Tuddenham, Suffolk

St Mary, locked, keyholders listed, proudly boasts on its notice board that it is open every weekend, which is nice. I, however, was here on a freezing cold but bright Thursday and failed to understand why, if it was open every weekend, it couldn't be open every day? This led to an irrational anger which made me decide not to seek out a keyholder [having peered through the windows it looked like the interior was probably not worth the effort] and I don't think I missed much. Pettily I'm only sharing their notice board - to be fair even Arthur struggles..

ST MARY. Mostly Dec. The W tower has a pretty front with two niches flanking a circular window with a quatrefoil. Dec N nave and (less good) S aisle windows. Interesting E window with reticulation, in which, however, the top reticulation motif is wilfully replaced by a circle enclosing three cusped spherical triangles. Inside, the window is flanked by niches. Tall gabled s porch of the same date (side windows with Y-tracery). The S arcade has the typical C14 octagonal piers and double-chamfered arches. Tomb recess in the N wall. Perp clerestory and hammerbeam roof. - PLATE. Cup and Paten 1626.

TUDDENHAM ST MARY. It is a village near Mildenhall with old houses by its green and a 14th century church which is a fine example of its period although a little forlorn within. The massive 14th century font is still here and one of the five bells rang out in Elizabeth’s reign. A small tributary of the River Lark flows by a picturesque old mill, still working, and Tuddenham Fen is well known to lovers of nature.

Flickr.