Nominal: 868.5 Hz Weight: 865 lbs Diameter: 34.94" Bell 1 of 6
Founded by Thomas Newman 1736
Dove Bell ID: 5541 Tower ID: 11475 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: quarter Cracked: No
Redgrave: St Mary
Overview
Grid reference: TM 57 782
The large and stately medieval parish church of St Mary is visible from some distance, as it stands apart almost ½ mile to the west of the pretty estate village of Redgrave, in rural Suffolk just south-east of Diss. The present building would appear to date from the early 14th century, though it may stand on the original site. The south aisle and clearstorey were altered and the porch added in the 15th century.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Churches Conservation Trust
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
5-bay aisled nave and 3-bay chancel, south porch, west tower and north vestry.
Dimensions:
Nave 22m (67’5ft) x 8m (25 ft).
Footprint of Church buildings: 748 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
A church at Redgrave is mentioned in Domesday, but the present building would appear to date from the early 14th century, though it may stand on the original site. The south aisle and clearstorey were altered and the porch added in the 15th century.
The vestry and perhaps the tower were added in the late 16th century, the tower refaced with bricks at the end of the 18th century at the expense of Rowland Holt. The church was repaired c 1850, and there have been minor late 19th and early 20th-century alterations; most of the good quality furnishings and fittings date to this period, but the church also preserves a remarkable collection of post-Reformation monuments, mostly to the Bacon dynasty.
The archaeological potential of the building and site is high. Apart from the archaeological deposits, features and burials associated with the church, there is also much evidence of early settlement in the area, particularly in the Iron Age. Roundhouses and other settlement evidence were noted in a pipeline by Basil Brown in the 1950’s on Beer Lane c 400 m to the north, and a 9th-century Saxon strap-end was found 200m to the north-west.
Exterior Description
Although mainly in the Decorated style of the early 14th century, the constant development of the building is represented by additions of quality from every succeeding century.
The elegant west tower is square in section, quoined and unbuttressed and of four stages, with offsets to each stage and a chamfered plinth. In the north-west angle with the nave is a two-stage stair turret. The lowest stage of the tower has a west doorway with a boarded door within a louvred round-arched head, taken down to impost blocks. Above this is a small round headed window, with another such in the third stage in the north face. The belfry openings are louvred and round headed, the louvres original and in poor condition. The tower has a plain parapet with stepped pinnacles.
The fabric of the body of the church is a patchwork of flint and brick, with patches of render adhering, which would probably repay careful recording and inspection. The fenestration of the aisles is irregular, either Decorated or Perpendicular in style, reflecting the complex development of the building. The 2-light west windows of both aisles have original 14th-century tracery, with cusped main lights and mouchettes above and a quatrefoil in the heads.
The middle two bays windows moving east are 2-lights with Decorated tracery, and the easternmost bay has a large 3-light 16th-century Perpendicular window with a depressed arched head. The aisle east window is a 3-light 15th-century Perpendicular window. The bays are defined by stumpy buttresses of two weatherings with moulded bases, and the aisle has a plain parapet.
The south porch takes up the second bay from the west of the south aisle.
The nave clearstorey is of the 15th century, pierced by ten 2-light windows with cusped panel tracery under segmental pointed arched heads.
The chancel is lower than the nave, the roof more steeply pitched. The east wall is pierced by a large 14th-century window of 7 lights, with complex and unique curvilinear tracery in a pointed arch under a hoodmould. The window is flanked by angle buttresses of three weatherings with stooled statue niches and trefoiled gablet heads.
The north east vestry is quite a rare survival from the 16th century. It is built in brick in English bond on a plinth.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
There are some medieval fragments in a window in the south aisle.
Stained Glass
1853
The east window by T Farrow of Diss
Stained Glass
North aisle window by A L Moore. Warrior Saints, a War Memorial given by lord and Lady Playfair in memory of their son Lyon, killed in action in World War I.
Building Materials
Flint
Flint rubble
Ashlar
Ashlar dressings
Brick
Red brick vestry and tower, the latter faced with white Woolpit bricks and ashlar dressings.
Slate
Roof, except aisles
Lead
Aisle roofs
Interior
Interior Description
The nave is flanked by the tall 5-bay arcades with double wave-moulded pointed arches, with mask stopped hoodmoulds. These are carried on quatrefoil piers with inner fillets and moulded caps. The high, whitewashed interior is quite flooded with light from the huge windows and clearstorey on a clear day, an uplifting sight.
This also illuminates the splendid 15th-century 10-bay nave roof, which has alternate single hammerbeam and queen strut trusses carried on posts taken down to mask corbels. There are carved arched braces to the brattished hammerbeams and tie beams, and to the cambered collars with short king posts. The tie-beams carry queen struts with arched struts to the collars and principals, with double butt purlins and a ridge piece; all the main timbers are roll-moulded, and the wallplates are double brattished. The aisle roofs are lean-to with arched braces to the principals, and brattished wallplates. The nave is still fully pewed.
The chancel arch is pointed and double wave-moulded, carried on complex shafted jambs with fillets and moulded caps. The 6-bay chancel roof with arch braced collars was added in the 19th century. The chancel windows have moulded rere-arches with mask stopped hoodmoulds. The easternmost chancel south window has its lower part blocked by a 15th-century triple sedilia, its canted canopies with lierne vaulting, rectilinear tracery, crocketed ogee heads, Tudor rose and brattished cornice with angels; adjacent piscina with a cusped and crocketed ogee head, with a hoodmould taken down to lion stops.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
17th Century
High altar. Communion table with turned legs and patterned top rail.
Altar
South aisle altar of oak altar with riddle post figures of St Mary and St John, and the names of the fallen in both World Wars engraved in the front panels.
Pulpit
1875
Hexagonal stone pulpit on the south side of the chancel arch, with finely carved tracery panels.
Lectern
19th Century
Brass
Font (object)
14th Century
Octagonal font, raised on a step. Simple stem with masks at the bases of the bowl. The bowl panels have crocketed gables with varying tracery, intermediate shafts, and a brattished rim.
Reredos
Oak panelling behind the High altar.
Rail
Early 20th Century
Communion rails with turned balusters, 18th-century style.
Organ (object)
1890
Large single manual organ by Casson of Shepherd's Bush, with architectural case and displayed pipes.
Tomb (component)
At the east end of the north aisle; a large chest tomb to Sir Nicholas Bacon, d 1624, and wife Anne Butts, 1616 by Nicholas Stone with tomb made by Bernard Janssen. Black and white marble, moulded cap and base, recessed angle pilasters with bulbous bases, long side inscriptions in richly scrolled cartouches, short sides have ornamented shields of arms and a cartouche, on top of tomb are recumbent life size effigies, excellent. In adjacent east wall two cusped niches contain pieces of armour associated with the heraldic funeral arms of Sir Nicholas Bacon.
Brass
Chancel floor: a good figural brass of Anne Butts, d 1609, a poem below figure, intended for a table tomb
Bells
Nominal: 1451 Hz Weight: 456 lbs Diameter: 25.69" Bell 2 of 6
Founded by Thomas Osborn 1785
Dove Bell ID: 36291 Tower ID: 11475 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: quarter Cracked: No
Nominal: 1299 Hz Weight: 410 lbs Diameter: 25.94" Bell 3 of 6
Founded by Thomas Newman 1736
Dove Bell ID: 36292 Tower ID: 11475 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: quarter Cracked: No
Nominal: 1159 Hz Weight: 468 lbs Diameter: 27.31" Bell 4 of 6
Founded by Thomas Newman 1736
Dove Bell ID: 36293 Tower ID: 11475 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: quarter Cracked: No
Nominal: 1085.5 Hz Weight: 546 lbs Diameter: 28.69" Bell 5 of 6
Founded by Thomas Newman 1736
Dove Bell ID: 36294 Tower ID: 11475 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: quarter Cracked: No
Nominal: 971 Hz Weight: 667 lbs Diameter: 31.69" Bell 6 of 6
Founded by Thomas Newman 1736
Dove Bell ID: 36295 Tower ID: 11475 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Turnings: quarter Cracked: No
Churchyard
Grid reference: TM 57 782
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
The churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Submit a change
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