Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church located on Blundeston Road in Somerleyton. The church features a 15th-century tower, while the rest of the structure was rebuilt in 1854 by John Thomas, with the chancel being extended in 1974. The building comprises a nave, chancel, west tower, and south porch, constructed from flint rubble faced in knapped flint with stone dressings, and has slated roofs.

The square tower has three-stage diagonal buttresses on the west face and two-light belfry openings. A tall stepped parapet, added in 1854, previously featured tall crocketted pinnacles at the corners. Below the parapet is a string course adorned with gargoyles. The nave has four bays with 4-centre arched two-light windows. The chancel is designed in the Decorated style, featuring a single two-light window on the side walls and a three-light window on the east.

Inside, the nave and chancel boast open rafter roofs with scissor-bracing on the main trusses. A well-preserved 15th-century octagonal font has bowl panels carved with alternating lions and angels bearing shields, with angels depicted on the bowl's underside and four lions on the stem. There is a 17th-century font cover. Above the south doorway is a medieval stone slab with four well-carved panels showing the emblems of the Evangelists, which was discovered in 1854.

A fine 15th-century rood screen features crocketted ogee arches and pierced Perpendicular tracery above, with the dado containing 16 panels painted with figures, mostly of saints. The church also includes a 19th-century wooden reredos and pulpit in Gothic style. In the sanctuary, there is a stone tomb chest for Sir Thomas Gernegan (died 1446), decorated with lozenge panels containing quatrefoils with shields. The north chancel wall displays a large monument to Sir John Wentworth (died 1651) and his wife, made of black and white marble, featuring two free-standing busts framed by columns that support an open segmental pediment. On the south chancel wall is the bust of Sir Thomas Allin (died 1686), Admiral of the Fleet. Additionally, one window in the north nave contains two 14th-century Flemish stained glass panels originally from St. Olaves Priory.