Snape Church of St John the Baptist

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Like many medieval churches in Suffolk, St John the Baptist is remote from the village it serves. Or, it would be more accurate to say that the village is remote from the church, since the church stands on the main road from the A12 to Aldeburgh, and the village is off this road, a mile or so to the south. The position of the church probably reflects the fact that it is high, firm ground, while the village is in the marshes. 


There have been many internal as well as external alterations and restorations  over the years; not so many by the Victorians as was the common practice. The most recent of significance have been the rebuilding of the East Wall in 1920, (above) and the installation of a new organ together with improvements to the balcony and vestry at the millennium (below).


The new organ, and in front of it, the magnificent 15C font.

The treasure of the Church, despite some mutilation in the past, is undoubtedly the font, made c.1500 and once gilded. 
In his "Buildings of England: Suffolk", Nikolaus Pevsner describes "on the base a quatrefoil frieze, and inscription referring to Richard Mey and his family as donors; on the foot of the stem, small beasts crawling; against the stem, four signs of the Evangelists set diagonally, and kings and bishops placed frontally; against the bowl seven figures all holding one long scroll and in the eighth field the Trinity with the two donors". 



The font remains one of the most beautiful in the county.


Visitors are also attracted by the East window, designed and made in 1920 by Mary Lowndes.
"Mary Lowndes (1857–1929) was ... an influential leader in the Arts & Crafts movement, not only for her stained glass work and successful studio-workshop, but also for opening doors for other women stained glass artists. She was an active participant in the suffragette movement, acting as Chair of the Artists' Suffrage League, and creating poster art to assist the movement." — Wikipedia


A general view of the simple uncluttered church, looking East.



I think this was a representation of John the Baptist, but the details of who carved abd when, I do not know. All in all, an interesting church which I have passed many times but now visited!


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