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St Mary

St Mary

Mid Suffolk

Suffolk

COMBS CHURCH LANE TM 05 NE 3/68 Church of St. Mary 9.12.55 - I Parish church, mainly C14

Architectural Features

The chancel has some high-quality work of c.1360, but internally much restored.

North and south windows with dagger tracery and carved hoodmould stops.

fine C14 work but almost entirely reconstructed 1867.

Nave arcade, mid C14, with 6 bays of octagonal columns with moulded capitals.

Late C14 tower, massive but plain: triple-chamfered formerly-open arches to north and south for processions to pass through (the tower abuts the churchyard boundary).

The belfry windows are of C15.

Disguised mid C14 timber-framed north porch, with heavy moulded arched outer doorway, kneebraced studded side walls and coupled rafter roof

C17 plank outer door with medieval ironwork.

Inner north doorway also of c.1350

North aisle has good C15 windows

South aisle has a similar roof but retains some C14 features: a plain piscina and west window

the south windows have later C15 tracery Clerestory windows are similar

the arch-braced nave roof was rebuilt in C18 with tiebeams and kingposts, reusing the C15 components such as moulded principals.

The south porch is of narrow mid C16 buff bricks, with hoodmoulded side windows and polygonal corner buttresses

Late C14 octagonal limestone font: the bowl has shields bearing shallow tracery on each of the splayed faces, and the buttressed stem has window tracery.

a will of 1472 refers to making of rood stairs.

A damaged C15 parclose screen in the south aisle, and one section of a lower screen in the north.

Two sets of 12 C15 benches in the nave with good poppyhead ends

the buttresses have carved human and animal figures

Early C17 hexagonal pulpit with arcaded panelled sides and a book board supported by scrolled brackets

A wall monument in the chancel to Thomas Sotherbie, d. 1647.

Good C15 stained glass in several windows: for details of this and other features, Suffolk Churches: H. Munro.