Hasketon

Hasketon
St Andrew’s Church, Hasketon
Hasketon Location withinSuffolk
Area	6.81 km2(2.63 sq mi)
Population	402 (2011)
•Density	59/km2(150/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TM248506
District	East Suffolk
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Woodbridge
Postcode district	IP13
Dialling code	01473
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Central Suffolk and North Ipswich

HasketonVillage Sign

Hasketonis a village and civil parish in theEast Suffolk DistrictofSuffolk,England.

Its church, St. Andrews, is one of 38 existinground-tower churchesinSuffolk.St. Andrews stands more or less at the centre of its scatteredparish,and is set in a tree-shadedchurchyardwhich, in 1845, had been planted withbeech,firandelm.

History of St Andrews Church

There has been a church at this place for more than 900 years. This ancient church containscraftsmanshipfrom many periods. From what can be seen and derived from what little documentary evidence is available, the history of this church is as follows:

The 11th century: The earliest part of the present church is thenave,where evidence of lateSaxonor earlyNormanwork in the layeredmasonrywith which parts of the walls are faced can be found. There is also a little herring-bone masonry in the south wall, where there remains a tiny blocked window of this date. Clearly the core of the nave dates from the period just before or just after theNorman Conquestof 1066.

The late 11th or early 12th century: A little later theround towerwas added at the west end of thenave.

The 13th century: The singlelancet windowsin the north walls of thenaveandchancelsurvive from this period.

c.1300: Theround towerwas heightened by the addition of itsoctagonalbelfry-stage (later restored withbrick) and also received its west window. Some similar windows to those in thebelfry-stage were placed in thenaveandchancel. The 14th and early 15th centuries: Several of the present windows in thenaveand thechanceldate from this time; they probably replaced earlier windows like the blocked 11th century one. The north and south doorways are also of 14th century date.

At theReformationand afterwards, the interior of the church was altered to cater for the newliturgicalrequirements of the established church. Much of the colour and carvings went, also the stained glass and the rood with its loft and screen.

The year 1844 saw the arrival of new rector Thomas Maude, and it was he who was responsible for the restoration of the church by gradual stages. The font – originally given c.1450 by members of the Brewse family, who owned the manor of Hasketon from the late 13th century until c.1489 – was cleaned and restored shortly after the arrival of Maude, and a small gallery at the west end of the nave was replaced by a carved wooden tower screen. The major restoration took place during the 1860s. In 1863, work was done on thenave,the church was re-roofed, thechancelrestored and thevestryadded in 1865. Thenavereceived a new set of benches in 1866, and two years later theporchwas rebuilt. In 1899, a new bell was given and three others recast.

The present organ was given in 1904, the year the choir-stalls were also made. Thereredoswas erected in 1920.

Additions of recent years include among others the interior decoration, the kneelers, the festal frontal and the list of Rectors.

Today, the building is still in regular use for Christian worship.^[1]

Peggy Harrison (1907-1993), the widow of Sir JamesHarwood Harrison,1st Baronet (1907-1980), a Conservative Party politician, is buried in the churchyard. He is buried atBugbrooke,Northamptonshire where his family lived for many years.

Sources

1. ^St Andrew’s, Hasketon Church Guide by Roy Tricker, Gyppeswyk Print, Ipswich 2001

External links

• Website with photos of Hasketon St Andrew,around-tower church