Ipswich Minster, previously known as St Mary-le-Tower, is the civic church of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, England and a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. It was in the churchyard of St Mary that the town charter of Ipswich was written in 1200.

History

Although

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, the church mostly dates from 1860 to 1870, when it was rebuilt by Richard Phipson. Rebuilding was funded by George Bacon, banker and philanthropist. The church, then known as St Mary-le-Tower, is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, demonstrating that the site has been occupied by a church since at least 1086.

Redesignation as a Minster

On 19 January 2025, the church known as St Mary-le-Tower, was redesignated as Ipswich Minster in recognition of its increasingly important role in serving the community of

Memorials

The church contains a

memorial brass A monumental brass is a type of engraved sepulchral memorial once found through Western Europe, which in the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood. Made of hard latte ...

, on a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

pier, to H.A. Douglas-Hamilton,

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

from 1915 to 1925. There are also four brasses in the chancel floor.

Organ

The church has a large three-manual pipe organ, which has its origins in an instrument by Renatus Harris of 1690. There was subsequent work by

Henry Willis Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in bus ...

, Spurden Rutt and Bishop & Son. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

Bells

Originally there were five bells and a Sanctus in 1553 of which Miles Graye I of

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

recast the Treble in 1607 and the Tenor in 1610. The church was the first in Suffolk to achieve a tower a peal of 12 bells in 1865. With the addition of a sharp second in 1980, the current bells are all by

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell (instrument), bell foundry. It is locat ...

, of

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood Borough of Leicestershire, England; it is the administrative centre of Charnwood Borough Council. At the United Kingdom 2021 census, the town's built-up area had a popula ...

(except for No. 7, which is by Mears & Stainbank of London).

Incumbents

*Thomas Peacock 1542 *John Somerton 1555 *George Webb 1577 - 1606 *Nathaniel Roe 1608 - 1614 *Mr Nuttall 1615 *John Ward 1616 - 1620 *John Gooding 1620 - 1624 *Samuel Ward 1624 - 1627 *Mr Skinner 1628 - 1630 *Mr Raymond 1630 - 1632 * Samuel Ward 1632 - 1635 *John Ashborn 1635 - 1636 *Gawen Nash 1637 - 1641 *William Fincham 1649 *Mr Chapman ???? - 1662 *John Burrough 1662 - 1670 *Hugh Roberts 1670 - 1672 *Samuel Brunning 1674 - 1677 *Samuel Gotty 1677 *Joseph Cutlove 1678 - 1707 *Dr. Thomas Bishop 1708 - 1737 *Thomas Bishop 1737 - 1777 *Thomas Cobbold 1778 - 1831, grandson of Thomas Cobbold (1708–1767) *Francis Cobbold 1831 - 1838, succeeded his father *William Nassau St Leger 1838 - 1860 *Joames Robert Thurrock 1861 - 1890 *Afthil Arthur Barrington 1890 - 1904 *William Melville Pigot 1904 - 1914 * Hamilton Anne Douglas-Hamilton 1915 - 1925 *Arthur William Watson Wallace MA 1925 - 1928 *Arthur Herbert Streeten MC MA 1928 - 1942 *Richard Hamilton Babington MA 1942 - 1958 *Basil Layton Spurgin MA 1958 - 1972 *Geoffrey John Tarris MA 1972 - 1982 * Keith Brynmor Jones MA 1982 - 1996 *Peter Kenneth Townley BA. 1996 - 2008 *Charles Alexander Graham Jenkin, BSc 2008 - 2021 *Thomas James Mumford 2021 -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mary-le-Tower, Ipswich Church of England church buildings in Ipswich Grade II* listed buildings in Ipswich