Wingfield - a short visit

The story of Wingfield, Suffolk, is the story of two powerful families; the Wingfields and the De la Poles, Earls of Suffolk. The church of St Andrew nextdoor is tied to both families.

St Andrew's was begun in its present form by Sir John de Wingfield in 1362, as a collegiate church, that is, administered by a college of priests rather than placed under the care of a rector. Sir John's tomb lies within the chancel that he built, and there are later memorials to generations of Wingfields and de la Poles. 

Wingfield College is now a private family home. But its history goes back over 650 years. It has kept the name of college because it is the remnant of the chantry college founded by Sir John de Wingfield in 1362. Sir John was a soldier of high reputation in the reign of Edward III, and Chief Counsellor of the Black Prince. In 1355 he accompanied him to Languedoc, and some letters of Sir John’s written during the campaign still survive as important records of the War. He fought at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and made a fortune from ransom money, by selling the captured members of the French aristocracy. 

In the church there are in fact three outstanding tombs to be seen. The earliest one is of Sir John Wingfield himself, whose widow Alianore carried out his wishes in 1362 to found the Chantry College and to make Wingfield a Collegiate Church. The college buildings survive at the heart of later buildings just to the south of the church.

The college chaplains were required to say Mass daily for Wingfield's soul, and to provide parish priests for Wingfield and the surrounding parishes. The college also had an educational function, preparing students for university entrance.

Sir John Wingfield, whose family had owned the manor of Wingfield for generations, survived the Black Death, and perhaps as a form of thanksgiving he established the college of Priests here in Wingfield in his will of 1361. Wingfield's personal fortunes had been bolstered by marrying his daughter into one of the parvenu families which rose to prominence in the 14th century. These people were merchants and traders in the northern coastal city of Kingston upon Hull, nearly two hundred miles away, but theirs was a name which would come to be intimately linked with the county of Suffolk. They were the de la Poles.

Another of the impressive memorials in the church is to Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, who died of dysentery at the Siege of Harfleur in 1415, while on campaign with Henry V. Sir Michael and his wife Katherine are represented by life-sized effigies. Unusually, both effigies are made of painted wood.
Wingfield's grandson, Michael de la Pole, inherited the Wingfield estates. He built the fortified manor house known as Wingfield Castle, and in the later decades of the century and the early years of the next, he oversaw a massive rebuilding of the church. Only the low tower was left from Sir John's day.

You can see where the church was extended by Michael de la Pole in or around 1430. Also note the tower which was the only part of the original John Wingfield building.

The son of Michael de la Pole, John de la Pole, second Duke of Suffolk, was a notable figure in Shakespeare's Henry VI parts I and II. Wounded at Harfleur, he watched his brother die at Agincourt: All my mother came into mine eyes and gave me up to tears. 

The most powerful man in England, equivalent of Prime Minister and leader of the military, he surrendered at Orleans to Joan of Arc in person, and his family paid £20,000 for his release, roughly ten million in today's money, but a drop in the ocean to them.

John ended up in his grave rather earlier than he might have expected. Exiled for five years under tenuous circumstances, he was murdered by Henry VI's henchmen as the ship taking him into exile left Dover. 

The alabaster effigies (above) lie on an elaborate tomb chest carved around the base with quatrefoils enclosing shields. Sir John's head rests on a Saracen's head and helmet to which paint still clings. The Duchess is far less warlike; her head rests on a pillow, supported by angels. Both of the effigies are shown with their feet resting on lions. 

At the west end of the church is a beautifully carved font in East Anglian style, dated 1407. The font bowl is carved with alternating figures of lions and angels holding heraldic shields. The stem is supported by carved figures of lions.

A device to allow you to mount your horse, with dignity, in the churchyard at St Mary`s, Wingfield.

Glorious mixture of flowers in the churchyard.

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Helmingham Hall Estate

Helmingham Hall is a moated manor house in Helmingham, Suffolk, England. It was begun by John Tollemache in 1480 and has been owned by the Tollemache family ever since. The house is built around a courtyard in typical late medieval/Tudor style. The present Helmingham Hall may have been initially constructed in 1510 on the site of an earlier house called Creke Hall. The exterior was altered between 1745–1760, again in 1800 by John Nash, and in 1840. The original half-timbered walls have been concealed by brick and tiles. 

The house is surrounded by a moat, over which it is reached only by two working drawbridges, which have been pulled up every night since 1510. These were originally operated with a windlass but in recent years this has been replaced by an electric motor. 

Queen Elizabeth I is said to have twice visited Helmingham: first in 1561, and later to attend the christening of Lionel Tollemache as her godchild. Lionel Tollemache marked the first of ten consecutive generations of the family with that name. Furthermore, Helmingham has been privileged to receive Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family on many occasions over the last few years. 

The house is not open to the public and Helmingham is best known for its fine garden, which is open on a regular basis. It is a semi-formal mixed garden with extensive borders, a rose garden, a knot garden, a parterre and an orchard. Beyond the garden there is a 400-acre park with herds of red and Fallow Deer. 

On a very dull and misty morning we set off across the deer park, dodging between trees so as not to scare the deer too much. (we must have looked quite a sight!)

Having only a 200 mm lens, I was pleased with the images I did manage to capture.

Of course, however stealthy you try to be, the deer are well aware of your presence. 

Two young Fallow deer playing at what will be a serious business as they mature. 

On our wander we came across this obelisk, which is about 20 m high and standing on a mound about 7 m high. 

It`s made of red brick, and has a square plinth about 2.5 m high and has a square sinking in each face. The needle-formed obelisk rises without interruption, tapering to a width of 0.5m at the head. 

The mound was part of an 18 century wilderness garden; a summerhouse of c.1760, together with a brick wall, was demolished and the bricks reused in the obelisk in about 1860.

Throughout the park there are numerous wonderful trees, some dead like this one, but which made a picture, I thought.

In the north-west corner of the park is a small brick and flint bridge, described as 'new' in a document dated 1815 (Williamson 1995). I am hoping it is this one - or maybe the other one! 

The front of the Hall from the driveway, it not being accessible at this time of year. The gardens, but not the Hall, are open from May until mid September. We shall return to see the gardens another time. 

A herd of Red deer disturbed by us as we approached. 

The Church of St Mary on the edge of the park has connections with the Tollemache family dating back to the Middle Ages. St Mary is in fact that rare thing in Suffolk, an estate church. 

The Tollemache family were living here in the 15th century, and it was John Tollemache who signed the contract for the tower in 1488 - it survives in the Bodleian Library. 

One of the most striking feature of this church is what appears to be a dormer window to the rood along the south side of the nave. These exist at St Nicholas in Ipswich, and you might think this is something similar. In fact, it isn't. It was installed after the Reformation to accommodate a very large memorial moved here from the church at Bentley, the Tollemache family's other seat. And this is the key thing about this building today; it memorialises more than any other Suffolk building the dead of a single family. You step inside, and are surrounded on all sides by elaborate Tollemache memorials - I mean lots of them! 

The dormer window mentioned above. 

The highlight of a visit to St Mary are the magnificent memorial to generations of the Tollemache family. The most imposing of these was erected in 1615 in memory of the 1st Baronet, who died in 1550. The monument also commemorates 3 further generations of the Tollemache family, all named Lionel, who died in 1553, 1575, and 1605. Each Lionel Tollemache is represented by a kneeling figure set into a niche, with the eldest Lionel at the top and the three younger ones in a row beneath.Taken as a whole, the Tollemache memorials are a stunning set of monuments spanning over 300 years, beginning in the early 17th century. They are reason enough to visit Helmingham all by themselves. 

You will also be struck by the biblical quotations that line the walls and fill every available space. They are the work of one of the major figures of 19th century evangelicalism, John Charles Ryle, first Bishop of Liverpool. He was Vicar here early in his career, before taking his muscular Christianity onto Stradbroke (where his enthusiasm for graffiti was toned down a bit) I have never come across a church with so many `slogans` on the wall! 

15th century font, decorated with figures of lions standing on human heads. 

Looking toward the altar you get some appreciation of the scale of the monuments.

To the left and right front of the entry to the Hall, are lodges - also listed Grade II 

A huge amount of history lies in the grounds of this estate and makes for some fascinating reading. The park is a lovely walk, and worth doing just to see the deer, and of course the gardens we have yet to see - perhaps 2018? 

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Museum of East Anglian Life with Izobelle

Where shall we go today with Izobelle? Well, not far from her home is the Museum of East Anglian Life, and that is where we headed.

The Museum of East Anglian Life is one of the biggest Museums in Suffolk. It occupies over 75 acres of countryside in the heart of Stowmarket.

The land was originally part of the Home Farm for the Abbot’s Hall estate. The estate's history dates from medieval times when it was an outlying manor for St Osyth’s Priory in Essex. It passed through numerous owners until it was purchased by the Longe family in 1903.

Huge changes in the 1950’s and ‘60s meant England was in danger of losing long established skills, equipment and buildings if something was not done to rescue them. Individual collectors, local farmer Jack Carter and the Suffolk Local History Council worked to collect, preserve and display objects from rural East Anglia. After several years of temporary exhibitions the Misses Vera and Ena Longe placed 70 acres of farmland, Abbot’s Hall, its gardens, as well as 18/20 Crowe Street, in trust to be used as a Museum.

The Museum of East Anglian Life opened in 1967 and is a modern memorial to this foresight and vision.

This is the Blacksmith`s forge from Grundisburgh and built C 1750. For nearly two hundred years this smithy was a bustling and vibrant place, hot from the glowing furnace and filled with the din of metal being hammered. 

Its last owner, Frederick Joseph Crapnell, took on the premises in 1913. Both his father and grandfather had been blacksmiths. It was from his father that Frederick learnt the trade. In 1968 he retired at the age of 86. Four years later the timber built smithy and travis (where the horses were shod) were saved from demolition and re-erected here.

Settling House from Bury St Edmunds. Built 1864. The historic Settling House, also known as the Round House, Tally House, or Counting House, sat at the heart of Bury St Edmunds cattle market for over 130 years. The Victorian Gothic building, with its distinctive octagonal design, was rebuilt on the museum site in 2011.

The Settling House was originally used by traders to complete their business, with the toll collector given permission to sell ginger beer and buns. The building soon became the central hub of the cattle market, the place where traders met and tickets to the auctions were handed out.

At the Museum, this building represents a time when the market was not just a place for meeting people and doing business but the symbolic meeting point between town and country, and the place where the dependence of one upon the other was most apparent.

Izobelle just ran straight to the cow and started `milking it` - she doesn't miss a trick!

Doing some exercise before we move on.

An ancient caravan parked for an event the following weekend. 

Among the things Izobelle tried her hand at - a spot of weaving. I think that another time we will bring Izobelle back to try her hand at a few other things. She was very interested in the parts we did see.

'Friends of the Lake' sculpture, Needham Lake is a wooden sculpture by Ben Platt-Mills, commissioned and funded in 2001 by Mid Suffolk District Council, is situated on the bank of Needham Lake. It represents a mother and daughter, with the former holding the neck of a swan.

In the afternoon we visited Needham lakes where the sculpture above is situated, and after a short walk and some playing in the play area, headed for home.

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Great medieval churches - Woolpit

The church of The Blessed Virgin Mary in Woolpit is one of the great medieval churches of Suffolk, a county blessed with some of the finest country churches in England. Like so many other Suffolk villages Woolpit owes its superb church to the wealth of the medieval wool trade, but there was a church on this spot centuries before Suffolk wool merchants gained their wealth.

Woolpit became a destination for pilgrims during the medieval period, when it held a richly decorated statue of Our Lady in its own chapel. No trace of this chapel now survives but it was probably on the north side of the chancel, where the vestry now stands. Alternatively, it may have stood at the east end of the south aisle. Pilgrims began arriving at least as early as 1211 when the Bishop of Norwich ordered that their offerings be given to St Edmundsbury Abbey.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Woolpit became extremely popular during the 15th and 16th centuries. Henry VI visited twice, and Queen Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII, ordered that a pilgrimage be made on her behalf in 1501.

How old is it? 

Victorian tower apart, this is a medieval building and the original church went back even further to before the Norman Conquest. The chapel and statue of Our Lady of Woolpit was popular with pilgrims in medieval times, which accounts for the expensive detail, and records go back to 1211 when the church was still in the hands of the St Edmundsbury Abbey. The present nave and chancel date back to the 14th century; the pews and chancel screen 15th century, although considerable renovation took place to the screen in 19th century. 

The magnificent tower / spire of St Mary`s in Woolpit

St Mary's is worth visiting for its superb double-hammer beam roof, decorated with carved figures of angels.

Iconoclast William Dowsing did his best to destroy the angels in 1644. His deputy found 80 'superstitious Pictures' some of which he destroyed and others he ordered to be taken down. Many of the angel's heads were defaced but these were sensitively restored in the 19th century.

Other highlights include beautifully carved medieval bench ends decorated with a wide variety of carved figures. These figures probably survived because the Puritans considered them heraldic symbols rather than religious. Eye-catching figures include griffins and a very mournful looking dog.

Another highlight is a finely crafted south porch dating to 1430-1455. Over the porch arch is a parvise, a small chamber possibly used for storing important documents. The porch roof is vaulted with exceptionally detailed lierne vaulting and decorated bosses.

The eagle lectern is a rare early Tudor relic, made around 1520 and one of just 20 surviving examples made to accept a chained Bible. A local tradition suggests that Elizabeth I gave the lectern to the church, though there is no proof of this. The queen did visit nearby Haughley Park in 1600 and sent one of her knights to visit Woolpit on her behalf. It is certainly possible that he gave the parishioners money that was used to buy the lectern.

The screen is 15th century, though the gates are Jacobean. The screen is painted and gilded, and retains the medieval beam made to hold the rood, or crucifix. The base of the screen is painted with figures of saints including St Withburga, St Edmund, St Etheldreda, and St Felix. The face of St Felix is actually a portrait of Henry Page, the serving rector at the time of the Victorian restoration. 

Over the arch is a beautifully vaulted painted dedication board, decorated with figures of angels.

Each end of the chancel choir stalls has a bench end with an intricate figure of a Green Man. Set against the wall is a fascinating carving of a woodwose, a wild man of the woods figure found throughout East Anglia.

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Pirate trail on Dunwich Heathland

The scene that greeted us as we arrived at Dunwich Heathland to start, as it turned out, the Pirate Trail. Armed with a leaflet with the route marked, and a pen, we set off !

The heathland really looking colourful. 

This was the object of our searches - a board with a clue printed on it, which had to be copied onto the leaflet ... such as this!

One of the objectives of the day was for Izobelle to take her first photographs with her own camera. So lets photograph all sorts of things!

Then perhaps Nana will help me fill in the clues.

Then I can run onto the next clue!

Then a rest while mummy tells me something I don`t quite believe!

Although it was funny.

These grown ups say this smells lovely, so we have a group sniff.

Then mummy spotted this lovely caterpillar on the path which turned out to be an Emperor Moth or Saturnia pavonia (if you speak Latin)

Then, having completed all the clues, we took our leaflet back to the National Trust tent and picked up a sticker and wristband, had lunch and unfortunately had to head home as the rain started.

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