Church Of St Edmund

Church of St Edmund, Southwold

This is a major parish church dating from around 1430 to 1470, built in flint with ashlar dressings and copper roofs. The building comprises a west tower, continuous nave and chancel with clerestories to both, a lantern fleche above the nave, east end aisle chapels, and a south porch. The church underwent significant restoration: the roofs were restored in 1857 by E L Blackburne and again in 1866–7 by R M Phipson; the chancel was restored in 1885; and parclose screens were installed in 1885 by A E Street. A statue of St Edmund by Andrew Swinley was added in 1989.

The four-stage west tower is supported by flushwork diagonal buttresses and crowned with a parapet of quatrefoil flushwork detail. The base is panelled with arcaded flushwork. The arched west door has a frieze of four arched and cusped flushwork panels on each side, with a frieze of shields above. The three-light Perpendicular west window is flanked by statuary niches under canopies, all set within flushwork panelling. The window arch contains flushwork lettering reading "SCT EDMUND ORA P NOBIS", and above runs a broad frieze of chequer flushwork. The ringing chamber has one two-light Perpendicular window to each face except the east, while the belfry contains twin two-light Perpendicular openings.

The two-storey south porch has a polygonal stair turret to its north-west. Both east and west walls display chequer flushwork, each pierced by a two-light Perpendicular window under a four-centred hoodmould. Diagonal south buttresses feature flushwork detail. The moulded entrance arch carries shields and leaf trail carving in its spandrels, and is bordered by flushwork arcading in three tiers. Above this runs a geometric flushwork frieze. The first floor is lit by two two-light Perpendicular windows set within flushwork arcading and separated by a canopied niche containing a statue of St Edmund. The parapet is panelled and traceried, crenellated with flushwork detailing to the east and west faces.

Inside the porch is a tierceron vault with restored foliate bosses. The south door is arched, with six lower panels on each leaf carved with parchment relief, and four upper panels featuring parchment and heraldic relief carving.

The aisles have three-light west windows and four-light east windows, with six three-light flanking windows throughout, all Perpendicular in style. Between these windows are flushwork stepped buttresses. An arched north door and polygonal stair turret occupy the west end of the north aisle. The north aisle has a plain parapet, while the south aisle parapet is crenellated above a corbel course of angel and grotesque heads. An 18-bay clerestory is articulated by shallow polygonal buttresses that rise into square finial bases, each bay containing a two-light window. The east end has diagonal buttresses; the chancel has one three-light window to the north and south. The 1867 east window contains four lights above an arcade of ogee-headed panels in flushwork.

The interior is entered through a tall tower arch with multiple bowtell and casement mouldings. The nave has a seven-bay arcade with piers of quatrefoil section, hollowed between, set on high polygonal bases with polygonal capitals.

The roof is continuous across the nave and chancel, comprising alternating false hammerbeams with carved arched braces dropping to moulded wall posts on corbelheads. Arched braces rise from carved angel figures on the hammerbeams to moulded principals intersected by two tiers of moulded butt purlins, rising to a moulded ridge piece; brattished collars complete the frame. The chancel roof is panelled and painted with fleuron bosses at intersections; the west bay is painted with angels carrying scrolls. The aisle roofs have principals carried on moulded arched braces, one tier of moulded butt purlins, and figurative and foliate bosses at the intersections.

The chancel screen, dating from around 1480, is tripartite, serving the aisles and central vessel with three major bays on either side of an arched opening. Each bay has dado panels split into two, with painted figures restored in 1930. The north screen depicts the Nine Orders of Angels; the centre shows Apostles (restored 1874); the south displays Old Testament Prophets. Painted muntins rise to arches with miniature cusping and sub-cusping. A rood beam carries an arcade of pierced arches.

The chancel contains 15th-century stalls with traceried front panels, misericords, and animal and figurative arm rests, alongside 16th-century benches. Bench sedilia on the south wall feature dado panels of shields and lierne vaulting to canopies. A similar piscina has a route tournant in its dado and cruet shelves against the back wall. An organ was installed in 1887.

The nave contains a 15th-century octagonal font on a 20th-century stepped plinth. The font stem has niches under pairs of miniature carved ogee arches with crockets and finials, while the bowl panels feature wide niches under four-centred canopies with carved lierne vaults. An openwork font canopy of 1935, designed by F E Howard, stands above it. An early 16th-century octagonal pulpit on a tapering stem displays profuse Perpendicular tracery in its panels; stepped buttresses at its angles imitate flushwork. It was restored and painted in 1928. The north wall carries a painted hatchment of the arms of George III. On the north tower arch stands a 15th-century Clock Jack, painted and fashioned as an armoured figure holding an axe and sword.

The south chapel contains a brass to John Bishop (died 1456) and his wife (died 1473).