St Peter, Milden

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www.suffolkchurches.co.uk - a journey through the churches of Suffolk

Does Suffolk have any lonelier, prettier spots than this? Here we are, high above the Brett valley, Lavenham church off in the distance and only the village hall for company. Whichever way we've come, the last couple of miles to the church have been along narrow country lanes, the hedgerows full of angelica, birds scattered in surprise by an unfamiliar bike or car. I first came here a quarter of a century ago, quite early on in my journey around Suffolk's churches, and have never forgotten it. It is always as deliciously remote and beautiful as I'd remembered. It seems inconceivable that we are barely 80 miles from central London.

All around in April 2019 the cowslips scattered across the grass, sprawlings of violets huddled in the shade of the trees. An avenue of laburnums leads from the lychgate up to the porch, a replacement of the original early 20th century planting, but which will eventually be as lush as its predecessor. The church is towerless. It was taken down in the mid-19th century, and not replaced. This may make St Peter appear rather small from the outside, but inside it is wide and open, bare-walled and brick-floored, full of light.

St Peter has a number of features that would be better known in a less remote church. Firstly, there is the pretty Norman font with its spindly legs. It is probably the font of the original church. Beside it are some earthy, rustic benches, one of which is dated 1685. The 17th century pulpit has the same engagingly rustic tone as the font and the benches. It can never have seemed out of place. And up in the wide, beautiful chancel, James Alington has lain since 1627. His feet are the worse for wear, and he rests on a pile of books, so he can't be getting much sleep. But there he is, in the clothes of a generation earlier. I once photographed him with a posy in his fist - had someone put it there to mark a particular date, or just as a flight of fancy? More 17th century benches, of simple, rural quality, stand in front of him. He's rather wonderful, but I don't suppose that there are many people outside of this parish who have ever seen him.

A deep Norman lancet in the south wall is the same age as the font, and beneath it are traces of wall-paintings, uncovered in the 1980s. They seem decorative rather than theological, but there is a consecration cross beneath the window. Also on this side is a memorial for three churchwardens, grandfather, father and son, all Hawkins, who served here from 1814 to 1926. What changes in the world they must have seen. William Burkitt, an 18th Century rector, is remembered on the charity board to the left of the organ, for learning all the poore children to read. A curiosity is his portrait in the vestry, for pieces of Burkett's cassock were cut to provide the clothes of the portrait, like a holy relic.

The parish lost just two men in the First World War, William Griggs and Rupert Mowles. They are remembered on a memorial, and also on a haunting hand-drawn roll of honour from the time. Finally, back outside and around to the north side of the church to see how significant the Hawkins family have been in this parish. Perhaps thirty headstones, spanning 200 years, huddle together in the silent shade of the graveyard.

Simon Knott, July 2019

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