The St Mary church in Great Bealings, Suffolk, is set in a rural environment surrounded by woodland and open fields, even though it is located near the sprawling Ipswich. The church features a 15th-century tower with a good image niche and a large 16th-century brick north porch that depicts the Seckford family’s iconography. The nave and chancel stonework are mostly from the Victorian and Edwardian era, with the south side having newer stonework. The church interior is darker, with a range of late 19th and early 20th century glass windows and Henry Ringham’s extraordinary 19th-century carvings that are considered some of the best woodwork in the eastern part of the county. The medieval pelican image in the church is similar to the one found in nearby Tuddenham St Martin, indicating it was likely carved by the same carver. The interior also features grand monuments, including a brass for Charlotte Allen, who died in 1891 at 38 years old, and two grand monuments for John and Jan Clench and Thomas and Margaret Seckford.
All Saints church in Little Bealings, located in a village, is a sharp contrast to St Mary church. It is simple and rustic but full of light compared to its darker and more serious counterpart. The church features a font, a pulpit, and monuments to the Beeston family, who were lords of the manor until the 18th century. The church also has a beautiful stained glass window by the famous artist, Francis Skeat, which he created in 1895 in memory of the church’s vicar.
Both churches are worth exploring and provide insights into the region’s ecclesiastical architecture and history.
Posted by Simon Knott on 2016-10-30 14:06:38