Church Of St Andrew

The Church of St Andrew in Great Saxham is a medieval church that underwent significant alterations around 1869. It features a nave, chancel, west tower, south porch, and a north organ chamber. The building is constructed from flint rubble and septaria, with 18th-century red brickwork in the chancel and 19th-century rounded flints in the restored areas, topped with plaintiled roofs.

The late 12th-century north nave doorway has an arched head with two orders and engaged shafts, while the similar south doorway is plainer, featuring a hood-mould, chamfered reveals, and imposts. The nave roof, dating from the 15th century, consists of scissor-braced coupled rafters, ashlar pieces, and a moulded cornice supported by curved knees for plaster coving. The chancel was greatly altered in 1798, with its south wall in red brickwork; all windows are from the 19th century, and the roof is either 18th or 19th-century matchboarded.

The 15th-century tower has two-light belfry openings, a stair turret reaching mid-height, crenellated parapets, and a single-light window on the ground floor. The 15th-century porch features a gabled parapet and a doorway with pilasters and moulded capitals, along with two-light side windows and a butt-purlin roof with a crenellated cornice. The alterations from around 1869 include a gabled organ chamber in early Gothic style, a small vestry against the tower, changes to the likely Norman tower arch, and a new chancel arch. The nave windows are in the Decorated style, with dates of 1874 and 1859 noted on the glazing; the east side of the chancel has a three-light Decorated window, while the north and south walls are Perpendicular.

The nave floor is laid with 18th-century quarry tiles, and the tower has stone slabs. The west tower window features reused German glass dated 1632, and the east chancel window contains 16th-century glass brought from France and Switzerland in 1815. Inside, there is an octagonal 15th-century limestone font with sunk quatrefoiled panels and an octagonal early 17th-century pulpit, which was restored in the 19th century. The nave benches include simple 16th-century poppy heads, along with 19th-century poppyhead benches and choir stalls, some featuring richly carved reused 17th-century panels. A brass eagle lectern dated 1818 is present, along with painted coats of arms for Queen Anne over the south door and Thomas Mills over the north door. Additionally, there is a brass in the chancel floor from 1632 commemorating John Eldred, an Alderman of London, along with his mural monument featuring a bust on the sanctuary wall.