St Mary, Barton Mills
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk - a journey through the churches of Suffolk
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St Mary, Barton Mills |
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www.suffolkchurches.co.uk - a journey through the churches of Suffolk |
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Follow these journeys as they happen at Last Of England Twitter.
| Barton Mills sits across
the River Lark from the town of Mildenhall, a long
village of pleasant houses that eventually ends at the
hellish A11. But before that you reach the church, which
is mostly of the 14th Century and a restoration of the
1860s. However, it was a further restoration of the early
20th Century that gave the church the character it has
today, for it was under the eye of the great George
Bodley. The south side of the churchyard has been largely
cleared of headstones to created a kind of community
garden, and you get the impression that this church is a
real asset to its community, not least because it is open
every day. You enter through the south porch into a wide light space. Raised up at the west end of the nave stands an imposing 14th Century tracery font, which as James Bettley obsErves in his revision of the Buildings of England volume for West Suffolk is almost a mason's pattern book of such motifs. He points out its similarity to the font not far off at Icklingham All Saints. The modern chairs face east towards the great mural above the chancel arch depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd, always a resonant image in this sheep country. It was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott for Powell & Sons and installed shortly before the First World War. Beyond, the chancel glows jewel-like thanks to glass in the east window by Clayton & Bell, and glass to south by Henry Hughes and by Heaton, Butler & Bayne. But it is the medieval glass which is the most memorable. Two headless 14th Century figures, unusual in Suffolk, are set on the south side of the nave. One is a female saint, the other clearly identifiable as St John the Baptist thanks to his camel hair coat. There are other smaller fragments of 14th and 15th Century glass as well as several heraldic shields. The early 17th Century brought the pulpit which was set on a stone base as part of Bodley's restoration, its decoration more rustic than we are used to for this period, and all in all this is a charming little church, obviously well-used and well-loved. |
Simon Knott, February 2023
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