Details
THRANDESTON LITTLE GREEN (NORTH SIDE)
TM 17 NW
2/119 Church of St. Margaret
29.7.55 (formerly listed as Church
of St. Mary)
GV I
Wrongly shown on OS map as Church of St. Mary. Parish church. All C15 except
C13 chancel. Restored c.1870-80. Knapped flint with ashlar dressings. All
but tower cement rendered. Slate nave roof. C19 blue/green decoratively
banded tiles on chancel roof. 4 bay nave with north and south aisles and
porches, chancel is lower than nave and inclines slightly to south, north
vestry, west tower. Chancel: refenestrated in C15, E window is 3 lights and
large, unusual restored Perpendicular tracery. C19 brick plinth, moulded
kneelers to coped gable parapet with ridge cross, 2 stage diagonal buttress to
south east. Chancel south elevation has three 2-light square headed windows
with cusped ogee heads to each light, mask stopped hoodmoulds, a chamfered
pointed arched doorway and a 2 stage buttress. Chancel to north has a single
window to south with C15 2 storey vestry to north east, a tiny cusped 2-light
window to north, mask spout, crenellated parapet, 2 stage diagonal buttresses,
to east a 2-light Perpendicular window. Nave has 4 window clerestorey, 2
light Perpendicular windows, coped gable parapet on nave to east. South
aisle: towards east a restored 3-light traceried window under a depressed
arch, towards west a similar 2-light window, string course with grotesque mask
spouts to crenellated parapet, 2 stage diagonal buttresses to returns with a
3-light Perpendicular window to east. Large south porch: outer pointed arch
with complex mouldings dying into chamfered jambs, moulded plinth, above
entrance a niche with a figure of St. Margaret, 2 stage diagonal buttresses,
that to east with a scratch dial, a shallow gable interrupts crenellated
parapet continued from aisle. In returns 2 light square headed windows with
ogee headed lights, pointed inner arch of 2 hollow moulded orders, an early
moulded boarded door. North aisle: 2 windows of 2-lights, one square headed
with cusped pointed arched lights and cusped square panels at head, the other
of a more usual Perpendicular form, string course to plain parapet, diagonal
buttress to north east, straight buttress to north west, returns have 2-light
windows with square heads and unusual cusped and arched traceried heads.
Short gabled north porch has a C19 outer arch, C15 hollow and ovolo moulded
inner arch, an early boarded door with iron straphinges. Large 3 stage west
tower: high quality knapped and squared flint with flushwork near base.
Double plinth, triple to west, with quatrefoil flushwork frieze, to west an
upper star and shield frieze with 3 relief coats of arms, Cornwallis and other
families, inscribed scroll naming G. Sulyard of Haughton Park. Lower stage to
west has a large 3-light window with daggers in rectilinear tracery, stone
voussoirs, string courses to upper stages,3 stage diagonal buttresses rise
through 2 stages, seocond stage to south has a louvred lancet, semi-octagonal
stair turret rises through 2 stages to north. Belfry has 3-light louvred
openings with cusped ogee tracery, string course to crenellated parapet with
blind panels to centre on each side, crocketed pinnacles at corners.
Interior: chancel arch of 2 chamfered orders, semi-octagonal responds with
restored still leaf capitals. Tall tower arch dies into responds. 4 bay nave
arcades have octagonal piers with moulded capitals, double chamfered pointed
arches. Mask corbels in nave support short octagonal posts to nave roof: arms
in coving to brattished wallplates, a single moulded tie beam to central
truss, other trusses have restored hammer beams all with restored arched
braces to collars, no purlins. Lean-to aisle roofs. Chancel roof has C19
arch braced collars. All chancel windows have C13 rear arches; shafted jambs,
ring capitals with some braided ornament, heavily roll moulded 3 centred
arches, to south a roll moulded string course from window base rises over
doorway. Chancel north wall has a pointed arched doorway to vestry. Some C15
moulded rear arches in aisles, in north aisle a niche for a statue with cusped
and crocketed ogee head, in south aisle a cusped pointed arched piscina. Nave
to north east has lower rood stair doorway. Tower has lower doorway to stair
turret, upper C18 doorway for former gallery with a key and impost blocked
round arch. A good C15 chancel screen, dado of 6 cusped panels with carved
masks, only 4 ogee headed, traceried openings above, shafts formerly held
coving for rood loft. Attached are choir stalls; C15 and late C16 with
panelled and traceried frontals with figural finials to north, poppyhead ends,
seat back to north has similar tracery but with some Renaissance detail in
frieze above and in central panel with bulbous, fluted Ionic pilasters. C17
communion table and chest in chancel. Poppyhead bench ends in nave, 4 of
which have figures of Saints. C15 font, restored by O.P. Oakes, 1846, on
base; octagonal bowl with Evangelist symbols alternating with Tudor roses,
angels on underside to stem with 4 lions, original timber font cover,
crocketed finial. Arms of Queen Victoria over chancel arch. Hatchments on
chancel north wall. Floor brasses removed except an inscription to P.
Cuppledicke, d.1619, with arms; reset on wall a brass inscription to E.
Cornwalles, d.1537. Simple early C19 tablets on chancel wall. Attached to
chancel north wall externally a marble tablet to J. Rix, d.1706, and wife,
with arms. Frequents of early glass with 2 canopies in a north aisle window,
late C19 east window by Waites.
Listing NGR: TM1165776451
