SuffolkAKENHAMStMary(nchadwickCC-BY-SA2.0)1 NChadwick

St Mary

A rural church on the edge of modern life.

Akenham, Suffolk

Opening times

Open first Saturday of the month May to August.
Key available at other reasonable times.

Address

Akenham
Suffolk
IP1 6TQ

Up a track and through fields, though now on the edge of Ipswich housing developments, St Mary's remains rural and remote.

This small and simple flint towered church dates mainly from the later Middle Ages, apart from the brick south chapel added in the 16th or 17th century. The interior is simple but beautiful and contains a wonderful carved font with traceried panels around the bowl. A piscina in the chapel and a blocked north doorway in the nave were uncovered during recent repairs.

The solitary gravestone to the north of the church of a two year old boy (who died in 1878) helped to alter the Burial Laws of England.

This church is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust

  • Captivating architecture

  • Fascinating churchyard

  • Glorious furnishings

  • Social heritage stories

  • Spectacular stained glass

  • Accessible toilets nearby

  • Dog friendly

  • Level access to the main areas

  • On street parking at church

  • Parking within 250m

  • Space to secure your bike

  • Walkers & cyclists welcome

  • Churches Conservation Trust

Contact information

Other nearby churches

Castle Hill Church

Ipswich, Suffolk

The church was built in 1956 and is Grade II because of its unusual architecture, particularly the walls which contain hundreds of small panes of coloured glass.

St Mary le Tower

Ipswich, Suffolk

It was in the churchyard of St Mary that the town charter was written in 1200.