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

Thomas Peacock 1542 John Somerton 1555 George Webb 1577 - 1606 Nathaniel Roe 1608 - 1614 Mr Nuttall 1615 John Ward 1616 - 1620 John Gooding 1620 - 1624 Samuel Ward 1624 - 1627 Mr Skinner 1628 - 1630 Mr Raymond 1630 - 1632 Samuel Ward 1632 - 1635 John Ashborn 1635 - 1636

Gawen Nash 1637 - 1641 William Fincham 1649 Mr Chapman ???? - 1662 John Burrough 1662 - 1670 Hugh Roberts 1670 - 1672 Samuel Brunning 1674 - 1677 Samuel Gotty 1677 Joseph Cutlove 1678 - 1707 Dr. Thomas Bishop 1708 - 1737 Thomas Bishop 1737 - 1777 Thomas Cobbold 1778 - 1831 Francis Cobbold 1831 - 1838

William Nassau St Leger 1838 - 1860 Joames Robert Thurrock 1861 - 1890 Afthil Arthur Barrington 1890 - 1904 William Melville Pigot 1904 - 1914 Hamilton Anne Douglas-Hamilton 1915 - 1925 Arthur William Watson Wallace MA 1925 - 1928 Arthur Herbert Streeten MC MA 1928 - 1942 Richard Hamilton Babington MA 1942 - 1958 Basil Layton Spurgin MA 1958 - 1972 Geoffrey John Tarris MA 1972 - 1982 Keith Brynmor Jones MA 1982 - 1996 Peter Kenneth Townley BA. 1996 - 2008 Charles Alexander Graham Jenkin, BSc 2008

See also

• List of tallest buildings and structures in Ipswich

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
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