Village

Found in the gentle folds of Suffolk, approximately 10 miles northwest of Ipswich, the village of Offton is truly rural. Some fine farmhouses, pretty cottages and contemporary dwellings lie strewn along a winding country lane. So does a stream by the name of The Channel.

Offton means 'Town of Offa'. Offa, King of Mercia, reputedly had a wooden fortress up the highest point.

Over the years, all conveniences have disappeared. The handsome Georgian vicarage was sold by the church commissioners, as was the Victorian school when it closed in 1965. Both have been private homes since. Strictly speaking, there is no pub either. The one commonly associated with Offton officially lies outside the parish boundary.

Suffolk Tourist Guide

Village hall

The village hall serves Willisham as well as Offton. The building, a surplus soldier's hut, was given by the Americans after WW II to boost the community and was expected to last for ten years. It still stands today, very much in need of refurbishment. Even if the cost is astronomical, the Village Hall Management Committee is working to get renovation realised.

Offton & Willisham Parish Council website

Church

Mr Simon Knott, eminent historian and creator of www.suffolkchurches.co.uk, writes
‘...In King Offa's time, when England was being forged by the interplay between the three great kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex, there was a castle, and it may be that the king of Mercia himself had one of his homes here, giving his name to the village in the process. This may only be a story, but it is a good one and there was a castle, on the hill above the church.

St Mary's is a pleasing mixture with an elegant unbuttressed 14th century tower and windows of all periods. To the south of the church is one of the county's most unusual outdoor tombs; a weeping woman holds a horse by the head, while a body lies slumped on the ground. This depicts the final scene in the life of Robert Wyard, who was found dead beside his beloved horse in 1867.

Step through the wooden porch and into the church. Inside, all is pleasantly 19th century, with the floor tiles of 1887 and 1870s stained glass overwhelming the medieval. The architect was Frederick Barnes.

I am very fond of 19th century stained glass, when it is not pompous, stuffy or poorly executed. I'm pleased to say that the glass here is very good indeed.
There is a fine Annunciation scene and the east window has the parents suffering their little children to come unto Christ, a splendid work of 1870. It has a slight hint of the surreal about it, since the little girl at Christ's feet looks exactly like Tenniel's Alice.

The glass was given by John Thompson, vicar here from 1858 to 1903, in memory of his daughter Helen. When Thompson arrived Offton church was derelict, but under his helm, it changed to almost exactly the condition it is in now, so the whole building is testament to this remarkable man.
One piece of glass, which is much older, is that of the arms of the splendidly named Bohuns, who were lords of the manor in these parts in the 14th century.

This church has one of the finest surviving medieval holy water stoups in the county, with a triangular hood. Mortlock thought it strange it had survived, given that in 1644 Dowsing visited and gave express orders for its removal, but there is no reason to think that it was not simply blocked up and then rediscovered by the Victorians.

The space under the tower is dedicated to the bells and boards record notable rings. The font stands near the south door, making a pleasing focus. It includes the symbol of St Edmund on its panels.

St Mary's Offton is a lovely church. I liked it very much.’


With thanks to Mr Simon Knott for permission to publish a condensed version of his report on Offton Church.