All Saints church at Eyke is a little bit distinctive in each and every feeling, you could quickly move by way of the village and pass up it as there is certainly no tower to announce its existence on the streetscape, just a reasonably humble-looking nave and chancel in the midst of the nice open room of the churchyard. Its visual appeal is instead nondescript though quirky, viewing it from the east displays the chancel to be considerably off centre, so a person miracles if you can find a south aisle concealed inside of, but as it turns out, there isn’t.
Entering the church reveals extra of its idiosyncrasies, the nave is a person open area with out aisles and nevertheless the east wall subdivides with a curiously lop-sided outcome into two arches, the Norman chancel arch to the remaining and a scaled-down pointed arch leading to a compact chapel to the right. What is more there is a further more Norman arch to the east primary into the chancel hence forming a crossing, so clearly this was meant to be a central tower stopped abruptly at roof amount leaving no seen trace externally) and we can only think it was minimized at some stage or possibly in no way concluded. It appears consequently that a cruciform church was the original program and the existing south chapel might have initially been a transept, and the afterwards opening into the nave fashioned when that element of the church was prolonged to its present width, presumably in the 14th century. All these irregularities do make this church a notably intriguing architectural puzzle.
The chancel incorporates some eye-catching woodwork with carved bench ends aplenty, but only a couple of pieces are truly medieval, the relaxation all the playful creation of early 20th century woodcarvers below the advice of the vicar. Various animals emerge together with the poppyheads and are most effective explained as rustic but fun. There are a couple of intriguing parts of outdated glass below together with memorial brasses and a handsome normally East Anglian 15th century font at the west conclusion of the nave adorned with the emblems of the evangelists.
I will have to confess I would not accomplished all my research on this vacation and allow the marked church towers on my OS map manual my planned route, and typically looking at individuals marked with a lesser cross I’d dismissed as far more modern buildings of considerably less fascination so hadn’t intended to prevent, so I was only intending to pass via Eyke en route to my next halt when I observed a medieval church on my still left that surely warranted a end for even more investigation! A total surprise, but a enjoyable just one!
Happily Eyke church appears to be to be held open up and welcoming (in non-Covid troubled periods) and the locals I achieved right here have been helpful. For far more on the church see its entry on the Suffolk Church buildings web page beneath:-
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/eyke.htm
Posted by Aidan McRae Thomson on 2021-03-04 20:10:06
Tagged: , Eyke , church , Suffolk , pulpit , woodwork , Jacobean
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