"St. Mary's is a very quaint, traditional style Suffolk village church situated very closeby the River Stour. The end of the churchyard permits a panoramic view of the Haltermann-Carless refinery, Parkeston Quay, & Felixstowe Docks. Despite its open churchyard aside the riverbank, the setting is so isolated it feels very secluded & tranquil. The stone church is obviously old & contains a beautiful mix of clear & stained glass windows. It's very light inside, partly due to the clear glazing & also because the walls are painted white. Despite the age of the building & its historical significance, there's plans to modernise the interior with a kitchenette. The main items of interest are 4 carved stone effigies of mediaeval age & a heraldic wall plaque. Erwarton Hall was where Anne Boleyn's family held their estate & she's known to have worshipped here as a girl. She requested that her heart be placed in a wall of the church after her death, & her portrait still hangs on the wall. But, although this persists as the local legend pertaining to St. Mary's, there's no record of where her heart was concealed, or sure evidence that the deed was ever carried through. A wooden box was removed from the church wall in 1838, but its contents cannot be proven as being from Anne Boleyn. So although locals like to believe that something of the executed monarch lingered on-site, it remains Erwarton folklore more than history. St. Mary's visitors book has some interesting entries, most notably journalist, John Sergeant; (c/o BBC, London. 07/02/2020)"

Roy

"beautifully kept ancient place of worship, visited with a friend who has also served his country (RAF) Suffolk is a really beautiful part of the world, I'm ex RN so I know! , I've travelled a bit . look forward to going back one day clear view over the river nice place for a picnic"

Mycat- smithy 05

"A pretty little church which survives from an early medieval church though little remains though the monument to Sir Batholomew D'Avillers, who died in 1287 in the south aisle and Sir Bartholomew Bacon and his wife, Anne which dates from the end of the 14th century.
More famous was Ann Boleyn Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I who used to stay at nearby Erwarton Hall and rumour says she asked for her heart to be buried here. Much of the building is 15th Century with Victorian revisions."

Peter Rowlinson