Visit Eye, North Suffolk, England

Attractive Town, 15th Century Church and Castle with Panoramic Views

May 31, 2009 Richard Mudhar

Eye, with its castle mound and half-timbered architecture is a compact size well suited to exploring by foot or bicycle.

Eye is a small town in the heart of Suffolk, where the architecture seems to be just a little on the grand scale compared to what would be justified by its population. That means some great sights within easy walking distance, and the Castle Mound at Eye is perfectly suited to lazing about on sunny summer days.

The town is already welcoming to visitors by offering free parking near the town centre, just next to the exuberant and generously proportioned Town Hall, in mock Italianate style that somewhat dismayed Nikolaus Pevsner when he came across it. He declared the style "horrible". The town gaol was incorporated in the tower, just below the clock, commissioned for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

Eye is far enough away from other towns to retain a self-contained feel - it has kept its local stores, pubs and even specialist stores like the hardware store and chemist. It makes a good base for exploring North Suffolk and the terrain is well suited to a bicycling tour.

Eye Castle, and Castle Mound, Suffolk

Panoramic views are uncommon in Suffolk with its predominantly flat landscape, but the artificial mound upon which Eye Castle is built offers a good perspective over the surrounding town. In mediaeval times Eye was a raised dry piece of land surrounded by marshland, and the castle and church would have appeared on this 'island' of naturally raised ground in the marshland. The name Eye is derived from ieg, the Old English name for island.

The castle mound was constructed on the behest of William Malet after 1066, but the castle did not fare well, defensively. It was attacked Bigod, Earl of Norfolk in 1173, rebuilt, then sacked again in 1265 during the Barons' War. The ruins were left and the townspeople scavenged building stone from the site over the following centuries.

In 1844 local dignitary Sir Edward Kerrison built the structure which we see today as a folly, though it had a practical used as a house for one of his aides. Sadly the building was damaged in a storm in 1965, leaving the atmospheric ruin that visitors reach after clambering up the mound today. Within the remains of the false keep there is a wooden platform built for visitors to climb to get an all-round view, including a fabulous view of the 30m high tower of the 15th century church.

Eye Church of St Peter And St Paul

The church is very High Church in tone. The fine rood screen, restored in 1925, is an impressive sight - far too many of these have been lost in Suffolk due to the depredations of Cromwell's vandals. Looking upwards the decorations on the fine king post wooden roof are worth looking at, and the interior to the church is an impressive airy sight.

Bedingfield Almshouses and the Crinkle-Crankle Serpentine Wall

Returning to the Town hall and following Lambseth Street northwards past the bridge over the Dove river, visitors see an unusual wavy wall, the 'Crinkle Crankle Wall'. The builders were not drunk - this is an example of a serpentine wall, which is built just one brick thick, saving materials. The wall gets its strength from the serpentine shape, and the nooks can act as a sun trap and also shelter plants from the wind, making it good to train plants up the wall.

Opposite the crinkle-crankle wall are the Bedingfield Almshouses, a mid-19th century replacement for the original almshouses paid for by Nicholas Bedingfield in 1636. The Victorians inscribed the windowsills with suitably severe exhortations to make sure the beneficiaries of their munificence would not get ideas above their station - "Believe Right, Does Well", "avoid Ill for Heaven", and "Povertie, Humilitie, Patience and Charitie"

The compact size of Eye and its location in North Suffolk make it both a rewarding destination to visit and a good base for a touring or bicycling holiday in the Heart of Suffolk region.

The copyright of the article Visit Eye, North Suffolk, England in U.K./Ireland Travel is owned by Richard Mudhar. Permission to republish Visit Eye, North Suffolk, England in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Eye Castle and Castle Mound, Suffolk	Church of SS Peter & Paul, Eye, Suffolk	Rood Screen, Eye church, Suffolk
Crinkle-Crankle Wall, Eye, Suffolk	Bedingfield Almshouses, Eye, Suffolk