There and Back

At the heart of the village of Stowlangtoft is St George's church, a magnificent Perpendicular building erected around 1370. It is thought to stand on the site of a former Roman camp. The church was built in one concerted effort, and as a result, is a beautiful example of early Perpendicular Gothic without later embellishments. The major patron was the lord of the manor, Robert Dacy de Ashfield, who was buried in the chancel in 1401. Also buried in St George's is Peter Tillemans (d. 1734), one of the most influential painters of sporting scenes in English history. The church was restored in 1855 by William White. It retains the base of a 15th century painted screen, and 15th-century benches in the nave with carved poppyhead ends. There are more 15th-century benches in the chancel, with several nicely carved misericords, brought to Stowlangtoft from either Thetford Priory or Bury St Edmunds Abbey at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Marble `altar reredos` in the church has...

Another church I have not seen before was Great Waldingfield`s St Lawrence. Having been warned that it is kept locked, I was pleased to find on arrival that it was in the process of being made ready for a funeral. The people involved were very welcoming and so was able to get a photograph of the main point of interest. Like many churches in this part of the world, the Victorians really `went to town` on the restoration.It was a gentleman by the name of John Hakewill, whose major restoration of the nave was made in the 1870s. He was the brother of the more famous Edward Hakewill, but he had often designed the furnishings for his brother's restorations. His work here was enthusiastic and overwhelming, replacing not only the furnishings but also the roofs and the window tracery. The Victorians certainly `had  a thing` about their churches! The great architect William Butterfield turned up here to rebuild the chancel. Butterfield was a great enthusiast for encaustic tiles, using them ...