By C. E. Pouting, F.S.A. 



121 



1st. As might have been expected from the geological conditions 

 of the locality, they are all built to a large extent of flint. 



2nd. In five out of the six Churches the nave is older than the 

 chancel. 



3rd. Where there are aisles the nave arcades are Norman work 

 and the oldest parts of the structure. 



The two latter points seem to throw a doubt on the very 

 generally prevailing idea as to the order in which the Churches 

 were originally built, It is difficult to suppose that in all these 

 cases there were pre-Norman chancels against which the naves were 

 built, and if not, then the order would seem to be — first the arcades, 

 then the ends of the nave, after which followed the outer walls of 

 the aisles, and last of all the chancel (excepting, of course, divergences 

 to be mentioned later on), and Mildenhall Church is a valuable 

 instance of the slow growth of these structures. 



Mildenhall. St. John the Baptist. 



The plan of this Church consists of a clerestoried nave with aisles 

 of three bays, south porch, chancel, and western tower. 



On entering the Church we are met by the somewhat alarming 

 inscriptions on the wooden shields affixed to the roof -trusses, in- 

 forming us that :— 



" This Church, deeply in decay, has been all but re-builded generously and 

 piously at their own expense in 1816 " 



by twelve persons whose names are given. But on closer scrutiny 

 it will be seen that fortunately the term " all but re-builded " is a 

 slight exaggeration, for the only structural work then done was the 

 alteration of the middle window of the south clerestory, and the 

 fabric of this most interesting Church remains intact. 



The earliest work is the south arcade of three bays of semicircular 

 arches of two orders with square edges and moulded labels, supported 

 by cylindrical columns with carved capitals having square abaci 

 notched at the angles to follow the section of the arches. The 

 capitals vary in the design of their ornaments, and are in good 

 preservation. It will be noticed that the one facing the south 

 entrance has heads at two of its angles with hands stretched out 



