All Saints Church

The church, together with the cluster of houses which form the "village centre'', is situated at the south-east end of its scattered parish, about 1/4 mile from where it joins Stratford St Andrew parish, but about two miles from its north-western border with Cransford.

Outside the church

This wayside church has a pretty setting on a slight rise. Its churchyard is trim and picturesque, and is quite extensive on the south side of the church. The building, like most Suffolk churches, is built of flint, with imported stone (probably from Northamptonshire) for the corners and Windows.
On the north side is the fascinating one-handed clock. (It's the hour hand, so we can get a good idea of the time from it!) James Smyth of Woodbridge, who received the old clock and £30 for his labours, made this clock in 1770. The clock received an electrical driving mechanism in 1960, which was devised and constructed by parishioner Donald H. Maclennan.

Inside the church

The church roofs are interesting with the aisle showing its original 15th century timber framework. The chancel has a plaster ceiling, but retains its mediaeval moulded cornice at the tops of the walls. (It would be interesting to discover what timberwork this ceiling hides.) The arch-braced roof, which crowns the nave, is superb 15th century craftsmanship, which has been tastefully restored and given new angels at the bases of the wall-posts. Cornices are carved with leaf-scroll and the wall-posts are linked by arch-braces along the wall. In this roof are 24 lovely carved bosses, many of which are original, showing flowers, foliage, and five little faces peering out some with their tongues protruding! The greatest treasure of All Saints' is its magnificent octagonal Seven Sacrament font, which is a masterpiece of the late 15th century stonemasons' art. There are 38 'Seven Sacrament' fonts in England with all but two in Norfolk and Suffolk. This font has many similarities to that at St Mary's Woodbridge. It stands upon a step, which is panelled with shields. Around the stem are four buttresses, alternating with four trefoil-headed panels containing lilies in pots (an emblem of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Beneath the bowl are angels with outstretched wings and in the panels of the bowl, surrounded by rays (which also occur at Denston and St Mary's Woodbridge) are exquisite carvings of the seven Sacraments of the Church. These are now sadly defaced in places, but still beautiful and worthy of examination - note the faint traces of mediaeval colour which remain, showing that this font was once painted.
The small organ, a single-manual instrument with six speaking stops, has a beautiful tone and is of interest because it is a chamber-organ, built by Flight & Son of London about 1825 (probably for a house). The whole of its woodwork is of mahogany, including the wooden pipes.
The tower contains five bells, which can and are change-rung properly thanks to the work carried out by the Suffolk Guild of Ringers 15 years ago. Treble, Third and Tenor were cast by Brasyer of Norwich in the 15th century and have Latin inscriptions. The fourth bell is dated 1599 and the second was cast by Thomas Gardiner of Sudbury in 1722.

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