Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew

A medieval parish church, substantially rebuilt and restored but retaining significant medieval fabric. The building comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, south porch, and chancel.

The embattled round tower is constructed of iron-bound conglomerate, laid in herring-bone pattern to the lower part with flint above. The west window is 14th-century Decorated, of 2 lights, with a slit light with brick reveals above. The bell-openings are 2-light 14th-century Decorated with quatrefoils. Gargoyles and flushwork ornament the battlements. A quadrant buttress sits at the south angle with the nave. To the north is a brick stair turret.

The 3-bay nave has conglomerate in its west wall. The south aisle has 3-light east and west windows of the 16th century under segmental arches, with diagonal buttressing and brick repairs. Two restored 14th-century 2-light windows remain, with conglomerate visible in the wall.

The memorial tablet on the east face, dated 1719, is formed as a cartouche with angels to the top, a husked garland, and console base, beneath a lead roof. The buttressed north aisle, mentioned in a will of 1535 as 'the making of north aisle', retains a blocked door with 2 hollow chamfered orders and a hood mould. Two 2-light medieval windows sit under 4-centred arches. The east window is restored to match the form of the south aisle east window. The west window has 3 lights, restored. Lead roof covers this aisle.

The clerestorey comprises 4 bays in squared knapped flint with stone crosses between openings. Windows alternate between encircled quatrefoils and 2-light ogee-headed windows, all in square openings under hood moulds, with pantiled roof above.

The buttressed chancel has diagonal buttresses. The south side contains two 19th-century Decorated 2-light windows and a priest's door, with conglomerate visible in the walls. The north chancel has a doorway and one 2-light 19th-century Decorated window. The east window is 19th-century, of 3 lights.

The porch to the first nave bay displays a flushwork front with polygonal shafts and abaci to the doorway, figure stops, and shields in spandrels. A niche crowns the entrance. Square-headed east and west windows of 2 cusped lights light the porch interior, which is covered by an arch-braced roof. The medieval door retains its iron ring and hinges. A stoop stands to the right.

Interior: The 3-bay arcade has octagonal piers with bases and abaci; the arches have 2 chamfered orders. The south aisle roof is early 17th-century with straight braces and wall posts on corbels. The north aisle roof, dated 1592 on the wall post, has straight braces and rose bosses. The nave has a 19th-century king-post roof. Corbels with heads survive from an earlier roof. The chancel arch is 19th-century. The chancel has a 19th-century crown-post roof. A much-restored piscina and sedilia feature cusped ogee arches with shields, tracery and rosettes in the spandrels.

A memorial tomb to William Dix and his wife shows kneeling figures, Ionic columns, strapwork around a coat of arms, and panels with raised shields. Four Walpole hatchments hang in the church. Re-used poppy head bench ends are present. A door to the rood stair survives. The rood screen is restored. Re-used medieval painted panels appear in the pulpit. A chest tomb to Margaret and Thomas Twiddle, dated 1729, sits in the south aisle, with a cusped piscina nearby. A marble memorial cartouche to Henry Spelman, died 1698, features an achievement and skull to the base. In the north aisle is a tomb to the fifth Earl of Orford, dated 1931, with a reclining figure and angels by Esmond Burton. A corbel of an image tabernacle with angels and lion is set in the wall. The font is 19th-century.