Syleham

St Margaret, Syleham

If it were not for something that happened in this church, it is possible that there would be no medieval parish churches worth visiting today. For here it was that Earl Bigod surrendered his loyalty to King Henry II in 1174, giving up his castles at Bungay and Framlingham as part of the price.

A huge chancel, with a little round-towered church attached.

The crown, later awarded Framlingham to the Dukes of Norfolk, who championed the cause of Mary I in the 1550s, sheltering her at Framlingham until it was possible for her to become Queen, thus ensuring that Lady Jane Grey did not acheive the throne, and finish off the destruction of churches begun by her vile cousin Edward VI. If this had happened, there would be no rood screens, no wall paintings, no stained glass; more to the point, probably no Church of England.

It is terribly ironic, then, that this lovely little church on a bluff of the Waveney sticking out into Norfolk, is firmly locked, without a keyholder. I looked for a Churchwarden's number, but the only one I could find was 1757, on a plaque high up on the north wall, commemorating the releading of the roof that year.

The round tower is much restored, but very pretty with its flushwork and brick battlements. The most striking thing about the exterior is how much higher the chancel is than the nave, an awkwardness which is most dramatic, and not a little pleasing. It is actually the nave that has been lowered, rather than the other way around.

Interestingly, the dedication is recorded in almost every textbook as St Mary, even though the dedication in common usage is St Margaret, an example of how errors can go uncorrected, and ramify down the ages.

E. Backler, the last Syleham churchwarden to leave a number.

It was not clear to me if this church was still used by the Anglicans for services, although I have since been told that it is, and that it forms part of the Hoxne benefice. A shame that they regard the protection of property higher than being open as an act of witness.

Also, I would very much like to have seen the primitive font, which I caught a glimpse of through a window. Even more, I would like to have seen the spot where Bigod knelt in fealty. It is one of the most historic sites in the county, where modern Suffolk was forged. Was the new commemorative cross on the nearby road a Millennium project? Or an attempt to keep visitors at bay? It is rather meaningless for what it purports to remember.

Bigod knelt here. Well, near here, anyway.

St Margaret, Syleham, is located along a narrow lane east of Hoxne, near the Norfolk border. If you contact Hoxne Rectory on 01379 668246, you might be able to arrange a key. If we all do this, it might annoy the Rector so much, he'll organise a keyholder.