Wetheringsett, All Saints
The Church
The magnificent church of All Saints Wetheringsett is set on the High Street of the small village. It is a perfect example of a late-Medieval East Anglican church, dating from the second half of the 15th Century. The large building has a substantial tower and lofty aisles, and a clerestory which is almost all glass.
The interior is airy, and of perpendicular construction, with an overlay of Victorian restoration. High arcades draw the eye to the chancel arch and large east window.
In the late 1500s, Richard Halkyut was the Rector of Wetheringsett-cum-Brockford for 25 years. The first great British travel writer, he was responsible for drawing together accounts of the discovery and exploration of North America by Europeans.
There is a fine headstone dating from the early 18th Century in the peaceful graveyard of a grinning skeleton holding a dart and a shroud as he runs across the face of the stone.
Our Work
Three species have been identified in the church, with large maternity roosts of Brown Long-eared bats and Common Pipistrelles. They made a lot of mess during the summer months. The community struggled to clean the enormous church.
In 2021, the project commissioned Bernwood to undertake a full bat survey and produce a management plan. The preferred mitigation option was to install sails to catch the droppings and urine at strategic points in the church.
The project funded deep cleans for the church, bought cleaning equipment and supported Suffolk Bat Group to lead a popular bat walk.
Wetheringsett case study
All Saints Wetheringsett - Bat Management Plan
Upcoming events
If you’d like to contact or find out more about the church, visit their page on A Church Near You