This is an incredibly beautiful church. We were on our way to somewhere else, so leaving the others in the car I only had time for the briefest of looks. The ladies working on the flowers inside were very friendly and welcoming.
The church was completely rebuilt between 1460 and 1520, financed by the Bernt family, and is considered by many to be the finest Perpendicular church in the county. A couple of blocked Norman windows on the north side of the tower base are about the only traces of an earlier church.
The view from the north west (where we were parked) is shown below. There is a curious little turret with a steeple on top of the tower, similar to the one at Ely. However it is the inside that truly takes the breath away.
The arcades are high, with gorgeous slender columns.
The building has large numbers of windows, mostly containing clear or pale green glass. This means the building is flooded with light, accentuating the feeling of space and forcing the eyes up. The two aisles have lovely stained glass at their eastern ends which adds colour, complementing the building wonderfully. Click here to view the stained glass windows.
Above the chancel arch, set in beautiful stonework tracery is a wheel window, although there are no spokes just lovely flowing lines. Click on the picture for a closer view of the wheel window.
Here is a view of the chancel arch. The entrance to the former rood loft is visible on the left. The great east window has a modern engraved light in the centre, for a closer view click here.
However the real glory of this building are the arched braced roofs. Spectacular is the only word for it! I tried to take photos of some of the details (lots of animals), but it was too high and I failed.
There is a wall painting of St Christopher by the north door. The infant Jesus has all but vanished from his shoulder.
A little further along is this impressive JAcobean wall monument in painted alabaster. It commemorates Thomas Gerard (d. 1613) and his wife (d.1608).
Here is a view of the font, situated under the pipe organ at the west end.
Digital photographs
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