More
than a few Suffolk churches are stuck out in the
middle of the fields, and St Mary is not unusual
in having no proper road leading up to it. What
makes it rather different from many of the others
is that it sits politely in the grounds of
Langham Hall, just outside of Stowlangtoft, for all
the world like some exotic outhouse, with the
sheep ranging peacefully around its walls. The
church sits beside a public footpath, and access
from the road is through a five bar gate; but
there is no noticeboard, and the church cannot be
seen from the road, so an OS map is helpful.
I've visited this place
several times over the years, and I am
afraid that, if your experience is
anything like mine, you will reach the
church to find that it is locked, and
there is no sign that the building is in
use for anything. I saw no notices to
give me details of services or contacts,
and there was no keyholder address, of
course. To all intents and purposes this
might as well be the private chapel of
Langham Hall.
It was only because I had seen the
service sheet at nearby Hunston that I
knew this place had not been entirely
abandoned.
The
nave is the work of Edward Hakewill, who
resisted the temptation to build his
trademark north aisle here, and the
chancel and bellcote are also 19th
century. So is there actually nothing
worth coming to seeing here? Well, not
quite. Apart from the delicious setting,
the church still contains many of its
original fittings, and the rood
screen has a most unusual
feature. The decorative effect along the
top is actually the former western
parapet of the rood loft, moved back to
give a castellated fringe to the screen.
There is a good Madonna and
child set in a lancet on the north side
which I photographed through the windows
- but I had to be careful, because the
glass of the south side windows is in a
terrible condition, the leading breaking
up and the lozenge panes coming away,
which should give cause for concern. One
push and it would have given way.
Churchwatch, the charity, tell us that
churches which are kept locked all of the
time are more likely to be vandalised,
more likely to be broken into and even
more likely to have something stolen from
them. The shabby condition of these
windows does not bode well for the
future.
By the path, a garden
ornament cemented to a tombchest top
appeared to be dancing on the graves.
Simon Knott, May 2010
postscript:
Charlie Blackwell, churchwarden of
Langham, writes: The local PCC and the
village of Langham take great pride in the
continuance of St Mary's as an ongoing church for
religious services, baptisms, marriages and
funerals. Langham has no shop, pub or village
hall so the church is the one area in which the
village both support and come together. Being a
small hamlet, raising funds for the annual levy
and repairs is a serious focus for the village
efforts through church fetes, car boots, coffee
mornings and the like. Furthermore, as a place of
worship, the church used to be permanently open
to all passers by to visit. Unfortunately in the
last 5 years, as is endemic of our present
society, the church has been vandalised twice and
even worse was broken into and used as a place
for a teenage lovers ' tryst' ( no more
explanation needed) with all the kneeling prayer
stools used as a mattress, alter cloths for
blankets and all the candles moved ,lit and wax
spilled everywhere. Hence the church is now
locked for safety and the keys held by the church
wardens, available on demand.
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