The Bells of Oakley, Suffolk

The church stands on a site with pre-Norman origins, likely from the 8th century, and much of the present structure dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. Its most striking exterior feature is the approximately 60‑foot square tower, erected c. 1380 by Robert Bucton, Lord of the Manor. This landmark tower, adorned with diagonal buttresses, crenellated parapets, and Gothic adornments, was built just before Oakley formed a close connection with the Cornwallis family following Philippa Bucton’s marriage in 1400.

Remarkably little altered by the Victorians, the interior remains largely Perpendicular in style. The church retains original features such as a very steep and narrow rood-loft staircase built into the north wall, a piscina at the south altar, and a simple, roughly carved font set against the north wall. The south porch still contains fragments of medieval glass, hinting at its earlier, multi-level design. Among the notable memorials is a fine 17th-century alabaster tomb of Sir William Cornwallis, unified with local social history.

Inside, visitors will find late 19th and early 20th-century stained glass attributed to Heaton, Butler & Bayne, as well as an elegant glass mosaic reredos depicting The Last Supper—donated by the widow of Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker—with adjoining panels of Melchizedek and the Paschal Lamb. The porch entrance features weathered carvings including the Cornwallis crest and a playful ‘imp’ motif above the archway, preserving local heraldic and folk symbolism. Recognized as a Grade II* listed building since 1955, St Nicholas Oakley remains in use as part of the Brome and Oakley benefice, offering visitors and parishioners a well-preserved glimpse into Suffolk’s medieval and post-medieval ecclesiastical heritage.

The tower holds a ring of six bells. The tenor, second and third were cast by John Goldsmith of Redgrave, in 1711. These bells are particularly rare, with the founder having only cast 14 bells still in existence, between 1702 and 1716. The treble was cast in 1950, to augment the ring of five to six. The fourth was recast in 1958 by John Taylor & Co, during which time the six bells were rehung in a new cast iron frame. The fifth was cast in c1400 by William Dawe, and is subject to a preservation order. The bells are rung from a ground floor ringing chamber.

6 bells, 10-3-4cwt in G.