e-mail simon@suffolkchurches.co.uk

 

St Thomas of Canterbury, Great Whelnetham

  This is a sweet building, in this busy but attractive village just to the south of Bury. It is quite unusual, too; at least, externally. Mortlock found it depressing on his visit in the 1980s, but the grim pebbledash has been repainted, and it presents a delightful prospect to the south.

There probably never was a tower, although a 15th century bequest left money for one. In any case, evidence remains of the Norman, and possibly Saxon, origin of this church.

An agreeably crowded graveyard being mown after wildflower seeding.

The most striking feature is the pretty clerestory, which looks very well in the cream of the south walls, rather as if this was a cottage rather than a church. Rather less alluring are the double doors of the porch, yet another example of something that someone must have thought a good idea at the time.

The west end - this is a narrow church.

  

A pretty building, but a shame about those doors.
 
  The doors did, at least, bear a notice giving me the addresses of three keyholders. Guess what? This being a Saturday, they were all out. If you are trying to track one down yourself, be aware that the keyholder with the address in Sicklesmere is closer to the church than the one in Great Whelnetham itself. I know.

The nice man mowing the churchyard gave me another address to try (something along the lines of "I think its the third house along, or possibly the fourth, just bang on the door, open it and shout for Val" or something) but being metropolitan and not used to country ways, I demured, and will have to go back.

The delightfully domestic north aisle.

   I did take a moment to inspect the 19th century north aisle, an early one of 1839, presumably built for increased capacity rather than liturgical reasons. I liked its domestic window tracery and chimney very much; they seemed to contribute to its sense of being a cottage.

The dedication is also a good one, and rare in East Anglia - at least, for Anglican churches. At one time it may have been among the most common, but the cult of Thomas a Becket was furiously expunged in the 1530s, his name removed from prayerbooks and his face scratched out on rood screens.

Since most dedications fell into disuse during the long puritan night anyway, it may very well be that 18th century antiquarians restored it correctly here - or, perhaps it is a 19th century affectation or error, as at Whepstead and Bradfield St Clare, in this area where dedications all too often seem to be a moveable feast.

St Thomas a Becket, Great Whelnetham, is located to the west of the A134, just to the south of Bury. I found it locked with several listed keyholders.