Church of St Mary, Redgrave, Suffolk

Description

REDGRAVE CHURCH ROAD (NORTH SIDE)
TM 07 NE
2/58 Church of St. Mary
29.7.55
GV I
Parish church. C14, altered C15, vestry added late C16, C16 tower refaced in
late C18 at expense of R. Holt. Repaired 1850 with late C19 and early C20
alterations. Flint rubble with ashlar dressings, some flushwork, red brick
and cement rendering. Red brick vestry and tower, the latter refaced with
white bricks and ashlar dressings. Slate roofs, leaded aisle roofs. A large
church with aisles, south porch, west tower and north vestry. Tall square
unbuttressed 4 stage west tower: offsets to plinth and to each stage,
quoining, to west a boarded door with a louvred round head, impost blocks, in
2nd stage to west and 3rd stage to north small round headed windows, belfry
openings are louvred and round headed, plain parapet with stepped pinnacles,
to north a 2 stage stair turret. Nave to west has 2 and 3 stage buttresses
and signs of slightly narrower C14 roof, moulded kneelers to C15 coped
parapet. C15 nave clerestorey of 10 windows, cusped rectilinear tracery,
segmental pointed arched heads, hoodmoulds continued across as a string course
below which to south are flushwork panels of varying designs; to east a coped
gable parapet. South aisle has south porch to west of centre: outer wave
moulded pointed arch, shafted responds with moulded caps, outer continuous
moulding, hoodmould, a sundial in steep gable, coped parapet, black glazed
pantiled roof. Inside porch a 2 bay roof with small single hammerbeams,
arched braces to collars, butt purlins; elaborate C14 inner entrance, double
shafted jambs with stiff leaf caps, wave moulded pointed arch with fleurons
and lion's heads, mask stopped hoodmould, above a statue niche with an angel
corbel to pedestal, flanking king and queen masks. To east of porch a C14 2-
light pointed arched window with trefoiled lights, curvilinear tracery,
elsewhere on aisle to south three C15 3-light Perpendicular windows with
cusped ogee headed lights. Straight and angle 2 stage buttresses with moulded
bases, gargoyles with a string course to embattled parapet with small
quatrefoil panels. South aisle west end 2-light C14 window, south aisle east
end 3-light C14 window with cusped ogee headed lights, crocketed reticulated
tracery in a pointed arch, mask stopped hood mould. North aisle has a blocked
door opposite south entrance, a wave moulded pointed arch with hoodmould, 2
C14 2-light windows with differing tracery, towards east a large 3-light C16
Perpendicular window with a depressed arched head, towards west a 3-light C17
window with lancets in a square surround, straight and angle 2 stage
buttresses, plain parapet. North aisle west end 2-light C14 window, north
aisle east end 3-light C15 Perpendicular window. Chancel: large C14 east
window of 7 lights, complex curvilinear tracery in a pointed arch, hoodmould,
3 stage angle buttresses with stooled statue niches with trefoiled gablet
heads, C19 steeply pitched parapet behind original shallow coped parapet. To
south a low side door, wave moulded pointed arch with a crocketed ogee
hoodmould with mask stops, flanking 3 stage buttresses as to east and outer
tall 3-light C14 windows with differing curvilinear tracery, mask stopped
hoodmoulds. To north 2 similar 3-light C14 windows and an intermediate
buttress. North east vestry: English bond brickwork with a plinth, to north
an oval window splayed outwards, shallow gable, to east a 3-light C18 window
with a segmental head. Interior: pointed chancel arch, double wave moulded
with complex shafted jambs with fillets, moulded caps: blocked triple
chamfered pointed tower arch with C18 round arch to tower. Tall 5 bay nave
arcades, quatrefoil piers with inner fillets, moulded caps, double wave
moulded pointed arches, mask stopped hoodmoulds. C15 10 bay nave roof with
alternate single hammerbeam and queen strut trusses, posts on mask corbels
with carved arched braces to brattished hammerbeams and tie beams, arched
braces to cambered collars with short king posts, on tie beams are queen
struts with arched struts to collars and principals, double butt purlins,
ridge piece; all main timbers are roll moulded, double brattished wallplates.
Lean-to aisle roofs with arched braces to principals, brattished wallplate to
north. C19 6 bay chancel roof, arch braced collars. C16 vestry roof has a
large central pendant drop, radiating ribs are arch braced at ends with
smaller pendant drops. A south aisle window rear arch has shafted jambs,
chancel windows have moulded rear arches with mask stopped hoodmoulds.
Chancel south window towards east has lower part blocked by C15 triple
sedilia; canted canopies with lierne vaulting, rectilinear tracery, crocketed
ogee heads, Tudor rose and brattished cornice with angels; adjacent piscina
with a cusped ogee head, crocketed with lion stops to hoodmould. South aisle
piscina, cusped ogee head with crocketing and lierne vaulting, quatrefoil
bowl. In north aisle: C14 octagonal font, raised on a step, simple stem,
masks at bases of bowl faces of which have crocketed gables with varying
tracery, intermediate shafts, brattished head; on wall is reset central
section of 1709 reredos, Commandments with painted figures of Moses and Aaron,
cherubs, fluted pilasters, huge outer volutes, cornice with urn finials; below
an unattributed C18 painting of the Holy Family; a C17 or C18 long school desk
with much graffiti from Chapel of St. Botolph, Botesdale Civil Parish (q.v.),
a C19 bier. In south aisle over entrance are Royal Arms of Charles II, carved
wood oval. In nave an iron bound C15 chest with an early padlock; C19
seating, Gothic pulpit, brass lectern, large organ of 1890 by Casson of
Shepherd's Bush. In chancel a late C17 Communion table with turned legs,
patterned top rail, C19 Communion rails. Monuments: north aisle east end; a
large chest tomb to Sir N. Bacon, d.1624, and wife Anne Butts, 1616 by N.
Stone with tomb made by B. 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. In adjacent east
wall 2 cusped niches contain pieces of armour associated with heraldic funeral
of Sir N. Bacon. On adjacent north wall is a small marble tablet to R Bacon,
d.1652, arms in cartouche and a swag, attributed to J. Stone. North aisle
west end was formerly a Bacon family chapel designed by N. Stone; black and
white marble paving with a cross fleury on a raised lozenge with 'ELEVETUR'
incised, 2 round headed niches with key and impost blocks in walls, 4 black
and white marble wall tablets, that to Sir E. Bacon, d.1685, with a surround
in style of Stone, scrolled sides with seraphs, arms in a cartouche with
garlands above, that to his wife Elizabeth, d.1690, is similar, 2 early C17
tablets with plain surrounds. Chancel north wall: a large and elaborate
tripartite monument to Sir J. Holt, Lord Chief Justice, d.1710, by T. Green of
Camberwell. White, grey and black marbles with some gilt. Seated and wigged
effigy in judicial robes with flanking standing figures of Justice and
Vigilance, aedicule with paired Corinthian columns and outer pilasters, a
draped arch behind, arms above, on cornice are paired and single putti, rising
over arms. a segmental headed cornice surmouted by an urn with garlands,
flanking cockerel and crane, base steps outward with scrolled volutes to
central inscribed panel. Also on north wall a,tablet to children of E. Bacon,
erected 1660, black and white marble, rustic in style of E. Marshall, raised
inscribed panel, voluted sides to aedicule, consoles and cherub below, putti
with festoon and a segmental pediment. On chancel south wall an oval black
and white marble tablet to Lady Gawdy, d.1621, by N. Stone, garlands on sides,
a cherub below, arms and a segmental pediment above; also a simple tablet to
children of E. Bacon, 1683. Chancel floor: a good figural brass of Anne
Butts, d.1609, a poem below figure, intended for a table tomb; C17 and C18
floor slabs to former Rectors with carved arms. Hatchments in chancel, nave
and north aisle. Large east window with glass by T. Farrow of Diss, 1853;
later glass in aisles. Cardinal Wolsey was Rector of Redgrave in 1506.
(Suffolk Archaeology, vol.27, 1958, pp.5-7).

Listing NGR: TM0570478209

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British Listed Buildings

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Church of St Mary

A Grade I Listed Building in Redgrave, Suffolk

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