Church and PCC

St Michaels Church lies at the centre of the village and is part of the Upper Alde Benefice

Members of Rendham Parochial Church Council

CHAIRMAN:  Rector Martin Percival 

CHURCHWARDENS: Mr Charles Seely

Mrs Frances Hill, White Gate Lodge The Green IP17 2AX

HON. TREASURER: Mr Colin Walker, Bamfield at Half Acre, Saxtead Rd,
Dennington

FABRIC OFFICER: Jonathan Stevens, 1 Bridge Farm Cottages Sweffling IP17 2BA

Mrs Jean Palmer, Stonesthrow, Bruisyard Road

Mr Jonathan Stevens, 1 Bridge Farm Cottages, Sweffling (bells)

The Altar of St Michael's Church

Font lid made by William Boast carpenter of the Parish

John Wright Church Warden 1746

                                                Vicars of St Michael's

 

Floor Brass to Thomas King Vicar who died 26th April 1313

St Michaels Church Bells (pictures taken during renovation work)

 

Bell ringing practice every Friday 6-7pm at St Michael's Rendham. If you are interested, please contact Jonathan Stevens 664074 or John Tesh 663518

Old Tombstones under the carpet

 

 

 

 

Drawing by Jack Godefroy

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Rendham Church Cloc

The Clock with associated plaque of wood and brass. Engraved sheet, incised in Roman capitals of two different sizes, is screwed at four corners to a dark varnished wood backing. Inscription is surrounded with an 'Oxford frame' border

TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY/ OF (Names) OF THIS PARISH WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-19 THE CLOCK IN THE TOWER OF THE CHURCH/ WAS ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION 1919/

Fairs, Ernest George
Godbold, Ernest Jacob
Nicholls, Frederick
Woods, James

• Plaque
  Measurements: height 310 mm, width 460 mm
  Materials: Brass
• Backboard
  Measurements: depth 35 mm, height 350 mm, width 500 mm
  Materials: Wood

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St Michael's is an Anglican Parish Church but there are other Churches/places of worship in the surrounding areas

Christian Fellowship formally Cransford Baptist Church    Cransford

Quaker                                                                                Waterloo Avenue Leiston

Roman Catholic                                                                 St Clare's Fore Street Framlingham

United Free(United Reform& Methodist                             Framlingham

United Reform                                                                    Rendham Road Saxmundham

  

For information about the gravestones in the church go to the following site
www.pope-genealogy.me.uk/Rendham.htm

Churchyard Notes

At the PCC we've been discussing how we look after the churchyard here at St Michael's. Aware as we are of the Church of England's policy to uphold an environmental strategy on its land, we have been trying to keep a balance between the needs of our “users” living and otherwise, and our responsibility to nurture the special plants that live there too.

We invited Sue Stone of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust to share her knowledge and experience with us. She has come over a number of times and following an extensive survey and having found over forty plants that grow here, many indicators of an ancient Suffolk wildflower meadow, has made some recommendations based on her findings; now we would be pleased to hear from all our friends in the village as to how we should proceed.

At present the churchyard is cut overall four times a year. There are three areas that would benefit from being cut one less time, one being left uncut later than the other two, the timing being dependant on the “Wildflower Window” as Sue calls it. Wildflower area one is to the North West of the tower, area two is to the South West of the tower and the third, later flowering area is between the blocked up South door and the diagonal footpath, so loved by our dog-walkers. After each cut on these Wildflower Windows, the clippings would need to be removed, raked off and composted; we'd need some volunteers to help with that.

The rest of the churchyard would be mown, just as it is at the moment. With the right cutting regime we can get to enjoy the colour and form of plants that are suited to the conditions that only an unsprayed sanctuary can provide.

We have a little time before the next season to get things sorted. Here is a sketch of the churchyard showing where the Wildflower Windows would be. If you would like to help or voice an opinion, please do; it would be good to have a churchyard we can be even more proud of.

Jonathan Stevens

jonathanstevens@swefling-furniture.co.uk

Photos taken on 23 rd of July 2014 , showing various species of Bumble bees , a Red Soldier Beetle , cricket and a Hover fly , as well as a very tattered Meadow Brown butterfly. There has been an explosion of Scabious throughout the southern end of the churchyard (area between the church and the Village Hall gate which is our originally designated wildlife area) that has been a particularly pleasant surprise , bearing in mind those seed have waited many years to actually grow and finally manage to flower ! The Churchyard meadow is now becoming a great nectar source for many insects , as well as providing vertical structure and habitat for many other insects . It will be cut for hay in the next week or so, after most of these summer flowers have flowered and seeded - and by beginning of August it will be clear of long grass - to allow for another cut in autumn.

 

 

Article in local paper