This month's newsletter.... |
April 2024
The articles below include the 2 pages which the parish church is now allotted by the Mendlesham Community Charity in their newsletter but there are additional items too.
To download the calendar of Mass times as a pdf, click here
To download the calendar of Mass times as a pdf, click here
** please note change of email for any enquiries: Anne: a.f.m.gray@btinternet.com**
Mendlesham's Unique Tudor Armoury & Facelift project
The small upper floor of the North porch (parvise) forms a unique Armoury - “the most complete armoury of any English parish church” (Pevsner). Here is the parish collection of armour, first assembled during the reign of Queen Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and her consort, King Philip of Spain, when parishes were obliged to own armour and provide men prepared to defend the country in the event of an invasion. The parish church was often the only adequate storage space in a village.
All of the armour was second hand at the time and most from Germany or Italy. it spans over a century from late 15th century to early 17th century. It was particularly called to use at the time of the threatened Spanish Armada, when Mendlesham men joined those from surrounding villages in 'musters' in a way similar to the Home Guard of WW2. Amazingly it has survived in the same room where it was stored at the time. As well as armour, the room contains part of an Elizabethan longbow, several parish chests, a ‘Vinegar’ Bible and other artefacts. |
ARMOURY FACELIFT PROJECT
Covid restrictions forced us to close the armoury to the public, but St Mary’s PCC has exciting plans to restore and display this amazing heritage with better information and involving more in the community .... We are preparing to apply to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to enable this to happen, but this is a long process. As part of the preparation we are holding the Mendlesham Heritage Fair - reconnecting the community with its unique Tudor heritage - and are thrilled to have been awarded a Heritage Fund grant towards this and a further research project on historical documents at the Hold in Ipswich. So far for the Armoury Facelift Project:
|
Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a generous grant of £9.993 towards the Mendlesham Heritage Fair - reconnecting the community with its unique Tudor Heritage - and a research project.
|
Unfortunately, due to the large number of people likely to attend the Heritage Fair on 6 May the armoury itself cannot be open as it is too small to accommodate many at once.
However, the armoury film will be shown - and there will be both replica armour and The Tudor Group wearing authenitc armour re-creating the 'traynings' of the parish militia.
However, the armoury film will be shown - and there will be both replica armour and The Tudor Group wearing authenitc armour re-creating the 'traynings' of the parish militia.