Great Thurlow is a largish sleepy village to the north of Haverhill. As is usual around here, it is a very pleasant place, as if these rural parishes had sucked all the richness out of Haverhill, leaving it impoverished while they grow fat as butter.

The church sits just to the east of the top road, among the biggest houses, and appears to have been infected with their obsession with privacy, leaving visitors locked out and no keyholder listed. There is no possible excuse for this; the neighbours would be effective guardians, there are no great or famous treasures, and in any case it would be impossible to back your transit van up to the porch to remove the pitch pine furniture even if you wanted to. The only conclusion is that they just don't want people going inside.

As at Great Wratting nearby, almost everything you see on the outside is Victorian, including a mock 14th century tower which is done rather well. Some of the starkness is softened by a jaunty little vestry and chimney in the north-east corner.

Inside, I understand there is a square Norman font, several brasses (they do seem to have been popular in this neck of the woods, or perhaps it is just that 18th century antiquarians didn't make it this far) and a scattering of medieval heraldic glass, but pretty much everything else is 19th century or later. As I say, I am unable to confirm any of this myself.

The graveyard is some recompense, being largely unspoilt by clearances. Mortlock directs our attention to the 18th century gravestones to the west of the church, particularly that of Mary Traven, of which you can see an image to the left. A charming little medallion shows a woman in childbirth, and the midwife trying to block out the skeleton of death by closing the curtains. Quite what was the theology of that, I wondered.

All Saints, Great Thurlow, is located just to the north of Haverhill on the Haverhill to Newmarket road. I found it locked without a keyholder listed.

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