Blythburgh, Suffolk
The Holy Trinity church of Blythburgh seen from different angles.
A gate in the walled in terrain gives access to the churchyard and the church, which as most Suffolk churches has flint walls. High in the nave are windows fitted with clear glass in Roman arches, making this the most clearly lit church that we encountered in East Anglia; the interior is evenly and pleasantly lit through this clerestory, adding a sense of transparency.
As in so many places you can see the remnants of the puritan purge during Cromwell's reign. However, much of the damage attributed to the puritans, notably William Dowsing, is probably incorrect. It appears (see brief history) that "the story that Cromwell's soldiers tethered their horses in the church and peppered the angels in the roof with shot from their muskets is (..) less credible. Studies of the lead shot, of a type not known in Dowsing's time, and noting payments by the churchwardens many years later for the shooting of jackdaws in the church, provide a more likely explanation for the damage." However, very considerable damage was done by and on the instruction of William Dowsing. He was the Parliamentary Visitor officially appointed in 1643 to carry out and supervise in Suffolk the destruction of altars, imagery and "superstitious" inscriptions. He ordered the destructions to be carried out upon his visit to Blythburgh in April 1644, but fortunately not all his instructions were fully carried out.
External links
Holy Trinity, Blythburgh
A brief history of Blythburgh
Holy Trinity, Blythburgh
Blythburgh in Wikipedia
William Dowsing
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