St Mary le Tower

St Mary le Tower
Saint Mary le Tower church
The tower of the church
Location Ipswich, Suffolk
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Central
Website http://www.stmaryletower.org.uk/
History
Dedication Saint Mary
Specifications
Spire height 176 feet (54 m)
Administration
Diocese Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich

St Mary le Tower is the civic church of Ipswich.[1] It was in the churchyard of St Mary that the town charter of Ipswich was written in 1200.[2]

History

Although medieval, the church mostly dates from 1860-1870, when it was rebuilt by Richard Phipson.[3] Rebuilding was funded by George Bacon, banker and philanthropist. St Mary Le Tower is mentioned in the Domesday Book, demonstrating that the site has been occupied by a church since at least 1086.[4]

Memorials

The church contains a brass memorial on a chancel pier to H.A. Douglas-Hamilton, vicar from 1915 to 1925. There are also four brasses in the chancel floor.

Organ

The church has a large three-manual pipe organ, which has its origins in an instrument by Renatus Harris of 1690.[5] There was subsequent work by Henry Willis, Spurden Rutt and Bishop and Son. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[6]

Bells

The church was the first in Suffolk to achieve a tower a peal of 12 bells in 1865. With the addition of a sharp second in 1980, the current bells are all by John Taylor of Loughborough (except for No. 7, which is by Mears & Stainbank of London).

Incumbents

See also

References

  1. ↑ official website
  2. ↑ St Mary Le Tower, Suffolk Churches website
  3. ↑ The Buildings of England; Suffolk. Nikolaus Pevsner. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300096484
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ The Organ, its History and Construction. Hopkins & Rimbault. 1st Ed: 1855
  6. ↑ http://npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=A00297
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