St Mary, open, is an obviously much loved church but is internally somewhat dull although the nave and chancel roof is a cracker as is the pulpit and Richard Swift's rather peculiar tomb chest.
ST MARY. Norman probably the unbuttressed W tower in its lower parts and Norman certainly the nave - see the two remaining S windows, the simple S doorway and the simple blocked N doorway. Chancel E. E. with three stepped separated lancet windows at the E end and one small S window. (Late C12 Piscina. LG) C14 the upper parts of the tower. C15 the timber S porch. The single-framed rafter roofs of nave and chancel are assigned by Cautley to the C13. - FONT. Octagonal, Perp, with panels decorated by various foiled motifs, framing emblems of the Passion. - PULPIT. Jacobean, with tester. - MONUMENT. Richard Swift d. 1645. The rhymed inscription referring to his relations with Russia and Sweden deserves to be read.
GREAT BLAKENHAM. Its church is a veritable treasure house, sheltered by a regiment of beams marshalled in its 13th century roof. The 14th century tower has a huge sundial and two medieval bells. On one of the ancient timbers of the porch is a time-worn carving of the Madonna. There is a 15th century font with emblems of the Passion on shields, altar rails fashioned from the ancient screen with flowers in delicate tracery, and a quaint little roodloft stairway. A 17th century tomb has two cherubs and an ingenious rhyme in which the first letters of each line spell the name of Richard Swift. In the charming Elizabethan pulpit, with a handsome sounding-board, old Thomas Lund preached for 54 years out of the 17th into the 18th century. On the outer wall is a mass dial.
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