Suffolk is a modest county. We tend to keep our light well hidden under a bushel, and there’s no better example of this than in the village of Brent Eleigh.
As you climb the gentle hill out of the village, at the start of a lovely circular walk via Lavenham, make time to drop into the church set back among trees.
At the entrance to the short driveway a sign informs you of ‘13th century mediaeval wall paintings’, the ‘earliest and finest in England’. They’re underselling it somewhat.
This unspoilt country church holds a wealth of history accumulated over almost eight centuries.
The story of St Mary’s begins around 1250, when it was probably built by the Norfolk Shelton family, Lords of the Manor at the time, or possibly the monks of St Osyth’s Priory in Essex.
Like so many other parish churches, it has survived against the odds, escaping destruction in the 16th century Reformation, and the ravages of William ‘Smasher’ Dowsing, a Suffolk Puritan who was appointed in 1643 to strip East Anglia’s churches of their ‘monuments of idolatry and superstition’.
Few came through unscathed, and St Mary’s is no exception. Much was removed in the attempt to rid the little church of all adornments, but someone had the good sense to safeguard the beautiful paintings on the east wall by throwing a coat of whitewash over them.
Life in the parish went on under the beneficence of the Colman family, Lords of the Manor since the 1600s, and in 1720 a library was built behind the chancel.
Scraping away the thin wash revealed the paintings in all their faded glory. Brent Eleigh had something very special, although their true importance wasn’t known until in 1979, when they were examined by Professor Pamela Craig (Lady Wedgwood), a medieval art historian, known for her 1986 television series The Secret Life of Paintings.
It’s hard for us in the 21st century to comprehend just how important a role these paintings played in the moral life of medieval parishioners. We admire them for their antiquity and beauty, but to 13th century worshippers they were a form of religious study.
They showed great biblical events, stories of the gospel and often a depiction of the day of judgement, which served as a reminder of man’s mortality.
The paintings in St Mary’s are quite sophisticated in their execution and are thought to have been painted by someone familiar with similar work in Westminster Abbey. The parish could clearly afford to hire a top man for the job, maybe thanks to the burgeoning Medieval wool trade which made this part of Suffolk wealthy.
Above the altar is a horizontal panel showing the Crucifixion, with St John and the Virgin Mary, while on the right a scene depicts the Harrowing of Hell.
There are lots of other outstanding features to see at St Mary’s: the rare U-shaped mahogany altar rail, the box pews constructed from the old library, the splendid Italian marble memorial to benefactor Edward Colman carved by Thomas Dunn, the 13th century Purbeck marble font and Stuart cover.
Impressively, St Mary’s still has its original 13th century door with a sanctuary ring. Under medieval English common law, the ring or knocker afforded the right of asylum to anybody who touched them.
I didn’t exactly stumble upon St Mary’s. It was Michael Warner, treasurer and secretary to the PCC, who wrote to tell me that the paintings would be 750 years old this year and would I like to help spread the word?
Of course I would. I’m fascinated by the enormous amount of history held in our parish churches – and a visit to St Mary’s was the perfect excuse for a walk in this beautiful part of Suffolk.
THE WALK
S. Start at Brent Eleigh; there’s a parking area at the bottom of the hill leading up to the church. Walk up the hill then go left at a triangular green.
1. About 200 metres further on, turn left at the signed footpath and follow it for about 2.5 km (1.5 miles). This is Clay Lane, a sheltered track, with views across the surrounding countryside glimpsed between the hedges.
Reaching Clayhill Farm, keep straight on and descend towards Lavenham.
You’ll pass Lady Street on the right; this leads up to the Market Place and the Guildhall, should you wish to make a detour and spend some time sightseeing in one of Britain’s best preserved medieval villages.
Reaching the junction with High Street, with The Swan Hotel on the corner, turn left and head uphill to Bear’s Lane.
B Continue along this lane, past Mill Cottage and Weaner’s Farm, to Bear’s Lane Farm where the lane peters out.
4. Follow the sign to an enclosed footpath on the left, which runs alongside the farmhouse.
Continue along this grassy path, along the left edge of a field, turning right where it reaches another field.
The path curves left then reaches a junction where the track ascends steeply to the right. Ignore this; instead find the path on the left in a young plantation of trees, to the right of a stream.
When the path reaches a concrete drive, turn right, then immediately left, and continue along the track until you reach the junction with Cock Lane.
5. Turn left along the lane, descending to the junction with Brent Eleigh Road and The Cock pub on your left.
Cross over the road and keep straight ahead into Brent Eleigh village, heading over the bridge and along Hall Road back to the church.
Distance/time: 5miles/8km; 2.5 hours, plus time to see the church in Brent Eleigh and some sights in Lavenham.
Start: Hall Rd, Brent Eleigh, Sudbury CO10
Access: minor roads, footpaths, urban footpaths, field edges.
Map: OS Explorer 196 Sudbury, Hadleigh & Dedham
Facilities: toilets in Lavenham, food and drink in Lavenham; The Cock, Brent Eleigh; Corncraft, Monks Eleigh.
