St. Mary's Church, Bury St. Edmonds

It's only a 3-banger, according to Jenkins' England's Thousand Best Churches, but we found it pretty interesting, the structure, the decor, the carving, Mary Tudor's burial, and more. It took us two tries to get in. Such is the nature of these places. Saturday afternoon, despite all the notices and website, it was all locked up. We came back Sunday morning, carefully calculating our arrival for the interim between the 9:30AM and 11:00AM services. We were spot on, and a member of the congregation was there to welcome us and explain. It was the coffee/tea/pastries social time between the "informal" service and the "formal" service. We were happy to get in.

At the doorway; a mostly 15th century affair, with earlier bits and later bits

One of the largest of parish churches

The ceiling, with 11 pairs of "life-sized" carved wooden
angels watching over

Social hour, between the informal and formal services

The usual memorials

Choir and chancel

Burial of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, little sister of Henry VIII, of celebrated
beauty, married off to the king of France, whom she quickly wore out (without issue,
as the saying goes)...but she kept the title Queen of France

Then married her love, the Duke of Suffolk, without notifying her brother, now
the king, thereby committing treason; he forgave her, with an incredibly hefty
fine; it didn't help matters that she had a squabble with Anne Boleyn, one of her
ladies in waiting in France; her brother not one of those people you want to get
on the wrong side of; fortunately, she died young, was buried at the abbey in
Bury St. Edmonds, then moved here after Henry dissolved all the abbeys; not to
be confused with Mary, Queen of England, Bloody Mary

Chancel window

And ceiling

One of many such

One of several such educational bits

John Baret's cadaver tomb, built before his death, to keep his mind fixed on the
important things; also to let his friends know he had bought remission from
Purgatory from the pope (they were having a sale)

Nearest the chancel, one of two painted angels

Abaft the beam

West window

Pew carving

Samson window