before the Reformation.

An unusual feature is the tomb recess in the north wall, the Norman canopy of which seems to have been rescued from elsewhere. Mortlock thought it might have been the 12th century chancel arch, which was replaced in the 14th century.

There is also a surviving dedicatory inscription on the font, showing that it was donated by Dame Elizabeth of Hengrave in 1380.

The piscina in the south aisle.

Back in 1973, the poor condition of this church, and its remoteness from civilisation, made it one of the first in Suffolk to be scheduled for redundancy. The tenacity and energy of local people meant that this was not allowed to happen, and a programme of repairs was put in hand that continues to this day.

Tomb recess canopy - the former chancel arch?

The church feels full of life, the heart of a busy, worshipping community. Nearby Rushmere St Michael has also been saved, so the local people really are to be congratulated.

St Andrew, Mutford, is to be found in the lanes between Lowestoft and Beccles, signposted south of the A146 near North Cove. A keyholder lives nearby.