A Grade I listed parish church of late C13th build with C15th additions and alterations. The Chantry chapel is of c.1527 and the tower of 1751-2. Built of flint and rendered flint with ashlar dressings, brick, and lead roofing. In-line nave and chancel, with a south-western porch-tower and a south-eastern chantry chapel.
Specifically designed and built for bell ringing and as a replacement for the old medieval tower, the tower is brick built in Flemish bond on a projecting plinth which dies back via an offset of moulded brick. To the corners are clasping buttresses which take the form of two tiers of pilasters the upper order more attenuated and giving the impression of Tuscan surmounting Roman Doric. The central ground floor doorway has a round-arched head having moulded brick, projecting springers, gauged brick voussoirs and ashlar keystone. Immediately above the doorway a moulded brick surround holds a rectangular date stone which informs that:-
This Steeple Was Built
The Bells Set in Order
And Fixt. At The Charge
of ROBERT HINGE Gent.
Lately Deceased A.D.
1731-1732
The two-light window above this, with round arched head similar to that of the lower doorway, lets in light to the ringing chamber, reached from the ground level by a narrow spiral stairway built outside of the tower proper. A moulded string course above this marks the top of the entablature-pieces of the lower order of pilaster buttresses. Above this is a rectangular sundial with segmental top declaring LIFE PAS'S LIKE A SHADOW, and above that a circular clock face of metal with Roman numerals declaring TEMPUS FUGIT. A further two-light window above these, also with round arched head similar to those below, has a moulded band extending from the level of the springing to the pilaster buttresses. The belfry stage has a similar, taller opening with louvres. Above the upper order of pilasters are entablature pieces with triglyphs and guttae. The panelled parapet above this has renewed brickwork.
The eastern face has fired headers except on the buttresses. The lower body abuts with the nave aisle and the upper body is blank save for the belfry opening which is similar to that on the southern face.
The western face is similar save that the rectangular staircase turret projects from the lower left hand side, and the north face abutts the church at the lower level, without fired headers, and with a similar belfry opening.
Generally the tower detracts from the overall appearance of the church with its Decorated, Geometrical and Perpendicular lights set in flint rubble with brick voussoirs and alternating knapped flint. The inside of the church is remarkable and has what is probably the best of the smaller double-hammerbeam nave roofs in the county, as well as a beautiful rood screen and parclose screen, side by side. There are also some rare and beautiful wall paintings, most likely C14th.
The bells are rung for Divine Service, weddings and other festal occasions as well as on practice nights, Thursday.
Following is a table extracted from Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers showing the weights in kg, and sounding note of the bells.
Bell Weight Note Casting date Founder
1 115.21 D 1990 John Taylor Bellfounders Ltd
2 124.74 C 1990 John Taylor Bellfounders Ltd
3 138.35 B 1949 John Taylor & Co
4 163.29 A 1949 John Taylor & Co
5 187.33 G 1897 John Warner & Sons
6 195.50 F# 1897 John Warner & Sons
7 194.59 E 1830 Thomas II Mears
8 207.75 D 1665 John Darbie
9 239.04 C 1920 John Warner & Sons
10 293.02 B 1665 John Darbie
11 338.38 A 1864 George Mears
12 493.51 G 2008 Taylors, Eayre & Smith Ltd
Clock 416.85 G 1628 Miles I Graye
As can be seen the bells are of differing ages and have been cast at a range of foundries. The original bells have been melted down for new, and augmented at various times. John Warner augmented to eight in 1897 then recast the old fifth bell in 1930. John Taylor & co. then augmented the ring to ten bells in 1949, and the Taylor foundry added two trebles to make the twelve in 1990. One last change was the recasting of the tenor in 2008 increasing its weight from 416.85kg making it easier to ring.
Miles Graye I cast bells in Colchester from 1598 until 1649, and his bells probably formed the first ringable peal of bells in the tower, the clock bell is most likely one of this peal. John Darbie ran his bell founding business in Ipswich from 1651 until 1691.
Thomas Mears II cast bells at the Whitechapel Foundry from 1805 to 1844 being succeeded by his son George from 1844 until 1865, the foundry having been started by Robert Chamberlain about 1420. The Mears family was involved from 1781 when Chapman & Mears cast bells. The succession of Mears founders included William, Thomas I, Thomas II, Charles and George.
John Warner & Sons were casting bells in Cripplegate, London from 1850 until 1924 when the foundry closed.
Various members of the Taylor family have been casting bells in Loughborough from 1786 when Robert Taylor took over the foundry there. The 1949 bells would have been cast under the direction of Paul Lea Taylor (1935 to 1981) then Taylors became a limited company. The foundry there still cast both tower and hand bells for sale throughout the world. (Info from the Bell Founders Database).
The given co-ordinates are for the south porch.