Eye
Where is the Eye cluster of suffolk churches?
The historic market town of Eye is in High Suffolk in the Dove Valley close to the Norfolk border, just four miles from Hoxne and eight from Wingfield. The tiny hamlet of Thornham Parva is three miles to the south west, minutes from the Thornham Walks on the beautiful Henniker estate at Thornham Magna.
Known for?
A miles-from-anywhere feel with ancient moated farmhouses, thatched cottages and winding lanes.
Eye St Peter and St Paul
The stone and flint-panelled tower is said to be one of the country’s finest and dates back to 1470. In the south porch is a 16th century dole table where bread would have been distributed to the poor. The colour and beauty of the interior is the work of the great Gothic revivalist Sir Ninian Comper. The church’s masterpiece is the finely painted rood screen of kings, saints and bishops, dating from 1480.
Other churches in this cluster
Wingfield St Andrew
This beautiful church with its fine monuments was built to commemorate the college founded in the 14th century by Sir John de Wingfield. It contains three outstanding tombs of the de la Poles, Dukes of Suffolk who wielded political power during the Wars of the Roses. John de la Pole, who died in 1491, shares a tomb with his wife Elizabeth Plantagenet, the sister of two kings.
Thornham Parva St Mary
Jewel of a Norman church under reed thatch in peaceful rural setting. Enter the tiny doorway to see beautifully restored wall paintings and the priceless 14th century retable of saints resplendent with gilded and chequered panels, Britain’s largest and most complete medieval altarpiece.
Hoxne St Peter and St Paul
The embattled tower soars up over 30 metres from this medieval church with its long and impressive nave. The remains of remarkable 15th century wall paintings represent Saint Christopher, The Seven Deadly Sins, the Acts of Mercy and the Last Judgment. Much of the village history is on display in the north aisle including the link with St Edmund and the discovery of the Hoxne Hoard.