All Saints church at Eyke is a little bit distinct in every sense, you could conveniently go through the village and skip it as there is certainly no tower to announce its presence on the streetscape, just a reasonably humble-on the lookout nave and chancel in the midst of the pleasurable open up area of the churchyard. Its visual appearance is rather nondescript nevertheless quirky, viewing it from the east displays the chancel to be dramatically off centre, therefore 1 wonders if there is a south aisle concealed inside, but as it turns out, there is just not.
Getting into the church reveals far more of its idiosyncrasies, the nave is one open space without aisles and however the east wall subdivides with a curiously lop-sided influence into two arches, the Norman chancel arch to the still left and a smaller sized pointed arch main to a little chapel to the proper. What is extra there is a further Norman arch to the east leading into the chancel as a result forming a crossing, so obviously this was supposed to be a central tower stopped abruptly at roof amount leaving no obvious trace externally) and we can only think it was lessened at some phase or potentially by no means finished. It appears hence that a cruciform church was the primary approach and the present south chapel may have initially been a transept, and the afterwards opening into the nave fashioned when that section of the church was extended to its present 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 few of parts are truly medieval, the relaxation all the playful creation of early 20th century woodcarvers underneath the guidance of the vicar. Several animals emerge alongside the poppyheads and are best described as rustic but exciting. There are a several appealing pieces of previous glass here along with memorial brasses and a handsome normally East Anglian 15th century font at the west close of the nave adorned with the emblems of the evangelists.
I ought to confess I’d not carried out all my homework on this journey and let the marked church towers on my OS map manual my prepared route, and generally observing those marked with a more compact cross I would dismissed as extra latest buildings of a lot less desire so hadn’t intended to stop, so I was only intending to pass by means of Eyke en route to my future prevent when I seen a medieval church on my left that absolutely warranted a stop for even more investigation! A entire surprise, but a enjoyable just one!
Fortunately Eyke church appears to be to be saved open and welcoming (in non-Covid troubled occasions) and the locals I satisfied in this article were welcoming. For a lot more on the church see its entry on the Suffolk Church buildings web-site underneath:-
www.suffolkchurches.co.british isles/eyke.htm
Posted by Aidan McRae Thomson on 2021-03-04 20:10:11
Tagged: , Eyke , church , Suffolk , stained glass , window
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