Is there anyone who can spare the odd quarter of a million for the church roof?

I may have mentioned in the past that, whilst Suffolk doesn’t have the most exciting landscape, what we do have is built environment, in particular some of the finest medieval churches in the country. The only problem with that is that they do need rather a lot of care and attention.

St John the Baptist Parish Church in Needham Market is just one of many fine churches, but I have a particular interest as they are currently attempting to raise rather a lot of money to repair the leaky roof. Sadly, it is not simply a case of repairing and replacing tiles.

Stunning late C15 roof, St John the Baptist, Needham Market. From new Pevsner #Suffolk: West http://t.co/Z5MyHg4ChR pic.twitter.com/tAsbejorKl

— Pevsner Guides (@YalePevsner) April 16, 2015

Built in the second half of the fifteenth century as a mere chapel of ease to the then primary parish church at nearby Barking, it has a double hammerbeam roof, in which the need for cross-beams is obviated by the support of the roof's thrust on hammers along the north and south nave walls. Henry Munro Cautley, who was the Diocesan architect for St Edmundsbury and who published “Suffolk Churches and their Treasures” in the 1930s, thought it had no equal in all of England, whilst the perhaps more famous Sir Nikolaus Pevsner concluded,

The roof had to be described in detail to make everyone appreciate what the significance of Needham Market is.

He noted that it was described by Crossley as “the climax of English roof construction” and by Cautley (again) as “the culminating achievement of the English carpenter”.

Unfortunately, five hundred years of age and neglect – the roof was hidden behind a false ceiling in the eighteenth century and only uncovered again in the late nineteenth century – have taken a toll. Wet rot has been discovered and, worse still, deathwatch beetles are slowly munching their way through the timbers. As a resident of a house with timbers of a similar age, I know just how bad that can be.

But, I hear you ask, why the interest? Well, a fundraising campaign has been set up and Ros has been asked to be its Patron, something she was more than happy to do. The campaign is formally launched this evening, so I’ll be there in my consort role. And, if you happen to know anyone with a lot of money and an interest in medieval church architecture, do pass them in my direction, won’t you?