Metfield St John the Baptist

What’s special?

• The handsome exterior with its soaring tower.
• The gorgeous flint flushwork of the porch and the curious ceiling bosses inside.
• The steady tick tock of the early 17^th century ‘turret clock’ which can be seen in the base of the tower
• The rare medieval canopy of honour in the roof over where the chancel screen would once have been, said to be the finest in East Anglia. Spot the Metfield imp at the centre of one of the panels among the monograms of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
• Surviving panels of the elaborate screen, now at the west end of the church
• The traces of the original bright colour on the 15^th century font

How old is it?

The village’s Anglo Saxon name was Medefeld which means ‘the mowed clearing’. Author Arthur Mee mentions a boulder by the tower thought to have been deposited in the ice age and the author Mortlock believes it may have been the focus of pagan worship. He also says the Christian church may have been built in the 12^th century by the Cluniac Priory of nearby Mendham whose chaplain served the parish until 1521.

Famous connections

• The arms of the Jermy family can be seen on the font. They held the manor of Metfield from 1325 and a later family member Sir John Jermy of Metfield and Brightwell, was made Knight of the Bath at the coronation of Anne Boleyn in 1533.

And today?

• The church is beautifully cared for by a team of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers. It is open and welcoming and you can see an exhibition featuring those who served in WW1 as well as a memorial to the American airmen who served at the Metfield Airfield 1943-1945 and were killed in action. One mile out of the village, on the Halesworth road and opposite Cherry
• Tree Farm is a marble memorial to the men of the USAF 491st Bombardment Group (H) who served at Metfield 1944; also the 353rd Fighter Group, ‘the Carpetbaggers’, and those who died in the Metfield bomb explosion July 15 1944.
• Community is thriving in Metfield! Find out more about the church at the Metfield Stores website.
• The very readable guidebook available in the church will tell you more about this fascinating building. Find out more about the church here.
• The churchyard actively managed with Suffolk Wildlife Trust resulting in a natural wildflower meadow where cowslips and orchids thrive.

What’s nearby?

• Take the Treasured Suffolk walk around Metfield and Mendham
• South Elmham Minster, not far away, was featured in “Britain’s Best Wild Places”. Like its counterpart in Norfolk at North Elmham it was probably built in the 11th century by the first Bishop of Norwich.
• Metfield Market on the first Saturday of the month.
• The well-stocked Metfield Stores, with seating, serving home-made cakes, drinks, ice creams, open every day but closes 2pm Saturday and 12.30pm Sunday.
• Pubs serving good food at nearby Mendham, Fressingfield, Harleston and Halesworth.
• Explore the lovely Waveney Valley with an audio walk.