Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building in the West Suffolk local planning authority area, England. First listed on 19 December 1961. A Medieval Church.

Church of St Mary

WRENN ID
fallen-steeple-torch
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
West Suffolk
Constituency
West Suffolk MP: Nick Timothy (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
19 December 1961
Type
Church
Period
Medieval
Address
Church of St Mary, Great Bradley
OS grid reference
TL 674 531
Coordinates
52.15145, 0.44579
Source
Historic England listing

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

Description

The Church of St Mary in Great Bradley is a Grade II* listed building, primarily dating from the 14th century, though parts of the walling are from the 12th century and the chancel arch is from the 13th century. The east end of the church was shortened in the 18th century. It is constructed of random flint and stone, now mostly covered in stucco. The west tower, which is from the 14th century, features angle buttresses, a castellated parapet, and a base with knapped flint and stone chequer work. An octagonal staircase turret rises above the parapet at the southeast corner. The stone weathering on the buttresses is adorned with carved figures of animals and heraldic devices. There is an old flue from the priests' chamber in the tower that has a baffle stone outlet approximately 20 feet up.

The south door is a notable late Norman feature, with spiral fluted shafts, decorated capitals, and zig-zag ornamentation in the arch. The south porch is Early Tudor, made of red brick, and has a crow-stepped gable with arched niches. The north door is a plain Norman style with scalloped capitals on the shafts. The roof is tiled and supported by king post roof trusses. Inside, there is a well-crafted 14th-century piscina with an ogee arch and a head. The font, dating from the 15th century, is octagonal with sides carved with quatrefoil rosettes and has a panelled shaft. The pulpit, from the 18th century, is octagonal and features a sounding board behind it.

Local climate

Church of St Mary sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 710 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 87% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 77% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 53% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 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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  5. Little Bradley Place Grade II 1.1 km
  6. Lodge to Little Bradley Place Grade II 1.2 km
  7. The Cottage Grade II 1.2 km
  8. College farmhouse Grade II 1.3 km
  9. Church of All Saints Grade I 1.3 km
  10. Malting Farmhouse Grade II 1.4 km