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In an area of interesting churches,
this is one of the most interesting of all. You might not
think so if you were suddenly teleported into the front
pews, as this is a thoroughly Victorianised interior.
But, as so often, there is more going on here than meets
the eye.
The great
rood niche in the west wall of Parham tower.
Destroyed by the Anglican reformers of the 1540s,
it once had an elaborate canopy, and contained
Mary and John at the foot of the cross. (Photo by
Aidan Semmens).
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So, let us start outside, at
the church gate, and to begin with look around,
and declare Parham to be beautiful. The heart of the village, pronounce Parrum,
is off the busy road that connects Framlingham to the A12, set in a little dip with
ancient houses in attendance.
In the lychgate, look up for a
surprise (I won't spoil it) and then look at the
west face of the tower.
The niche set is probably the
most striking in Suffolk. You may remember
something similar from Great
Cornard, Wetheringsett and Cotton, and
from the dramatic Victorian reconstruction at Friston, to name just four.
But none are as good as this
one. It probably held a rood
group, the crucifixion
in the middle, and John the Evangelist and Mary
the Mother of God on either side. The eastern
buttresses of the tower are parallel to the tower
eastern face and there are no battlements on the
tower, making it seem rather severe, especially
with the low nave roof. The nave windows are tall
and stately, making the church seem rather bigger
than it actually is.
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Mortlock mentions evidence that the current church dates
from 1370, a rebuilding under the patronage of William of
Ufford, Earl of Suffolk.
At this time, the window between rood
niche and west door wasn't there; it dates from a
refurbishment of the late 15th century, along with the
others in the nave. The grand north porch dates from the
same time, but the Victorians turned it into a vestry.
Looking
east. The paving stones and late 19th century
pews create a neat, almost stark, effect. (Photo
by Alan Thurkettle).
Right: the
font.
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Inside, the organ is on the west
gallery, but below it there is some fascinating grafitti
in the tower archway, of medieval ships. Turning to the
west, the screen is beautiful.
It gave Cautley the horrors, and even made Mortlock tut, because the Victorians removed the lower
panels, leaving the tracery, and then painted the whole
thing red and green.
| But I rather like it. The
whole building has a sense of space because of
it, unusual in a church so comprehensively
restored in the 1880s. I
also very much like the reredos, a cobbling together of 17th century
woodwork with a picture of the Last Supper in the
Russian style. I would have liked to have known
where it came from.
You may notice the grooves on
the step in the sanctuary. You
see these elsewhere in Suffolk, usually on font steps, but the reason for them is lost
to us now. perhaps they had a sacramental
purpose.
Mortlock thought that the stone
shields in the sanctuary may have come from Butley Priory.
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Looking
west, through the Victorianised screen. Notice
the way that they removed the dado panels, but
left the tracery. (Photo
by Alan Thurkettle).
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Above: altar.
(Photos by Alan Thurkettle).
Back down to the west, the font is a veritable pattern book, also incorporating
the shield of the Earls of Suffolk.
There are a couple of hatchments, and if the 17th century communion rails look
odd, it is because alternate balusters have been removed
by someone who, presumably, thought it was a good idea at
the time. Remembering Archbishop Laud's main reason for installing such things in the
first place, perhaps they just wanted to let the dogs
back in.
Polite
1880s century pews (good ones, I think). The font hides
at the back. (Photo by Alan
Thurkettle).
St
Mary, Parham, is just off the B1116, about halfway
between Framlingham and Wickham Market. I've always found
it open.
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Please note
that the photographs on this entry are by Aidan
Semmens and Alan Thurkettle, and retain their
copyright. You can also visit the entry
for Parham at Aidan Semmens' Sylly
Suffolk.
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