St John the Divine is a landmark for travellers on the A14, it is among the county's mightiest towers. The tower is almost certainly by the same architect as Ixworth and Badwell Ash, which were both built from bequests during the 1470s. There is an inscription on the south east buttress, the name of a man who was an incumbent in the late 15c, at the time it was built: Syr Wyllm Maundevyl. So he was probably a donor. In 1476 , the will of Margaret Walter left 40 shillings for the fabric of the new tower, so this dates it reasonably well.
Forty years earlier, the monks of Bury had entertained Henry VI here, and this was a Benedictine foundation. The ancient way between the Abbey and this church still survives in part, in nearby woodland. What we see externally, apart from the tower and pretty red-brick decorated clerestory, is largely 19th century, for this church was in a bad way by then. This is all set in a delightful graveyard. It was closed for burials in 1900; it isn't huge, but has a large number of 17th and 18th century graves still in situ, particularly to the west of the chancel.
The most significant feature about the history of St John the Divine is that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was one of the flagships of the Anglo-catholic movement. The first impression on stepping through the doors is one of light and space. This is partly a result of a good conversion of the west end of the nave. Here, the most westerly arches of the arcade have been infilled with a meeting room, topped by a splendid balcony. The whole thing is in light maple and glass, with a curvaceous parapet and spiral staircase. If you walk through the meeting room, you'll discover that the area beneath the tower is now fitted out for the Sunday School. It is all done very well indeed, an example of how a medieval building can be adapted for modern use without losing its integrity.
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