Church of St Mary

Details

GRUNDISBURGH THE GREEN TM 25 SW (North Side) 2/79 Church of St Mary 16/3/66 GV I Church. Late C13, with C15 additions and alterations. Chantry chapel of c.1527 and tower of 1751-2. Flint and rendered flint with ashlar dressings, brick, lead roofing. Nave, chancel, south-western porch-tower. South-eastern chantry chapel. Tower: south face: Flemish bond brick. Projecting plinth which dies back via an offset of moulded brick. To the corners are clasping buttresses which take the form of two tiers of pilasters the upper order more attenuated and giving the impression of Tuscan surmounting Roman Doric. Central ground floor doorway with a round- arched head having moulded brick, projecting springers, gauged brick voussoirs and ashlar keystone. Rectangular date stone immediately above with moulded brick surround which reads:

This Steeple was Built The Bells set in Order and Fixt. At the Charge of Robert Thinge Gent. Lately Deceased A.D. 1731-1732

Two-light window above this with round arched head similar to that of the lower doorway. Moulded string course above this marking the top of the entablature-pieces of the lower order of pilaster buttresses. Rectangular sundial with segmental top above this and above that a circular clock face of metal with Roman numerals. Further 2-light window above again with round arched head similar to those below, save that a moulded band extends from the level of the springing to the pilaster buttresses. The belfry stage has a similar, wider opening with louvres. Above the upper order of pilasters are entablature pieces with triglyphs and guttae. Panelled parapet above with renewed brickwork. Eastern front: Flemish bond with fired headers except on the buttresses. The lower body abuts with nave aisle and the upper body is blank save for the belfry opening which is similar to that on the southern face. Western face: similar save that the rectangular staircase turret projects from the lower left hand side. North face: abutts church at lower level, without fired headers, similar belfry opening. Nave: west face: rendered flint, diagonal buttresses dying back into the corners via 4 offsets. Central 3-light window with Geometrical tracery of C19 date with trefoil heads to the lights and quatrefoils and sexfoil to the apex. Ashlar coping and cross to gable. South face: rendered walling to left of tower-porch with one Perpendicular clerestory window with stepped transom which has brattished top. Brick voussoirs above alternating with knapped flint. To right of the tower-porch the nave aisle has two bays divided by a buttress with a further buttress to the far right. The windows have curvilinear Decorated tracery of 2-lights each with trefoil heads and quatrefoils to the apex. String course with gargoyles below a battlemented parapet. Recessed clerestory above this has 5 windows each of 3-lights and similar to that seen at left of the tower, and with similar brick voussoirs. A deep band of flushwork runs at the level of the springing of the window arches decorated with coats of arms, crowns, a lily in a vase and crowned initials. North face: rendered flint. Lower range of 3 windows having Perpendicular tracery largely renewed in the C19. Above this run 9 clerestory windows each of 2-lights with trefoil heads, the tracery largely renewed in the Cl9. Diagonal buttress at right and shoring buttress at left. Chancel: east face: rendered, with ashlar quoins to the corners. Band slightly above the level of the springing of the window arch. Central 3-light C19 window of early curvilinear type which may follow the form of an earlier window. Quatrefoil heads, central ogee arch and three arcuated triangles to the apex. South face: single Perpendicular window of 2 lights with quatrefoil heads at right. To left of this is the projecting chantry chapel, the southern wall of which has 2 Perpendicular windows of 3 lights, the tracery replaced in the C19. Diagonal buttress at right with ashlar quoins and flushwork to the outer face. Further buttress to extreme left of similar pattern with brattishing above the offset. Central wide buttress surrounding a priest's door which has a 4-centred arch. The buttress reduces in girth via lateral offsets to enclose a canopied niche containing a statue of a female saint holding a lily in her left hand. Miniature buttresses to either side of this with crocketed pinnacles. Battlemented ashlar parapet to top of chapel bearing an inscription in Gothic script, now defaced which records it as dedicated to Thomas and Alicia Awall. Coats of arms to the projecting battlements. The eastern chapel face has a 3-light window with Perpendicular tracery, mostly replaced in the C19. North face: rendered flint rubble.

Interior: porch: church door with richly moulded surround of ashlar with wave moulds and hollow chamfers terminating in run-out stops above a moulded base. Nave: roof of 9 bays, the trusses of double-hammer beam construction. The wall posts and the lower hammer beams terminate in carved angel bosses all of which bear scrolls held diagonally. Four- centered arched braces run along the walls connecting the wall posts and spring from the wall posts to the lower hammer beams. Further arched beams connect the lower hammer posts to the upper hammer beams and end against the upper pendant hammer posts which have floral drop-finials. Another series of arched braces rises from these upper hammer posts to the cambered and brattished collars which support square king posts against which are set angels with spread wings. The wings and many of the heads of the angel bosses appear to have been replaced during the restoration of the 1880s. The purlins are heavily moulded and have brattishing and the ridge beam is also moulded as are all the common rafters. Deep cornice with 6 layers of moulding being a combination of cable, vine leaf scrolls, brattishing and fleurons. The southern aisle has an arcade of 3 double-chamfered arches on octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases. South aisle: roof of 6x2 panels with richly moulded transverse beams and longitudinal beam and with square floral bosses to the intersections. Wall posts bearing pendant angel bosses of C17 date holding shields. Arch braces connect the wall posts to the transverse beams. Octagonal font above 3 steps, the upper two of which have quatrefoils to the risers. Octagonal shaft with seated lions and buttresses. Defaced figureheads and flowers below the bowl which has eight sunken panels showing angels bearing shields and lions alternately, the angels being heavily defaced. Four-centered arch with ashlar surround to the rood loft stair on the northern wall immediately above which are remnants of coloured wall painting. Larger wall painting to west showing St Christopher. Rood screen of 5 panels divided by buttresses. Central ogee archway with decorated cusps and crockets. Panelled dado to either side with painted decoration including sacred monograms. Above each panel are 2-lights with floral cusps and above these and the central archway is miniature tracery. Above the whole a rich cresting with brattishing and vine leaf scrolls with roll mouldings. (This screen was restored in 1967). Parclose screen dividing the south aisle from the chantry chapel similar to the rood screen. Chancel: roof of 3 bays, the trusses consisting of wall posts (those to the south resting on stone corbels in the form of crowned figures bearing shields). These connect with the cambered tie beams which are richly moulded to their undersides. Arched braces also run between the two with boarded infill to their spandrels. King posts above these with arched braces extending to the ridge and purlins. The common rafters and purlins are all chamfered and several of the common rafters appear to be C19 replacements. Piscina with dog-tooth ornament to the chamfered sides and to the pointed arch and hood mould of late C13 (Pevsner) or possibly earlier. Chantry chapel: now houses the organ. The ceiling is similar to that of the southern aisle save that the wall posts rest on stone corbels showing crowned figures bearing shields showing the arms of the Awall family and the City of London. The arcade divding the chancel and chantry chapel is of 2 arches the piers having moulded bases and capitals and shafts of quartrefoil section with fillets to the outer faces and inner corners which rise up through the lower level of the capitals. Wall monument in the chancel to Sir Charles Blois of 1730. Rectangular tablet with aedicular surround of grey and white marble. Lower ledge supported on console brackets between which is an apron of grey marble bearing a cartouche with central coat of arms. White marble pilasters to either side of the tablet have central recessed panels to the tops of which are winged cherubs' heads and below which are foliage trails. Knots to the frieze and dentilled cornice. Further small aedicular surround above this enclosing a free-standing sculpture of a cherub holding a golden trumpet. Swags to the pilasters and console brackets supporting heavy segmental entablature, the centre of which is slightly recessed. Urns at either side. Monument to Martha Brook of 1657, supported on 4 console brackets between which is diamond-point rustication and an oval cartouche, the brackets supporting a ledge on which is a central reading desk in high profile to either side of which are mourners, five male at left and five female at right. Above this an oval plaque of black marble set against carved drapery with a coat or arms above. The chancel floor has a series of 11 ledger stones to the Blois family.

SOURCES: Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England : Suffolk, 1975 H Munro Cautley, Suffolk Churches, 1982

Listing NGR: TM2234651073

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

285444

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Munro Cautley, H, Suffolk Churches and their Treasures, (1937)
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Suffolk, (1974)

End of official list entry

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