Depth of a single of the charming early 20th century carved bench finishes in the chancel.
All Saints church at Eyke is a bit various in each perception, you could quickly go as a result of the village and pass up it as you will find no tower to announce its existence on the streetscape, just a reasonably humble-looking nave and chancel in the midst of the pleasant open up area of the churchyard. Its visual appeal is somewhat nondescript even though quirky, viewing it from the east exhibits the chancel to be dramatically off centre, as a result just one wonders if there’s a south aisle concealed within, but as it turns out, there isn’t really.
Entering the church reveals additional of its idiosyncrasies, the nave is 1 open up space devoid of aisles and however the east wall subdivides with a curiously lop-sided effect into two arches, the Norman chancel arch to the left and a lesser pointed arch top to a compact chapel to the appropriate. What is a lot more there is a additional Norman arch to the east foremost into the chancel hence forming a crossing, so clearly this was meant to be a central tower stopped abruptly at roof degree leaving no seen trace externally) and we can only think it was reduced at some phase or perhaps by no means completed. It seems hence that a cruciform church was the initial plan and the current south chapel might have at first been a transept, and the later opening into the nave shaped when that part of the church was extended to its existing width, presumably in the 14th century. All these irregularities do make this church a specially intriguing architectural puzzle.
The chancel is made up of some eye-catching woodwork with carved bench finishes aplenty, but only a pair of parts are truly medieval, the rest all the playful creation of early 20th century woodcarvers less than the guidance of the vicar. Various animals emerge together with the poppyheads and are best described as rustic but fun. There are a handful of fascinating items of outdated glass here alongside with memorial brasses and a handsome usually East Anglian 15th century font at the west end of the nave adorned with the emblems of the evangelists.
I need to confess I would not done all my homework on this journey and permit the marked church towers on my OS map guideline my planned route, and frequently observing as I would dismissed those marked with a more compact cross (as much more latest structures of fewer desire so hadn’t supposed to halt) I was only intending to move by way of Eyke en route to my subsequent end when I found a medieval church on my remaining that unquestionably warranted even further investigation! A full shock, but a pleasant one particular!
Happily Eyke church seems to be retained open up and welcoming (in non-Covid troubled times) and the locals I achieved right here had been helpful. For far more on the church see its entry on the Suffolk Church buildings web-site under:-
www.suffolkchurches.co.british isles/eyke.htm
Posted by Aidan McRae Thomson on 2021-03-05 11:22:53
Tagged: , Eyke , church , Suffolk , wood carving , bench conclusion
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