Detail of the 1926 east window by Archibald K.Nicholson depicting the resurrected Christ flanked by angels, a striking design with a very effective limited palette.
It was starting to rain by the time I got to Great Ashfield (as a few tell-tale spots from water droplets on my lens may reveal in a few shots) so I was all the more pleased to find All Saints church open to escape the weather, I didn’t loiter outside for long!
Great Ashfield church is more humble than many of its better known neighbours but is an interesting place nonetheless. The first thing one notices stepping inside is how much ancient woodwork remains here, with medieval nave pews and a handsome Jacobean pulpit with canopy. The pews have poppyheads but alas the animal carvings here are in poor condition, many broken away altogether and those that remain usually lacking their faces or heads altogether. They do not appear to have been as of high quality as the better known (and preserved) sets in the area but it is still regrettable a few did not survive the centuries in better shape.
What excited me more here was the glass. As a visitor from the Midlands I am often struck by how little stained glass many East Anglian churches have compared to those on my home patch, but here are two interesting pieces from either end of the 20th century. The east window is a handsome piece by Archibald K.Nicholson and one of the finest works I’ve seen by this artist (not one renowned as a colourist but here he gets it just right with a bold use of blue, white and yellow). In the north aisle is a simpler work executed purely in coloured glass and lead by local artist Surinder Warboys, installed as part of the memorial in the north aisle to the 385 Bombardment Group.
All Saints church appears to be normally normally open to visitors (and is especially appreciated by those caught in rain showers!).
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/greatashfield.html
Posted by Aidan McRae Thomson on 2019-12-26 15:38:59
Tagged: , Great Ashfield , church , Suffolk , stained glass , window , A.K.Nicholson