St Mary

The church was almost wholly reworked in the C15, when the arcades were rebuilt, the clerestory, south porch and north east vestry added, and the whole building, except for the tower, refenestrated.

The three stage west tower may be late C12 in origin

was rebuilt in the later C13 or early C14.

The tall, slender broach spire is early C14, and is probably the earliest surviving in Suffolk.

the bell was cast in 1280.

The aisles C14 in origin

were refenestrated in the C15 and have large, Perpendicular windows with vertical tracery in a consistent, but different, pattern on each side.

The nave clerestory has pairs of C15 two-light windows, and there is a round window in the nave east gable.

The south chancel chapel continues the south aisle, and the second window from the east steps up over a C15 priest's door.

The early C15 south porch is embattled and has a low pitched roof.

The C15 south door has multiple continuous mouldings, and its pair of contemporary C15 doors have a band of quatrefoils and blind tracery in the heads.

The north aisle door is C14 and has weathered headstops.

The C15 north and south nave arcades are of five bays with continuous outer orders and an inner order on polygonal responds with moulded capitals and bases.

There is a good, early C14 tomb recess in the south aisle.

Low, C14 tower arch with mouldings dying into the walls.

The two bay north and south chancel arcades are late C14 or early C15, and have quatrefoil piers with round responds with moulded capitals and bases and a hood mould with stops on the inner face.

The north clergy vestry is vaulted and has C15 panelling.

C15 chancel ceiling with grotesques on the central bosses and C19 figures on the brackets.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: notable early to mid C14 font, partly re-cut in the C19.

Polygonal, it has delicate tracery niches on the bowl and stem and angels and foliage around the base of the bowl.

C14 piscina in the south chapel.

Some medieval bench ends survive in the south chapel, and there are medieval misericords in the chancel.

Good C15 parclose screens at the ends of the north and south aisles, re-set in their present positions in the C20.

Nave benches of 1869 have shaped ends with naturalistic floral carving.

Timber pulpit of 1870.

Monuments include a C14 tomb recess in the south aisle with a cusped ogee arch and finial.

C15 tomb recess in chancel north wall, clearly intended as an Easter Sepulchre.

Several brasses of the late C16

C17, including a fine pair of half-figures, holding hands, to Richard and Elizabeth Glaufie, 1637.

Wall tablets include Sarah Johnson, d. 1793 by Regnart, a WWI memorial by Charles Spooner to the Rev. Frances Carter, d. 1935, by Eric Gill.

Four hatchments.

A few fragments of late medieval glass survive in the north chapel east window, C19 and C20 glass includes windows by George Hedgeland and Hard and Hughes.

The C15 red brick Deanery Gatehouse (q.v) is an integral part of the setting of the church.

HISTORY: there was a church at Hadleigh in the Anglo-Saxon period, and the remains of an earlier church are said to have been discovered in the churchyard.

The earliest fabric in the present church is the tower, the lower part of which is late C12 or early C13.

The church was already very large by the C14, as the aisle walls are of this date.

It was greatly rebuilt in the C15 with money from the cloth trade, and had chantry altars for at least five guilds.

It was refurnished in the post medieval period, and had a double decker pulpit, box pews and a west gallery.