Previous but not the very least, the remaining church of the working day and a good one particular to finish on, the last of my itinerary’s ‘big three’ which I simply experienced to see on this journey (all the additional so obtaining finished a different excursion in this article only two days before but arriving significantly way too late to see inside, a slip-up I was eager to avoid repeating!).
St Mary’s at Dennington is just one of those church buildings you read through about and see particulars of in textbooks lengthy ahead of organizing a check out so the churchcrawler typically methods below with a increased degree of anticipation. It is a grand developing with an outstanding duration and width for a village church, its west tower fairly plain but offered a additional muscular look by its slightly above-emphasised corner buttresses (with a stair turret on the north side(. It appears to be a predominantly late 14th century composition but its stylistic unity and generous dimension are not the principal rationale for its fame, that becsomes clearer the moment one techniques inside of by way of the handsome north porch.
Within just the church feels rather sprawling, and reasonably properly lit owing to generally plain-glazed home windows which also implies there isn’t really a good deal of color in below aside from the muted pale tones of the walls earlier mentioned and the rich darkish browns of the woodwork beneath, and it is this Aladdin’s cave of carved wooden furnishings which gives Dennington these types of renown. The 1st capabilities to catch the eye on moving into are the carved pews, many Suffolk church buildings have bench ends like these with traceried panels on their fronts and fanciful animals serving as armrests and this is a specifically abundant established. Sadly some of the animals have been ruined, but a lot can nonetheless be loved. The most popular character right here nonetheless is carved in reduction on a single of the benches on the south aspect of the nave, the figure of a mythical Sciapod sheltering beneath his tremendous foot.
To the jap finish of the nave the carved pews give way to Post-Reformation box-pews (a few of which incorporate their medieval predecessors) and then two rich parclose screens that dominate the conclude of both of those side aisles, a scarce survival in any sort but below all the more important for retaining their first lofts with prosperous cresting at comprehensive height. Initially these would have been joined across the nave by the rood display, but only the lowest degree of this now survives (and I nearly skipped it completely getting hid within just the box pews). The parclose chapel on the south side consists of the spectacular mid 15th century alabaster tomb of Sir William Bardolph and his spouse, their effigies resplendent with significantly of their primary colouring.
The chancel past appears a tiny much more sober by comparison but is enriched by a several great factors of its original 14th century glazing in the traceries and heads of specified windows. Higher than the altar hangs the scarce wood pyx, a spire-like tabernacle to maintain the sacrament. Frustratingly I did not get a great shot of this, a bit of a hazard in a church with so lots of superior characteristics to love.
Dennington church is one particular that wants to be seasoned, specifically for individuals with a fondness for medieval and afterwards woodwork. In typical situations it is typically held open and welcoming to site visitors and genuinely deserves extra of them. For far more see its entry on the Suffolk Church buildings web page below:-
www.suffolkchurches.co.british isles/Dennington.htm
Posted by Aidan McRae Thomson on 2021-03-27 17:29:08
Tagged: , Dennington , church , Suffolk , display , woodwork , medieval
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