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Early medieval fabric
All Saints is understood to have begun as a simple nave and chancel, and still preserves rare early fabric beneath later medieval detail.
Mid-11th centuryChurch of All Saints · Little Bradley, Suffolk
All
Saints
Early medieval church · Grade I listed · Round tower
All are welcome
Services
First Sunday in Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct and Dec · 10am
Harvest Festival in October · Christmas Eve carols at 6pm
Open Saturday and Sunday in daylight, April to end of September
Little Bradley, Suffolk · CB9 7JG
About the Church
A small Suffolk church of exceptional age, character and beauty
Historic fabric, living parish
Tucked down a narrow lane north of Haverhill, All Saints sits across a bridge on the way to Bradley Hall, within a landscape of old manors, moats, fields and earthworks.
The church preserves unusually complete early fabric. Its origins are usually dated to the mid-11th century, with possible pre-Conquest fabric: a simple two-cell church of nave and chancel, later enlarged rather than swept away.
The round tower was added later, stopping at the straight west wall of the nave rather than standing free. The Normans enlarged the chancel and inserted arches between tower, nave and chancel; later medieval and Victorian work gave the building much of the detail visitors see today.
Today All Saints is part of the Stourhead Benefice, a community of eight churches in rural West Suffolk, and remains a living Church of England parish church, open and welcoming to all.
Why This Place Matters
02
Grade I Listed
Historic England recognises the church as a building of exceptional interest, including its early medieval structure and outstanding memorials.
Historic England03
Round Tower Church
The round tower is crowned by a later battlemented, octagonal upper stage added in the 15th century.
Medieval towerHow the Building Grew
An early church enlarged with unusual restraint
All Saints appears to have reached broadly its final footprint early. Later medieval and Victorian interventions changed its detail, but the building still preserves substantial early fabric and much of the character of a very early church.
First church
A simple two-cell building: nave and chancel. This early plan remains unusually legible.
Tower added
The round tower was built against the nave. It stops at the straight west wall, so it cannot have stood alone.
Norman enlargement
The chancel was enlarged and arches were inserted between tower, nave and chancel.
Later medieval work
Perpendicular windows changed the nave and chancel, while the octagonal upper stage was added to the tower in the 15th century.
Victorian restoration
Restoration in the 19th century renewed the church's fittings and roofs. Pews, a pulpit, a reading desk, a screen and stained glass belong to this later chapter.
Plan a Visit
You are always welcome here
Whether you are joining Sunday worship, visiting to see the church, or simply wanting a quiet moment of reflection, All Saints is open to all. Services are normally held at All Saints on the first Sunday of February, April, June, August, October and December at 10am. The October service is our Harvest Festival. Our Candlelight Christmas Carols service is held at 6pm on Christmas Eve.
- Services
- First Sunday of February, April, June, August, October and December · 10am
- Harvest Festival
- October first Sunday service
- Christmas Eve
- Candlelight Christmas Carols · 6pm
- Open
- Saturday and Sunday daylight hours, April to end of September
- Other access
- Normally by arrangement
- Address
- Little Bradley, Suffolk
- Postcode
- CB9 7JG
- Parking
- One space at the church; limited off-road parking just before the church on the right under the horse chestnut trees
- Facilities
- No toilets or facilities in or near the church
- Dogs
- Welcome on leads; owners must clean up after them
- Photography
- Personal use welcome
Access
- Drive to the door through a very narrow gateway.
- A low step of about 4cm (1½ in) into the porch and a similar step down into the church.
- Door wide enough for wheelchairs.
- A step of about 7.5cm (3 in) from nave to chancel.
Arrangements
Group visits are welcome by arrangement. Larger groups should contact in advance because parking is limited.
What to Look For Inside
Short details that tell the story of All Saints
A visit rewards slow looking: the building, memorials and setting all carry traces of the parish's long history.
Norman arches
Look for the arches opened between tower, nave and chancel when the early church was enlarged.
Earlier chancel traces
The building began as a two-cell church; the chancel tells part of the story of that first, simpler plan.
John and Alice Daye brass
In the chancel, Alice Daye's memorial to John Daye appears to turn grief, print and Reformation faith into Elizabethan wordplay.
Memorial connections
The Le Hunt, Knighton and Soame names help link the church with Tudor gentry, local manors, London trade and family memory.
Stationers' Company window
The nave window given by the Stationers' Company in 1880 is a later tribute to John Daye and the English book trade.
Victorian fittings
The pews, pulpit, reading desk, screen and stained glass show the careful Victorian layer within the older fabric.
Heritage
Where national history and village memory meet
All Saints, Little Bradley is a small church with a remarkably deep story. Set in a quiet Suffolk valley, it has served a parish that has often numbered only a few households.
Its round tower, simple nave, chancel monuments, stained glass and churchyard all speak of different centuries of worship and care. Some parts of the building may reach back to before the Norman Conquest, although the exact dating remains carefully debated.
Later layers connect the church with Domesday Bradley, Tudor families, the Reformation world of John Daye and Alice Le Hunt, Victorian restoration and the memory of local people buried in the churchyard.
A church in the valley
All Saints sits low in a shallow Suffolk valley, close to old paths and the headwaters of the Stour. Its quiet setting is central to its character: a small church serving a small parish, shaped by fields, footways and generations of local care.
Early stone and flint
The church appears to have very early origins, though the exact dating is still debated. Its story is best understood in layers: a simple early nave and chancel, a striking round tower, and later Norman enlargement.
People remembered here
Inside and outside the church, monuments, windows and gravestones hold the memory of Little Bradley families. They connect the building to Tudor patrons, Victorian restoration, village life and the continuing work of keeping the church open.
Village and Landscape
A church held within an older rural pattern
All Saints belongs to more than its churchyard. It sits among manors, moats, estate roads, fields and earthworks that help shape the way Little Bradley is approached and understood.
Church Meadow
The earthworks near the church have been interpreted as late Saxon or Norman settlement, possibly connected with the early manor landscape.
Manors and moats
Netherhall, Overhall or Norley Moat, Little Bradley Hall and Dearsleys help explain why the church sits within a scattered rural landscape rather than a compact village centre.
The Maltings
The Maltings is understood to be the oldest building in Little Bradley apart from the church, and is probably associated with Ann Le Hunt, nee Knighton, and Thomas Soame in the 1540s.
Lives Remembered
The Le Hunt family
Tudor gentry connected with the manor, the church and Alice Daye, with their family memory still present in the chancel.
The Soames
Through the Maltings, the Soame story helps link Little Bradley with London trade, family inheritance and nearby Little Thurlow.
The Lamprells
A 19th-century estate family whose presence is still visible in the churchyard, especially in the cluster of Lamprell graves.
First World War service
Several Little Bradley men enlisted during the First World War. Thomas Wimpress, who had lived and worked in the parish, served with the 7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. He was killed on 3 July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
Further local-history material on Little Bradley and the Thurlows is available through the Little Thurlow Parish Council history pages.
Giving
Help care for a Grade I listed church
Regular and one-off gifts help support worship, churchyard care, utilities, insurance, fabric maintenance, conservation of memorials, keeping the church open to visitors, and preserving this rare historic place for future generations. Giving is handled through the Parish Giving Scheme, with Gift Aid available for eligible donations.
Gifts help with the everyday costs of keeping the church open, insured, maintained and ready for worship, visitors and future generations.
Give to All SaintsParish
Little Bradley, All Saints
PGS code
330633184
Diocese
St Edmundsbury & Ipswich
Use this parish code when giving online or by telephone so your donation is directed to All Saints, Little Bradley.