Wattisfield, Suffolk

St Margaret, open, is, if truth be told, a rather barren interior having been scrubbed to within an inch of tis life by, I assume, a Victorian restoration. Brownie points earned for being open though.

ST MARGARET. Unbuttressed W tower, the tower arch of c. 1300 or earlier. Base outside with flushwork panelling. The bell-openings are Perp, of two lights with tracery. Nave and chancel Perp with two-light and three-light windows. The S porch must once have been quite an ambitious piece with flushwork decoration, but it fell on evil days and was repaired extensively in brick. Good C14 timber N porch. - FONT. Octagonal, Perp, with panelled stem and shields on the bowl. - (SCREEN. Parts in the prayer-desk and lectern. LG) - STAINED GLASS. E window typical of c. 1850. - PLATE. Two Elizabethan Cups.

WATTISFIELD. Across the fields its musical chimes ring out from the tower of the simple 15th century church, in which one of the bells has rung the people to worship since the 16th century. There are two porches, one of flint and a long timbered one with railed sides. One of its daintiest possessions is a 14th century gem of a piscina with a cusped and feathered canopy, beautiful with ball-flower and trefoils. An arch springs from each side of its detached pillar, and some artist of an original turn of mind has carved a man's head at the end of one arch. The 15th century font has shields and niches. An arch of a gilded and painted screen which was once a glory of the church has been found hidden away in the rectory. An ancient and very high chest is carved with the heads and claws of griffins. A monument to the Bokestans has two alabaster busts; the husband’s hand is resting on his wife’s, and hers is on a skull. Below are smaller busts framed in wreaths, and the perfect beauty of the features and hands is remarkable. *

* I saw no sign of this and, obviously, Pevsner makes no reference to it.

Flickr.