Monument record HTT 004 - Church of St Ethelbert

The church lies within the diocese of St Edmundsdbury and Ipswich, the archdeaconry of Sudbury and the deanery of Lavenham. (S1)
The structure is: chancel, nave, N aisle, S aisle, side chapels, W tower, S porch. The style of architecture which dominates the church is Perpendicular, except for the chancel which is Decorated. (S2) The E window in the chancel is Decorated and contains glass dating from the C14. The other windows in the chancel are Perpendicular insertions. The font is Perpendicular and is a stone octagon with a panelled stem and a decorated bowl. The rood screen is late Decorated, dating from the C15, but it has been repainted. There is a clerestory of 4 Perpendicular windows, on either side of the nave. The nave roof is C15 and is a low-pitched arch brace. The N aisle roof is C15. At the E end of the N aisle is a chapel dedicated to John Hoo and his wife, Katherine, dating from C15. There are 2 wall paintings in the N aisle and 2 in the S aisle. The S aisle formerly contained a chapel to the Virgin Mary and her figure remains on the wall. The W tower is a square, embattled tower of flints with buttresses. The S porch was added towards the close of the C15. (S2) The treasures of Hessett Church are a C15 Sindon or Pyx Cloth circa 1420 (thought to be the only remaining example in England) and a Burse or Corporas Case. (S2) In circa 1900 the roofs of the nave and the S aisle were restored. (S2)
1996: An ARCHAEOlogical investigation was carried out when the chancel stalls were removed for restoration. Study of the architectural retails showed that the nave was later than the chancel and the rood screen was of a different date to the chancel and chancel stalls. The excavation revealed that the chancel floor had been lowered and that the rood screen and stalls had been reset at this time. At the base of the chancel arch, the moulded stopsd had been hacked away to insert the screen. This had been done crudely, suggesting that it was done later than the nave rebuild, when skilled masons would have been on site. (David Gill for Suffolk County Council and English Heritage). See (S3).