St Edmund used to be the patron saint of England before Saint George came along and usurped his position.
A king of East Anglia in the mid 9th century, he was murdered by Vikings and later was made a saint and buried within the Abbey in Bury St Edmunds.
Nothing is left of his elaborate shrine as this was destroyed during the English Reformation.
All that is left of the Abbey, are ruins, within what is now the Abbey Gardens. On a green, besides St Edmundsbury Cathedral, are two statues, one of St Edmund, the other a wolf. As with other saints, St Edmund has legends attached to him, one concerns a wolf.
The church at Covehithe is a church within a church. The ruins and tower are mostly of 15th century date with earlier work being 14th century. During the Civil War the stained glass of the church was destroyed by the iconoclast, William Dowsing.
Due to the financial burden this large church had on the small village of Covehithe in 1672 the old church was deroofed and a new smaller thatched church built against the older tower.
The tower was at one time an important landmark for sailors.
Unfortunately the church was closed when I visited so I was unable to view the interior. I did notice 19th century graffiti scratched on the diamond shaped window panes. Graffiti going back hundreds of years can often be found in old churches.
The ruins are impressive, I visited on a sunny, hot day. The shadows cast by the ruined walls and arched windows made for a very atmospheric visit. There is some interesting flint work, something I’ve noticed at other Suffolk churches. It’s well worth spending time wandering around the ruins and churchyard.
The churchyard was a bit overgrown in places, this is to encourage wildlife and a number of churches I’ve visited are doing the same.
St Andrew’s has it’s resident spirit. A female ghost with no face, is said to haunt the churchyard.
The tower and ruins are in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
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