St. Mary`s Church (Hadleigh (Suffolk))
St. Mary`s Church is the splendid parish church of the attractive wool town of Hadleigh (Suffolk).
It stands in a charming little close, on the edge of which is not only the timber framed Guildhall but the magnificent redbrick Deanery Tower, dating from 1495.
The tower is 14th century, as is most of the church, and is surmounted by a lead covered spire. On the East face of the tower is an angelus bell which used to call the townspeople to mass. It is believed to also be 14th century, and one of the oldest bells in England.
In the chancel is an interesting bench end, showing a wolf holding the head of the martyred East Anglian King, St. Edmund.
Guthrum, the Danish King of East Anglia, is believed to have been buried in the churchyard of a former church on the site.