St Mary's Church, Thornham Parva
| Church of St Mary | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Eye, Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 1955 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | St Edmundsbury and Ipswich |
St Mary's Church is a medieval church in Thornham Parva, Suffolk, England. Much of the fabric dates from the 12th century, and it is a Grade I listed building.[1] Originally the church served not only Thornham Parva but the neighbouring village of Thornham Magna, which is now a separate parish.
A church on the site was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, and there are still traces of Anglo-Saxon stonework in the present building. The roof is thatched. Inside the building are early-14th-century wall paintings—on the south wall the early years of Christ and on the north wall the martyrdom of St Edmund.[2] The church also houses a famous altarpiece, the Thornham Parva Retable, which is thought to have been created in the 1330s for a Dominican priory,[3][4] probably Blackfriars, Thetford.
The architect Basil Spence died in 1976 at his home at Yaxley, Suffolk, and was buried at Thornham Parva.[5] The graves of Dame Anne Warburton, the first female British ambassador, and the violinist, Frederick Grinke, also lie within the churchyard.
References[edit]
- ^ Historic England, "Church of St Mary, Thornham Parva (1285113)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 November 2017
- ^ "Suffolk Churches". suffolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ "Altarpiece restored". Yorkshire Post.
- ^ "The Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridge has restored a 15-ft long medieval altarpiece", History Today, 2003.
- ^ "SPENCE, Sir Basil (1907–1976)". English Heritage. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
External links[edit]
Media related to St Mary, Thornham Parva at Wikimedia Commons- Thornham Parva, St Mary "A church near you" website
