St Mary
Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk
The 15th century St Mary's stands on a hilltop at the centre of a very beautiful village in Suffolk as a magnificent landmark in architectural splendour.
It has many unusual features for a Suffolk church: it has a stone medieval spire (the only one in the county); it was not rebuilt in the Perpendicular style (much of it is in the Early English and Decorated styles); and it has many Norman features (including Norman bricks).
The metal roof of the nave is a recent addition, dating from the 1980s. The interior is very special, for the Norman brick arches may be built of the earliest known locally made bricks in Britain, dating from about 1180. Historians have differed in their views about the bricks, some saying they are Roman, or even Tudor, but the current balance of expert opinion favours the 12th century date.
Bricks were also used to make the font, a most unusual material for such a purpose, and perhaps dating back to the 13th century. The north porch has fragments of wonderful medieval glass.
There is much else to see in this lovely old church, but it is the churchyard that draws many visitors, as somewhere here (there is no gravestone) is the grave of Maria Marten, victim of William Corder in the notorious 'Red Barn Murder' case of 1827. However the grave of Percy Edwards, of radio and television birdsong impersonation fame, can be seen.