St Mary’s Church, located in Great Bealings, Suffolk, is situated in a rural setting in the north-eastern fields of Ipswich. The churchyard is wild and surrounded by open land on all four sides, separated by an old wall. The tower is from the 15th century, and the Victorians and Edwardians added much of the stonework of the nave and chancel, especially on the south side. The large early 16th century brick porch carries the iconography of the Seckford family and contains another image niche. The interior is darker and more serious than its neighbouring church, All Saints in Little Bealings. The nave is full of 19th-century woodwork carvings by Henry Ringham, and a range of late 19th and early 20th century glass, with the Works of Mercy set in the west window being the best. The church contains two grand monuments; one of the monuments is located in the chancel to John and Jan Clench, and the other to Thomas and Margaret Seckford in the nave. The most touching item in the church is the late 19th-century brass by the north door to Charlotte Allen, the granddaughter of Edward Moor, who carved the chancel finials. She passed away at the Holme, New Galloway in 1891 when she was 38 years old. A week later, her remains were buried in the south-east corner of her old home churchyard.
Posted by Simon Knott on 2016-10-30 14:05:50