Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building in the Mid Suffolk local planning authority area, England. First listed on 9 December 1955. A Medieval Church.

Church of St Mary

WRENN ID
waning-spandrel-smoke
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Mid Suffolk
Constituency
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP: Patrick Spencer (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
9 December 1955
Type
Church
Period
Medieval
Address
Church of St Mary, Akenham
OS grid reference
TM 147 488
Coordinates
52.09615, 1.13437
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Church of St Mary is a medieval building that underwent restoration in the mid-19th century. It features a nave, chancel, south-west tower/porch, and south chapel. The structure is primarily made of flint rubble, with plastered chancel walls and limestone dressings. Both the chancel and nave roofs are covered with plain tiles, with the nave roof featuring parapet gables.

In the north wall of the nave, there is a Norman slit window with attached shafts, which has been heavily restored or possibly renewed in the 19th century, indicating that much of the building may also be of Norman origin. The chancel includes two pointed lancet windows and a plain doorway typical of the late 13th century, along with a square-headed window from the 14th century in the north chancel wall.

The tower, added in the late 14th century, is positioned across the south doorway, which was altered to match the moulded outer doorway. Notably, the use of red brick for the relieving arches is an early example. The belfry openings and flushed flint parapets have been restored or rebuilt in the 19th century, although the lion-head gargoyles are original.

The 15th-century work includes a canted and ceiled chancel roof, an east window with grotesque corbels, and two similar restored windows in the nave. The south chapel, added in the 16th century, is constructed of red brick with parapets and features stuccoed mullioned and transomed windows, topped with a slated roof from the 19th century. Additionally, there is a 15th-century octagonal limestone font, with sunk panels on both the bowl and stem that contain tracery.

Local climate

Church of St Mary sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 700 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 91% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 67% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 24 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 74% of listed buildings. Of these, 12 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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Nearby listed buildings

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  2. High House Farmhouse Grade II 832 m
  3. Claydon Hall Grade II 916 m
  4. Whitton Church Rectory Grade II 1.1 km
  5. War Memorial, Churchyard of St Mary's Church Grade II 1.1 km
  6. Church of St Mary, Whitton Grade II 1.2 km
  7. Akenham Hall Grade II 1.3 km
  8. Whitton Lodge Grade II 1.4 km
  9. Street Farmhouse Grade II 1.4 km
  10. Fairmead Grade II 1.4 km