St Mary the Virgin's Church, Stonham Parva

St Mary the Virgin’s is a redundant Anglican church standing in the quiet village of Stonham Parva, Suffolk. It sits ten miles north of Ipswich, just west of the A140, under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The building is listed Grade I for its outstanding historic interest. Its nave and chancel were built in the 14th century, then remodelled in the early 16th century. A 19th-century restoration by E. F. Bishopp refreshed the fabric while keeping earlier features. The church shows Perpendicular style in its tower, clerestory and chapel, all dressed with flushwork tracery and pinnacles. The nave roof is a double hammerbeam with carved figures, while the chancel roof carries angels above its collar beams. Stonework includes a 15th-century piscina, a 15th-century octagonal font with lions and angels, and the Royal Arms of Queen Anne on the nave wall. Five bells hang in the tower, the oldest dating from about 1490 and the newest from 1817. Inside, visitors find a south chapel with statues of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and the Four Evangelists. A gallery from the early 18th century overlooks the nave, and a slate tablet to Gilbert Mouse of 1622 shows memento mori carvings. The organ, built in 1929 by J. Rayson and Son, completes the furnishings. Outside, the flint tower and crow-stepped gables frame the low Suffolk landscape.