Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk, 1

Long Melford was to be our first 5-star parish church. Well, we'd seen some before, e.g., the Abbey Church in Tewksbury, but that was before acquiring the Simon Jenkins bible of British churches. The church was just a short walk from the Long Melford Hall carpark, across the town Green. Long Melford is not that long. (See helpful map below). The church was impressively large, said to be the richest of such churches, had a few curiosities, the burials of the wealthy wool merchants who financed it, as well as some nice very late Medieval glass. Alas, we are new to this, and it did not spark greatest joy among us. Nonetheless, I will give it two long posts. (We're in King's Lynn presently, I am way behind in blogging, with many pix to select and edit, and the connection to the internet here is strong).

Not that long; for those scoring at home, we walked from #3 to #2

The church is that long, including the Lady Hall appendage, which looks more like
a holy out-house

Fred and Wilma composition, as Vicki says

Below the crenelation, a line of funny faces

Still processing this one

Flaunt it, baby!

So large and famous it has a gift shoppe larger than some cathedrals

Nave view

Many more late Medieval windows to come

Elevation

Children's area

And back by it, this: the original illustrator for Alice in
Wonderland drew inspiration for the Duchess from this
window

The church's many features and curiosities are amply explained...

Sir Thomas Clopton, original Sugar Daddy

Really ties things together

Much, if not most, of the glass features local worthies, not saints, martyrs,
bishops, nor Biblical figures; seems to have come from a mold...

Ditto

St. Edmund

Big glass

Nicely carved pews, but note the brass missing from the
aisle; we assumed this had been stolen (there's been an
epidemic of thievery from these churches of late...mostly
the lead roofing material) but no, these brasses were melted
down by the diocese in the 19th century

Altar window

Adoration, antedating the church

Mind your feet

William Clopton, father of Sugar Daddy; see below; oldest ongoing rent in UK

Yeah, well, if it were 2 or 3 red roses, it might not be...