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St Mary,
Thwaite St Mary
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This
is a pretty little church in the pleasant rolling
landscape on the north side of the Waveney
Valley. This area is so far from either Norwich
or Ipswich that it has a self-sufficient air, as
if people might really live and work here rather
than just commute somewhere else. Opposite the
church, a long bank of bright red nasturtiums
made a lovely counterpoint to the green of the
churchyard. Like many churches around
here, this is a simple Norman nave huddling under
thatch, and not much altered over the centuries
since. The 14th Century square tower probably
replaced a round one, and there is a grand Norman
doorway set halfway along the south wall of the
nave. Curiously, the north side of the church has
not a single window. The brick porch was added in
the 18th Century.
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The church
you step into is entirely rustic in character. The only
medieval survival is the 15th century font, which is
completely plain. However, the stem is similar to that of
those in several other churches round about - was it
unfinished, or did the bowl come from elsewhere? The
chancel is simple and elegant; the screen is a nice
simple Georgian piece which must be contemporary with the
rebuilding. The glass in the east window was restored
after being blown out by a stray bomb during the Second
World War.
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I was exploring the church, a woman and her
daughter came in to clean. They were locals, but
they told me that they did not attend the
services here. Over my years of visiting East
Anglia's rural churches, I have often found local
people cleaning, cutting the grass or doing
repairs and the like, who tell me this. In a way,
it is reassuring to think that such people feel a
sense of ownership of their parish church, even
when they are not members of the congregation.
Incidentally, the lady also told me that she
attends the Catholic church in Bungay, even
though she is not a Catholic. I have heard this
several times from people I speak to in this part
of the world. Bungay Catholic church must feel
like a welcoming place. The lady
told me that plans were in hand to clear the nave
at Thwaite St Mary, so that it could more easily
be used for secular events: concerts, exhibitions
and so on. The chancel would remain in use for
services for the small congregation. It would be
nice to think that this church could be an
increasingly useful asset to the people of its
parish.
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