Church Of St Mary

The Church of St. Mary is a medieval parish church located on Church Road in Chediston. It features a nave, chancel, west tower, south porch, and a north vestry. An 18th-century family pew on the north side of the nave has been demolished. The church is constructed of flint and stone rubble, with all but the tower being cement-rendered, and has slated roofs.

The square, unbuttressed tower likely dates from the 13th century and includes a two-light west window with Y tracery, as well as lancet windows on the west, north, and south sides. There are also signs of larger blocked openings higher up. The bell-chamber stage, added in the 15th century, features a crenellated parapet decorated with flushwork panels. The nave has a core from the late 13th or early 14th century, with both the south nave and porch showcasing similar moulded doorways from this period. A stoup is located to the right of the nave doorway.

The nave contains Perpendicular-style windows, with three two-light windows on the south side and two three-light windows on the north side. At the west end of the south nave, there is a high-level window that likely illuminated a former gallery. A blocked north nave doorway is also present. The south chancel features a 19th-century trefoil-headed lancet window, a Priest's doorway, and a broader lancet window with Y tracery, while the north side has a 13th-century lancet window now situated within the vestry. The east window is a three-light window from the 19th century.

Inside, the church boasts a fine 15th-century eight-bay arched-braced nave roof with a crenellated wallplate and a traceried cornice, along with a three-bay arched-braced chancel roof. There is a carved octagonal font from the 15th century, a restored angle piscina, and drop-seat sedilia in the south sanctuary. The pulpit, dated 1637, originally came from Cookley church. The early 17th-century altar rails feature pendants and obelisks between widely spaced turned balusters. High up in the north nave, part of a wall painting depicting the head of St. Christopher can be seen. Additionally, there are three simple 15th-century poppyhead benches in the nave. The church is listed for its medieval fabric.