EYE : CHURCH OF ST PETER & ST PAUL
Church Post Code IP23 7BD
Open to visitors
Visited March 2024
It was March 2024; a bright and sunny day, with a full day’s churchcrawling lined up in north east Suffolk. The original plan was to spend the day working around ‘The Saints’, a name given to 12 parishes that can be found between Halesworth, Harleston, Bungay and Beccles. I had suspected that this would take the majority of the day, but we got on better than expected and by the time that we had finished at the church of St James at South Elmham there was enough time left to head off somewhere else. This was an ideal opportunity to visit the church of St Peter & St Paul at Eye; which was some 17 miles off to the south west of our last scheduled church.
Eye is a fairly large village which recorded a population of just over 2200 at the time of the census of 2021. The village here, which is not to be confused with the village of the same name close to Peterborough, can be found around four miles to the south of Diss and 18 miles north of Ipswich. Norwich is 23 miles off to the north east. The River Dove runs close to the village to the east with the River Waveney providing the county boundary line between Suffolk and Norfolk to the north.
There is a great deal of history here, with signs of habitation as far back as Roman times with a hoard of 600 Roman gold Roman coins being found by labourers here back in 1781. There was also an Anglo Saxon cemetery excavated here in 1818; with the village boasting 165 Listed structures.
There was a church recorded here at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, in lands owned by Robert Malet. The same landowner was responsible for the building of a castle here between 1066 and 1071; the ruins of which still stand today a short distance to the west of the church and the building of Eye Priory which was built here in 1080. This was dissolved in 1537 with the only thing left standing being the 15th – 16th century gatehouse which today is used as a barn.
The church of St Peter & St Paul is one that I had wanted to visit for some time; and is generally seen as being one of the best in Suffolk; making it in to Simon Jenkins’ book ‘England’s Thousand Best Churches’ with particular mention being made of the magnificent flushwork tower.
The church stands at the eastern end of the village, with the late 15th century, two storey timber framed Guildhall alongside. Walking to the church from the west, along Church Street, it is evident that there was some serious wealth here in medieval times. East Anglia was the centre of the wool industry with Norwich at one point being England’s second city behind only London. Vast profits were made, with subsequently huge churches being built by those wealthy merchants; built for the glory of God but also with more than half an eye on reducing the time that they and their families would spend in purgatory as a result in those pre reformation days when the state religion was Catholic.
Much of the church here was rebuilt on a grand scale in the last quarter of the 15th century, but as mentioned earlier there was a church recorded here in 1086 with the 14th and 15th century rebuilding replacing an earlier 13th century structure. There was Victorian restoration here in 1869. The structure that we see today consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch and chancel with north and south chapels.
The tower stands 101 feet high from ground level to the tip of the pinnacles and daters from the late 15th century. The perpendicular west face is covered with elaborate flushwork designs; with flushwork being a design created from knapped flint arranged within a stone panel. Here, on the west face of the tower, we have flushwork designs literally from top to toe. Polygonal flushwork buttresses reduce in size as they progress up the tower.
As mentioned earlier there was serious wealth here in the past, with a coat of arms of John De La Pole under the parapet to the south. He was the Second Duke of Suffolk whose wife was Elizabeth Plantagenet, the sister of Edward IV and Richard III.
There are empty image niches flanking the west door of the tower, with these having housed statues prior to the Reformation. The west face of the tower is elaborate, with the other three sides being purely of knapped flint up to the belfry stage.
Evidently, the best vantage point to see the tower is from the castle mound to the west of the church. I am assuming that the west face of the tower is more elaborately designed as that side faced the castle.
The two storey south porch dates from around the time of the tower and also has the coat of arms of De La Pole, along with the Tudor portcullis and the letter ‘M’ which is crowned which represents the Virgin Mary. The red brick to the sides of the porch appears to be more modern repair work, replacing earlier weathered flints.
Looking at the church from the south there is a wall of windows, with four large three light windows running the length of the nave with a clerestory in the form of six smaller three light windows, with all dating from the 15th century rebuilding. There is a chancel clerestory as well of six two light windows also from the same date. This would give a bright and welcoming interior on a sunny day. There are a few gargoyles here, including one who appears to have not shaved recently looks out to the south through bulging eyes.
The chancel stands proud, virtually at the same height as the nave, with five light window at the east. Buttresses from the 19th century have flushwork symbols of a chancel.
There are eight bells in the ring here; with that being the case when Raven’s study of the church bells of Suffolk was published in 1890, albeit it with a couple of changes since that time. The first of the ring was cast by Norwich founder John Stephens, who was active between 1717 and 1727. He cast three here in 1721 with note made on the first bell that it was donated by Gulielmi Brampton.
The second of the ring was cast by Pack and Chapman in 1779 and is inscribed with the name of the church warden of the day, Simon Cook. The third was another from Stephens with Raven noting that the inscription read ‘J Stephens made us 3 1721’. This bell was recast by Mears and Stainbank in 1905.
The fourth and fifth were each cast by Thomas Osborn of Downham Market in Norfolk in 1789. The fourth has a really interesting inscription which reads ‘Let us rejoice our King restor’d’. I am assuming that this refers to King George III returning to public life that year after receiving treatment for his mental condition. The fifth has the inscription ‘O God continue thy tender mercies to the King’. Each of Osborn’s bells is also inscribed with the names Saml Gowing and Dan’l Sewell, the church wardens of the day.
The sixth and eighth bells here are each courtesy of Miles Graye of Colchester with each being dated 1640. That just leaves the seventh, which is the oldest; cast by Brayser of Norwich. There were founders of this name in Norwich from 1377 until 1513. The bell is suggested to be 15th century and therefore might date to the building of the present tower. This bell is inscribed ‘DONA REPENDE PIA ROGO MAGDALENE MARIA’ which for whatever reason Google Latin translate was unwilling to provide a translation that I was prepared to put on here!
The church was open to visitors. It is worth noting that not all of the church was rebuilt during the late 15th century. The visitor enters in though the south porch and in through the south doorway which dates from the 13th century.
The nave arcades date from the early 14th century and are each of five bays with octagonal piers and moulded capitals; the chancel arch dates from the same period. Walls are whitewashed and the work of the Victorian restorers is very much in evidence. The visitor’s eye is immediately caught by a medieval rood screen separating nave from chancel and above this a gilded carving of the crucifixion courtesy of Sir Ninian Comper in 1925.
Standing at the chancel arch and looking back to the west the tower arch is tall and slim, with doorway to the tower stairs to the south. The font is 19th century with elaborate font cover also by Comper in 1925.
Moving in to the chancel, the east window is of five lights, and is again the work of Comper; this time in 1927. We see a most un Jewish looking Risen Christ with hand raised in blessing, surrounded by a golden blazing aureole, flanked by St Peter, who has the pride of place to Christ’s right hand side, and St Paul after who this church is dedicated. St Peter is easily identifiable as he holds the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. St Paul likewise is shown as usual with sword pointing downwards. These in turn are flanked by St John and St Polycarp, with a small figure kneeling in front of the latter being John Polycarp Oakey, a former vicar here who died in 1927.
The altar cloth was purple; the liturgical colour used during Lent; the period that we were in at the time of my visit. A glance upwards shows ceiling bosses; of golden haired, golden winged angels holding shields on which are symbols of the crucifixion.
There is plenty of stained glass here but all of it dates from the 19th and 20th centuries. There was medieval stained glass here but this was destroyed by Puritan iconoclast William ‘Smasher’ Dowsing who was carrying out Parliamentary orders of August 1643 which stated that all images of idolatry and superstition were to be destroyed; stripping back to religious worship back to basics, worshiping God rather than the idolatrous images that often accompanied this.
Dowsing recorded his acts purification/destruction, visiting Eye acting on a warrant from the Earl of Manchester; breaking seven windows and a cross.
A three three light window which shows the Baby Jesus being presented to Simeon in the Temple. There is no sign of Joseph but Simeon holds Jesus with Mary and Anna alongside. Words from the Nunc Dimitis, the Song Of Simeon are included below ‘Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace’.
The quality of glass here is high; with one further three light window showing scenes from the end of Holy Week. Central we see the risen Christ emerging from the tomb on Easter morning, clothed in a robe of gold and white; an angel holding a palm leaf alongside with a confused Roman soldier in the foreground. To the left as we look at it there is a depiction of the Risen Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning with Christ with the two he met on the road to Emmaus to the right.
St Peter and St Paul also appear in another window, flanking the Good Samaritan who tends to his sworn enemy a Jew; this parable being told by Jesus in answer to the question 'Who is my neighbour?'
One of the great treasures of the church here is the rood screen which dates to around 1480. The bottom stage, with its paintings of saints, is still in place, along with the base to the rood loft. This would have held the rood itself; a statue of the crucifixion with Mary the mother of Jesus and St John alongside the cross. These were hated by the reformers and were taken down and destroyed as the reformers attempted to strip worship back to its basics; worshiping God rather than worshiping the images that went with it, as we saw with the mention of Dowsing earlier.
Many rood screens at ground level were badly defaced during those times. Memories of a trip to Loddon in Norfolk a few years ago and seeing all of the eyes in the crowd of people watching the risen Christ ascend each being punched through. A seven sacrament font at Brooke in Norfolk saw all of the symbols of the sacraments chiselled away just leaving the shadow of what a few years previously was so important to them. The screen here, although damaged does not have the level of damage that others have suffered.
In researching for this some of the comments about the 15th century artist who painted these figures were not always flattering; with the person painting not being particularly gifted at faces. Aymer Vallance, an expert in rood screens described them as looking like ‘quaint little dolls’ which was doubtless not the effect that they were looking for!
Looking at the rood screen we see 17 panels, of which the two on the far right are blank. The rest are as follows. (North side) 1. A king, crowned and holding a sword, this one is very damaged for whatever reason.. 2. St Helena who is shown holding a cross. 3. St Edmund the King of East Anglia. He is shown carrying an arrow, referring to his death at the hands of the Danes when he was tied to a tree and then beheaded. 4.St Ursula who is shown sheltering a group of virgins beneath her cloak. Tradition here states that she pilgrimaged with 11,000 virgin companions and was martyred at Cologne in Germany for her faith. 5. A King who is thought to be Henry IV. 6. St Dorothy, one of the virgin martyrs who holds a palm of martyrdom along with a basket of fruit and flowers. The basket is in reference to tradition which states that on her way to execution she was mocked by a pagan lawyer who said ‘Bride of Christ send me some fruits from your bridegrooms garden’. She sent him by a six year old boy, her headdress which the lawyer to be filled with the aromas of flowers and fruit. 7.St Barbara who also carries a martyrs palm and who is shown alongside as tower, which represents the tower that she was imprisoned in by her father. 8. Shows St Agnes who is shown with a sword piercing her neck. 9.Edward the Confessor.
(South side) 10. St John the Evangelist; who is shown making the sign of the cross of a poisoned chalice, with the poison emerging in the form of a serpent. 11. St Catherine; who is shown with a very small wheel this being symbolic of the spiked wheel on which she was tortured before her execution by beheading. 12. St William of Norwich. Who was said to have been martyred by Jews at Easter 1144. He is shown carrying a cross with three nails with blood blowing from hands and feet. 13. St Lucy who is shown holding a knife with two eyes placed on a book. This is in reference to legend which states that at her martyrdom her eyes were torn out but miraculously restored. 14. A bishop wearing a mitre. 15.St Cecelia who is also shown with a sword piercing her neck. The remaining two panels are each blank, possibly suggesting that there was an altar in front of it.
St Agnes
St Barbara
St Lucy
St John
A look around the church grounds shows nothing of any great rarity or interest. Two early 18th century chest tombs have their own Grade II Listing and a carving of a human skull peers out through lichen encrusted eye sockets, reminding those looking on to live a good life as we are all going to go the way of the deceased. This skull is shown with wings, symbolising the safe escorting of the soul towards Heaven.
It was time to head off, with a 90 miles journey back to the west of Peterborough. It was great to see the church here; one that I had wanted to see for some time. Open and welcoming with a wealth of history the church here is an absolute must visit if you are in the area. This was the 15th and final church visited of the day, and the 14th to be open to visitors in this most welcoming of counties.