Polstead church of St Mary
A distant view of Polstead church of St Mary as we approached. Beautiful surroundings in the pretty village of Polstead with its lovely pond.
St Marys is a delightful church dating originally from 1160 but with major alterations in the 1400’s and 1500’s. Still retaining some Norman clerestory windows, its stone spire is the only remaining one of its kind in Suffolk.
North view
South view
St Mary has an unusual nave roof. Back in the 1980s, essentail repairs had to be carried out economically. Aluminium was chosen, and is a striking sight from a distance on a sunny day.
The stone spire
The entrance
Not difficult to see in the stonework where previous alterations have been made.
One of the little clerestory windows
An extraordinary brick octagonal font, which might be any age, but is set on a 13th century base.
The most striking aspect of the interior is the colour, the combination between white walls and the red brick of the arcade arches. These bricks bear close examination. They date from the original construction of the arcades, about the year 1200, and yet they are clearly not reused Roman bricks. So, we have here what may be the oldest surviving English bricks still in use for their original purpose - bricks of a similar age can be found at the Hall at nearby Little Wenham,
At the west end of the nave there is a large opening above the tower arch. This might be dismissed as a sanctus bell window, but some think it might be an entrance to the tower itself, that a ladder could be drawn up.
The Brands lived at Polstead Hall which you can still see to the west of the church. It is said that the little boy Benjamin was killed in a fall from one of the upper storey windows.
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