Church of St Peter and St Mary

The Church of St Peter and St Mary dates from the 14th century. It stands at the centre of the medieval town and serves as its parish church. The double designation to Saint Peter and Saint Mary reflects a late-medieval amalgamation when the living of St Peter was combined with that of a separate church dedicated to St Mary. Tree-ring dating places timbers used in the spire of the church to the years 1362–1363. The main body of the church dates from this time, although the tower is later. The church was extensively restored during three separate renovations in the Victorian era. Young is buried in the church. The church contains memorials to residents of Stowmarket who died in the First and…

The church is built of local flint with ashlar stone dressings. The tower is of four storeys with a crenellated parapet. The interior was heavily restored by Richard Phipson, architect to the Diocese of Norwich, in the mid-19th century. James Bettley, in his 2015 revised Suffolk: West volume of the Pevsner Buildings of England series, notes the large number of memorials within the church to members of the Tyrrell family, local landowners. The spire existed in Medieval times, it was replaced in 1674, destroyed in the Great storm of 1703, replaced in 1712 and removed due to its instability in 1975. A further timber replacement was installed in 1993–1994, which replicates the earlier…