St Lawrence Church, Ipswich
Encyclopedia
St Lawrence Church is a grade 2* listed church in Ipswich
, Suffolk
, that is now used as a community centre. The 15th-century church has the oldest set of church bells in the world.
design consists of floral and geometric flintwork patterns and includes the initials S. and L. Unusually, the modifications also removed the central aisle from the nave in an attempt to prevent celebration of the High Anglican liturgy. It served as a parish church until the early 1970s, when the parish was declared redundant by the diocese
due to its having no members.
Care of the building was handed over to the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust (IHCT) and the church fell into disrepair. After deliberations over future usage and subsequent extensive renovations, the church was reopened as a community restaurant and gallery in July 2008. The £1.2 million cost of the restorations came from Ipswich Borough Council and UK government grants.
, are known as "Wolsey's bells", after Cardinal Wolsey who was raised in the area. It is believed that Wolsey's uncle may have commissioned one of the bells. Four of them were cast circa 1450 and a fifth added circa 1480. The bells remain undamaged and unmodified, and still include their original clappers. In 1985 the bells were removed when the tower was declared unsafe. After reconstruction of the tower and the installation of a new bell frame, the bells, having been overhauled by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
, were returned to working use in September 2009. According to the IHCT, the next oldest set of five are located in St Bartholomew the Great and date from 1500.
The bells are recognised as being historically important by the Church of England
's Church Building Council.
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, that is now used as a community centre. The 15th-century church has the oldest set of church bells in the world.
History
St Lawrence was built on Dial Lane in the heart of present-day Ipswich. The upper section of the tower was rebuilt in 1882 by the London firm of Barnes and Gaye. The new VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
design consists of floral and geometric flintwork patterns and includes the initials S. and L. Unusually, the modifications also removed the central aisle from the nave in an attempt to prevent celebration of the High Anglican liturgy. It served as a parish church until the early 1970s, when the parish was declared redundant by the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
due to its having no members.
Care of the building was handed over to the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust (IHCT) and the church fell into disrepair. After deliberations over future usage and subsequent extensive renovations, the church was reopened as a community restaurant and gallery in July 2008. The £1.2 million cost of the restorations came from Ipswich Borough Council and UK government grants.
Bells
The church's tower features the oldest ring of church bells remaining in the world. The five bells, hung in a modern steel frame for change ringingChange ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
, are known as "Wolsey's bells", after Cardinal Wolsey who was raised in the area. It is believed that Wolsey's uncle may have commissioned one of the bells. Four of them were cast circa 1450 and a fifth added circa 1480. The bells remain undamaged and unmodified, and still include their original clappers. In 1985 the bells were removed when the tower was declared unsafe. After reconstruction of the tower and the installation of a new bell frame, the bells, having been overhauled by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
, were returned to working use in September 2009. According to the IHCT, the next oldest set of five are located in St Bartholomew the Great and date from 1500.
The bells are recognised as being historically important by the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
's Church Building Council.