St Mary's Church, Badley
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Badley, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Badley
, Suffolk
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church is located some 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Stowmarket
on the west side of the B1113 road, and is approached by a track about a mile long.
rubble
, with the south and east sides rendered
. The tower is in flint and brick rubble, with the top stage in orange brick. The dressings are in freestone. The roofs are tiled. The plan of the church consists of a nave
with a south porch, a chancel
and a west tower. The south doorway dates from about 1200. Most of the windows are from the 15th century and have three lights, although the west window is large with five lights, and there is a lancet window
dating from about 1200 in the north chancel wall.
dates from the 13th century and is made in Purbeck marble
. It has an octagonal bowl and a 17th-century oak cover with an acorn finial
. The pews date from the 15th to the 17th century. Most of them are from the 16th century, although there is a bench from the 15th century with animals carved on its buttress
es. Part of a 15th-century rood screen
has been incorporated in 17th-century box pew
s. They were augmented and rearranged in the 17th century, and have been untouched since the 18th century. The pulpit
dates from the 17th century; it is plain but has a reading desk decorated with arcading
. The communion rails are in iron and date from about 1830. In the sanctuary are 18th-century panels with the Ten Commandments
, the Lord's Prayer
and the Creed. Inside the south door is a 13th-century coffin-shaped slab. Many of the memorials in the church are to the Poley family. There is a wall memorial in the chancel to Edmund Poley who died in 1548, and to other family members. Above it are a coloured achievement
and obelisk
s. Another monument, in Baroque
style, is to Sir Henry Poley who died in 1707. There is a total of 17 floor slabs in the chancel and nave, most of which are memorials to the Poleys. The single-manual
, five-stop
organ was built by Bevington.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the village of Badley
Badley
Badley is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is located between Stowmarket and Needham Market, in the Mid Suffolk district. With an electorate of less than 100, it has an infrequent parish meeting rather than a parish council....
, 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...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church is located some 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Stowmarket
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
on the west side of the B1113 road, and is approached by a track about a mile long.
History
The oldest fabric in the church dates from about 1200, although most of it was built in the 15th century. The roofs date from the early 16th century, and the top stage of the tower was rebuilt during that century. The south porch was added in the 14th century, but it was largely rebuilt in the 20th century.Exterior
The church is constructed mainly in flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
, with the south and east sides rendered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. The tower is in flint and brick rubble, with the top stage in orange brick. The dressings are in freestone. The roofs are tiled. The plan of the church consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a south porch, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and a west tower. The south doorway dates from about 1200. Most of the windows are from the 15th century and have three lights, although the west window is large with five lights, and there is a lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
dating from about 1200 in the north chancel wall.
Interior
The fontBaptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 13th century and is made in Purbeck marble
Purbeck Marble
Purbeck Marble is a fossiliferous limestone quarried in the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula in south-east Dorset, England.It is one of many kinds of Purbeck Limestone, deposited in the late Jurassic or early Cretaceous periods....
. It has an octagonal bowl and a 17th-century oak cover with an acorn finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The pews date from the 15th to the 17th century. Most of them are from the 16th century, although there is a bench from the 15th century with animals carved on its buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. Part of a 15th-century rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
has been incorporated in 17th-century box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s. They were augmented and rearranged in the 17th century, and have been untouched since the 18th century. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
dates from the 17th century; it is plain but has a reading desk decorated with arcading
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
. The communion rails are in iron and date from about 1830. In the sanctuary are 18th-century panels with the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
, the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
and the Creed. Inside the south door is a 13th-century coffin-shaped slab. Many of the memorials in the church are to the Poley family. There is a wall memorial in the chancel to Edmund Poley who died in 1548, and to other family members. Above it are a coloured achievement
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
and obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
s. Another monument, in Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style, is to Sir Henry Poley who died in 1707. There is a total of 17 floor slabs in the chancel and nave, most of which are memorials to the Poleys. The single-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
, five-stop
Organ stop
An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; some can be "on" , while others can be "off" .The term can also refer...
organ was built by Bevington.