Tostock, Suffolk
The St. Andrew's at Tostock has a heavy touch of reformed puritanism. It looks clear but heavily Victorian.
William Dowsing (him again) personally destroyed 16 stained windows on February 5, 1644, because they contained catholic imagery. He also ordered 40 to be destroyed.
There are superb benches beautifully decorated at the ends, all animals (next page). Similar benches can be found in the nearby church of Woolpit, so they may have been made by the same artist. They probably escaped being destroyed at Dowsings orders because they depicted animals, not catholic imagery.
We visited this quiet and restful church on a Friday. The decorations on the benches and the beautifully arranged flowers suggest that a couple will be married here next day.
External link
Suffolk churches
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