Every Church has a story - St Margaret`s, Ipswich

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Just before the `lock down` due to the Coronavirus, I managed an hour in this magnificent church, just off Christchurch Mansion and park. Although the interior has been much modified by our predecessors, along with most in England I am afraid, there are still many feature worth recording and admiring. Firstly, the magnificent exterior.

The exterior of St Margaret on the Plain in Ipswich


The church sits on St Margaret's Plain, tucked into a corner of Christchurch Park. The park was the site of the Augustinian Priory, dedicated to Holy Trinity but frequently referred to in old documents as Christchurch. 

Estate Agents in St Margaret`s Plain which was part of old Monastery

One of the buildings opposite the church, now an estate agent, is part of the former monastery range, and its beams are full of delightful carvings.

Interior of St Margarets on the Plain, Ipswich

View from the nave toward the chancel and sanctuary.

St Margaret nave roof possible one of the best in all Suffolk

St Margaret has the best nave roof in Ipswich, possible one of the best in all Suffolk. It is a fine double-hammer beam affair, resplendent with (albeit restored) original colouring. The angels were dispatched by our friend Dowsing, and replaced, in 1700, by the heraldic shields.


The Royal Arms of Charles II hang at the west end

Font in St Margaret on the Plain


In front of the tower arch, there is the fine font. The angels hold scrolls, and the writing on the scrolls has been defaced - except on one. This carries the words sal et saliva ('salt and saliva'). This refers to two of the elements of sacramental Baptism. Why did it survive? Perhaps the font had been moved against a pillar during the 16th century post-Reformation reordering, and so this panel was hidden from those who destroyed the others. Perhaps the others carried words illustrative of the other six sacraments, with something else for the eighth scroll. The most badly vandalised angel has been recut into a simple cross, presumably in the 19th century, but it is rather odd - but a memento of turbulent times past in our religious history.


A commemorative window.

Gorgeous stained glass in St Margaret`s on the Plain, Ipswich

The lovely east window

In memory of a great Ipswich family, The Fonnereau wall tablet

The Fonnereau wall tablet

The story of two of the great Ipswich families (Cobbold and Fonnereau) is certainly fascinating and worth a read. Their respective links to the Cobbold Brewery, Holywells Park and Christchurch Park and Mansion, give some ideas of the many ways both families moulded and helped the town for the better over many years. The plaque above is a memorial to one of the Fonnereau who Ministered here at St Margaret`s.


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Location: Bolton Ln, Ipswich IP4 2BT

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