Monument record IKL 088 - Church of All Saints (Med)

This church is in the diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, the archdeaconry of Sudbury and the deanery of Mildenhall. Status: rectory (S1). The structure is: chancel, nave, S aisle, porch, W tower. The church shows signs of C13 work in the chancel, a C15 S porch, but generally the structure is early C14. With the exception of the Perpendicular S Porch, the church is Decorated (S2).
The chancel is Decorated, but part of the walls are Norman. There is a good trefoiled piscina in the S wall, near the E end, and the sill of the SE window formed the sedilia. In the N wall is a double aumbry. The E window is a big three-light, which has the whole of its head blocked up. Two trefoiled 'low-side' windows are present and there is a priest's door on the N side. In the early C14 larger windows were inserted into the chancel. In a window to the W are the arms of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Henry, Duke of Lancaster, his father-in-law (S2).
A great quantity of C14 encaustic tiles and other coloured tiles are laid in geometrical patterns in the floor of the chancel and sanctuary. Some of these were said, in 1818, to have been ploughed up in a neighbouring field although since 1893, if not earlier, it has been considered the tiles were in situ. A favourite motif on the tiles is two birds opposing each other (S3).
The church is thatched and contains an early C14 chest covered with beautiful wrought iron work which is probably the finest chest in existence (S2). Further architectural details in (S2).
This church was put on the "Redundant Churches List" in 1972. Conservation work was begun in 1974 (S2).
For recording of churchyard wall see MSF 10304.

Monitoring of repairs to the churchyard wall identified a rare surviving length of the original wall which may be medieval. Sequences of build, repair and modification were also identified and the original wall capping was shown to be triangular in profile (S4).

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2003 (S5).