Church Of St Lawrence, Formerly Church Of All Saints

Church of St Lawrence, formerly Church of All Saints

This is a parish church dating from the 13th century, comprising a nave and chancel. The 15th century additions include a south porch and a west tower. The building is constructed mainly of rubble and random flint, with some flint flushwork to the west tower, 16th century red brick bell chamber, and ashlar and stone dressings. The roof is covered with red plain tiles, continuing over the nave and chancel.

The chancel's east wall is buttressed at the angles, with a stone parapet verge topped by a cross finial. A band runs below the window and continues through both the north and south walls of the chancel and nave. The east window has three 2-centred arched lights with three roundels over, a 2-centred head, and labels with head stops. The north wall of the chancel and nave has end and central buttresses, a plinth, and a band. Carved heads appear below the east and west parapet verges. The eastern window on the north wall is a 2-light window with Y tracery and a chamfered 2-centred head; to its west is a lancet window which continues below the band. The western window has three cinquefoiled lights with the central light lower than the outer lights, vertical tracery over, a 4-centred head, and a moulded label. The north doorway has a 2-centred arch of two chamfered orders, imposts, and a label. The door is nailed vertically boarded. To the east of the central buttress are traces of a blocked round-headed arch.

The south wall of the chancel and nave also has end and central buttresses, a plinth, and carved heads below the parapet verges. The central buttress bears three scratch dials and the gnomon of a former sundial. Four windows pierce this wall: the eastern window, set high up, contains six short trefoiled lights with segmental heads and a square head over. West of this is the chancel doorway with a 2-centred head of two sunk chamfered orders, moulded imposts, and a label, with a vertically boarded door. The remaining three windows between this door and the south porch each have Y tracery, chamfered 2-centred heads, and labels with head stops.

The 15th century south porch is timber framed and gabled, built on brick walls. It has heavy full-height storey posts with arched braces to the tie beam. Above the tie beam are three vertical studs, each with a crudely cut niche featuring a trefoiled head. The side walls have moulded top plates and early 17th century turned balusters used as mullions.

The west tower rises in three stages. The upper stage is crenellated and constructed of red brick, with a chamfered round-headed angle buttress with flint panels at the north-west and south-west angles. An angled stair turret sits to the east of the south face. The plinth features flint flushwork panels. The north, west, and south faces each have a small louvred trefoiled opening high in the second stage, and there is a trefoiled niche with a segmental head and label below the west face opening. The west window has three cinquefoiled ogee lights with vertical tracery over, a 4-centred head, and a label.

Interior

The nave and chancel roof is of seven cants. The chancel floor consists of brick pammets and medieval floor tiles. Within the sanctuary are five floor slabs: the first is much worn; the second commemorates Joseph Thurston 1714; the third bears the inscription for William Bruce 1677 with a Coat of Arms; the fourth commemorates Joseph Thurston 1732 and others; and the fifth is for Dame Susanna Brewse 1660. The altar rails are in 17th century style with twisted balusters, and the altar table has twisted legs.

Flanking the east window are medieval wall paintings. On the south side are figures of Saints Martha, Catherine, and Mary Magdalene under canopies, while to the east is a seated Virgin with Child on her lap under a canopy.

On the north wall is a tomb or Easter sepulchre. The tomb base has shields in three diagonal panels with moulded side shafts extending above a moulded and enriched 4-centred arch which carries shields of arms in the spandrels and a moulded and enriched square head. Three shields of arms appear above the arch, the central shield crested. This is said to commemorate a member of the Brewse Family.

The south wall bears an elaborate memorial to Joannes Brewse, 1585. The base has two panels, each with a crossed crosslet with a motto above, supporting Corinthian capitals that hold a moulded and dentilled pediment surmounted on each side by shields of arms, with a crested shield at the apex. Three panels below a recessed arch once held a kneeling figure before an altar and book; this figure has been reclaimed by the police and will be restored. The central panel carries an inscription to Joannes Brewse. This monument covers the arches of the former canopied sedilia. Above the priest's door in the south wall is a marble monument to Alice Walker 1682, decorated with two cherubs' heads and draped ornament. The low side window on the north wall is adjacent to the east of a medieval coffin lid carved with a sword.

A central floor slab displays brasses of Thomas Brewse and his wife Jane, 1514, shown under a double canopy with two sons and three daughters beneath their feet, edge inscriptions, and shields of arms. Additional much-worn floor slabs are scattered throughout.

The chancel is divided from the nave by the plastered rubble wall bases of the former rood screen, which stand 62 inches high and 16 inches thick, with simple plastered panels facing west and a tie beam above. Small 2-centred arched piscinae appear on the north and south walls west of the rood wall; the south wall piscina is trefoiled with an octagonal drain.

The rood loft doorway and stairs to the north wall feature a stop-chamfered 2-centred arch doorway with brick stairs ascending to a plastered upper doorway. To the east of the north door is a wall painting of Saint Christopher and the Christ Child. A Lord's Prayer Board hangs to the west of the doorway, which has a chamfered segmental arch attached to the north wall. West of the north door are fragments of 17th century panelling.

On the south wall stands a tomb chest with four quatrefoils containing shields, surmounted by a large and elaborate canopy. The canopy features a cusped ogee arch rising to a crocketted finial, with side shafts bearing tracery and crocketted finials and a crenellated head. This is said to commemorate Gilbert de Debenham, died 1371.

A 17th or 18th century hexagonal oak panelled pulpit features a wreathed handrail and twisted balusters. Two pews retain linenfold panels with carved pilasters. The floor is of wood blocks.

The font dates from the 14th century and is much restored, with a simple octagonal stem, a central drum, and hexagonal angle columns; traces of red paint survive on the original work. The west tower arch is chamfered 2-centred, above which is a round-headed opening. The stair turret doorway has a stop-chamfered 2-centred arch with a two-board door. A wooden bier stands in front of this doorway. The tower also contains a wooden altar with an embroidered frontal cloth.

A bell cast by Thomas Gardiner of Sudbury in 1714 hangs in the tower.