Pakenham St Mary's Church aerial image
St Mary’s Church, Pakenham, Suffolk - aerial photo
Seen here from the air, St Mary’s Church stands prominently on its rise above the surrounding farmland north of the A14. It’s one of Suffolk’s few cruciform churches, its layout marked by a central tower and projecting transepts — an architectural plan much more often seen in neighbouring Cambridgeshire than in this county.
The story of the building reaches back to around 1100 AD, when a man known simply as Walter founded the original church of nave, tower and chancel. The chancel was extended in the 13th century, and the graceful octagonal belfry — an unusual feature in Suffolk — was added in the 14th. Later still, large Perpendicular windows were opened at the east and west ends during the 15th century, bringing in more light to what had become a substantial medieval church.
By the mid-19th century the structure was in need of attention, and architect Samuel Sanders Teulon undertook a major rebuilding in 1849, recreating the north transept and renewing much of the nave roof. His distinctive Victorian hand can still be seen in the north porch and fittings. A further programme of repair and reordering took place between 1980 and 2007, when the tower was strengthened and the exterior carefully restored.
Inside, the church retains its Norman south doorway and a richly carved medieval font decorated with symbolic creatures — a reminder of the imagination of East Anglian craftsmen. The windows hold stained glass from several periods, from fragments of 15th-century glass to 19th- and early-20th-century work depicting biblical scenes meaningful to this rural community.
Pakenham itself is a remarkable village, unique in England for having both a working windmill and a working watermill still in operation — a living echo of its agricultural past. The church, with its blend of Norman beginnings, medieval development and Victorian renewal, reflects the same spirit of endurance that defines the village around it.
Pakenham St Mary's Church aerial image
St Mary’s Church, Pakenham, Suffolk - aerial photo
Seen here from the air, St Mary’s Church stands prominently on its rise above the surrounding farmland north of the A14. It’s one of Suffolk’s few cruciform churches, its layout marked by a central tower and projecting transepts — an architectural plan much more often seen in neighbouring Cambridgeshire than in this county.
The story of the building reaches back to around 1100 AD, when a man known simply as Walter founded the original church of nave, tower and chancel. The chancel was extended in the 13th century, and the graceful octagonal belfry — an unusual feature in Suffolk — was added in the 14th. Later still, large Perpendicular windows were opened at the east and west ends during the 15th century, bringing in more light to what had become a substantial medieval church.
By the mid-19th century the structure was in need of attention, and architect Samuel Sanders Teulon undertook a major rebuilding in 1849, recreating the north transept and renewing much of the nave roof. His distinctive Victorian hand can still be seen in the north porch and fittings. A further programme of repair and reordering took place between 1980 and 2007, when the tower was strengthened and the exterior carefully restored.
Inside, the church retains its Norman south doorway and a richly carved medieval font decorated with symbolic creatures — a reminder of the imagination of East Anglian craftsmen. The windows hold stained glass from several periods, from fragments of 15th-century glass to 19th- and early-20th-century work depicting biblical scenes meaningful to this rural community.
Pakenham itself is a remarkable village, unique in England for having both a working windmill and a working watermill still in operation — a living echo of its agricultural past. The church, with its blend of Norman beginnings, medieval development and Victorian renewal, reflects the same spirit of endurance that defines the village around it.