Historic Churches in Suffolk

Only 4 miles from the centre of Ipswich, yet centuries away in terms of atmosphere, the little church of Akenham seems like the sort of place where nothing has changed for hundreds of years, and nothing ever will. The church is very simple, even plain, with a nave, chancel, south chapel, and tower inserted in the south wall.
Akenham, Suffolk, England, IP1 6TQ

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There was a church here at the time of the Domesday Book, but the current church of St Peter and St Paul is largely an early 16th century building, with an earlier 14th century tower. There may have been an even earlier Saxon church at Aleburgh, but if so, only limited traces of that building now remains in the altered roofline of the current church.
Victoria Road, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England, IP15 5DY

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Photos of Aldeburgh, St Peter and St Paul's Church
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Alderton is an attractive village south of Orford, on the Bawdsey Peninsula, near the mouth of the River Deben. There's not a lot to the village beyond some cottages, a country inn, and the partially ruined church of St Andrew, set in an odd position tucked away behind the pub.
The Street, Alderton, Suffolk, England, IP12 3BS

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Photos of Alderton, St Andrew's Church
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The village of Bacton lies some 5 miles north of Stowmarket, off the B1113. The parish church of St Mary the Virgin is a lovely flint rubble building dating to the 14th century. It has a clerestoried nave with aisles, a chancel, west tower, and north vestry. The oldest psart of the church is likely the west doorway, set into the wall of the tower. This round-arched door is probably 12th century. The tower has had a stair turret of brick inserted during the 16th century.
Church Road, Bacton, Suffolk, England, IP14 4LN

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Photos of Bacton, St Mary's Church
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St John the Baptist at Badingham is a fascinating country church, dating mostly to the 13th century, but with enough surviving bits and pieces to suggest that there was an earlier Norman church on the site. With so much to see that it is hard to know where to start, so let's begin with the orientation of the building. Rather than being aligned on the usual east/west line, St John's is set on a Northeast/Southwest line, so that the midsummer sun shines through the east window.
Low Street, Badingham, Suffolk, England, IP13 8JX

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Heritage Highlight: Superb late 15th century Seven Sacrament font
Photos of Badingham, St John the Baptist Church
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A medieval church with many Georgian features, St Mary's is located in an isolated rural setting up a long track far from a major road. Though the church is medeval in origin, the main interest here is the unaltered Georgian interior, essentially unchanged for the last several centuries.
Badley, Suffolk, England, IP6 8RU

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St Peter & St Paul's is a 15th century church with a restored angel roof, 14th century wall paintings, and elaborate memorials to the Reade and Croft families. Look for four traceried panels from a late medieval screen.
Church Road, Bardwell, Suffolk, England, IP31 1AH

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Heritage Highlight: 14th century wall paintings
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Bawdsey is almost literally 'the end of the road'. The little village lies on the north side of the River Deben, at the end of the Bawdsey peninsula. From here the road carries on to the old manor house of Bawdsey Manor, where radar was developed. The Manor stands by the river bank, from whence you can take a ferry across to Felixstowe. But you are far from the bustle of busy Felixstowe here; here there is silence, the rustle of the wind and the remote sound of seabirds circling overhead.
The Street, Bawdsey, Suffolk, England, IP12 3AH

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Heritage Highlight: 13th century altar frontal
Photos of Bawdsey, St Mary the Virgin Church
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The church of St Mary Magdalene stands high on a hill, overlooking the village itself a good half mile away on the valley bottom. Why is St Mary's so far from the rest of Bildeston? The usual (and usually erroneous) answer in cases like this is to blame a distant village on the Black Death of 1348-9. But the more practical and less romantic answer is simply a gradual move to be near the site of a market, which a 13th century lord of the manor established near the crossroads in the valley below.

Church Lane, Bildeston, Suffolk, England, IP7 7SB

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Heritage Highlight: Late 16th century Wade memorial brass
Photos of Bildeston, St Mary Magdalene Church
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All Saints church at Blyford seems like a little lost child that has wandered off and got lost. There is no village to speak of, just an attractive 16th century country pub and a few scattered farm houses. The church was originally owned by Blythburgh Abbey, and retains many Norman features, including two Norman doorways and a 13th century font.
B1123, Blyford, Suffolk, England, IP19 9JY

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Photos of Blyford, All Saints Church
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