St. Mary's Church has one of the best late 15th Century towers in East Anglia. You can even make out the inscriptions naming the donor and the mason high up on the west buttresses.
St Mary underwent a late High Church restoration in the last years of the 19th Century under the watchful eye of Richard Abbay, who was Rector here for almost half a century. Abbay was a creative and energetic man, and every part of this church shows his impress. His is the inscription on the south porch, and the medieval figure on the porch pinnacle was probably set here by him.
The nave was rebuilt at about the same time as the tower in the 15th Century, and has an excellent contemporary double-hammer beam roof, unusual in what is a relatively small church. The font is probably contemporary with the rebuilding of the nave, although the general feel is of a well-kept late Victorian church.
Many of the benches are, in fact, medieval in origin, but in most cases completely restored. The bench ends were mostly produced in the early 20th century under Richard Abbay's direction by a group of parishioners taught by Archdeacon Darling, the woodworking Rector of Eyke.
The above text contains excerpts from Simon Knott's excellent website www.suffolkchurches.co.uk , with grateful thanks.
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