EYE SUFFOLK IP23 7AF

There has been a church in Eye at least since 1066,the present building dates from the 14th century period of architecture,which survives in the chancel arch,the arches into the chancel chapels and the tomb recess in the north aisle.
In the 15th century there was a period of building and rebuilding.The nave arcades were renewed and the clerestory in the nave and chancel constructed in the Perpendicular style.The aisles had perpendicular windows inserted and may have even been rebuilt.
All the evidence points to a period of 20-25 years of building work,which would have been quite usual for a church tower .The work probably started in 1454 with the grant of the Dowager,Duchess  of Suffolk,and the belfry stage with the flushwork decoration, bells and roof was started in 1470.The result of the fund raising and bequests was …one of the wonders of Suffolk,101 feet tall and panelled in flushwork from foot to parapet.
Between 1643 -44 it is believed that Eye church lost their rood and rood loft probably destroyed by the Puritan iconoclast William Dowsing,who became a parliamentary visitor to demolish the superstitious pictures and ornaments of churches within the county of Suffolk.
Eye of course was not the only church forced to lose their rood and rood lofts,many were crudely cut off at screen level and saw marks are still visible.
Rood or rood cross ,sometimes known as a triumphal cross,is a cross or crucifix, especially a large Crucifixion set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church.
In 1925,Sir Ninian Comper considered to be one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects,was commissioned to design a new rood loft and rood on the remains of the medieval screen.

Eye Parish Church

The earliest reference to the Common Hall was in 1451, although it is not known how long the building had stood on the site.
The Common Hall was the centre of borough administration,where the bailiffs and burgesses were sworn into office in September each year.Here they dealt with borough administration and held courts to keep law and order.
The Common Hall was on the first floor of the Tool House,and from the 17th Century it,together with the Gaol,House of Correction and the Workhouse formed a complex of buildings on the present site.
A new Town Hall was built in the Georgian style in 1757.In 1840 the lower floor was converted into a Corn Exchange, with the Council Chamber and reading room on the first floor.
By 1856 Eye Corporation had decided that the old hall was unsuitable,so it was demolished and the present Town Hall built on the site.The door from the old Town Hall is now the front door at 7,Lambseth Street.
The new Town Hall was designed by Edward Buckton Lamb of London.It was officially opened in 1857.Built of contrasting bands of white and red brick and lozenges of uncut flint ,it dominates the centre of Eye.
On the first floor is the Council Chamber,which was also used as a Magistrates Court.
A new bell turret was given by Charles Tacon to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.The small bell in the turret dates from about 1350 and was probably the Sanctus bell from the church.The clock comes from the old Town Hall.

Eye Castle is one of the few surviving motte-and-bailey castles from the early Norman period. Built shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the castle was sacked and largely destroyed in 1265 but was probably used as a defensive site for many centuries before that. Now, rather than dominating the surrounding area with military might, the castle offers a tranquil, fun and interesting place to visit.

The castle site has recently been restored and revamped, opening up new areas to explore and providing a viewing platform offering wonderful views of the church, Eye and surrounding countryside for miles around.

The castle is open daily from Easter until the end of October. During the winter months it is open on weekends only, subject to weather conditions. There is no entry fee. Accessible through a gate in Castle Hill, off Castle Street.

Opening Hours are 9am until 7pm or dusk (whichever is earlier) Between Easter and October. There is a list of keyholders by the gate, should one be needed.

The Guildhall was originally built for John Upson in the late 15th century and was rebuilt in 1875 by JK Colling to be a headmaster’s house for the Eye Grammar School.

A woman named June Drummond remembers several people who went to a painting class decided to have a small exhibition in one of the rooms in the Guildhall.

The outcome of that was ‘Let’s start an art club’, so into action they went and invited

anyone who was interested in painting to come to a meeting.

They decided, because of our association with the Guildhall, that we would call it The Eye Arts Guild.

The building still has a beautiful, intricate design and the corner post still has its medieval carved figure of Archangel Gabriel, and two arched window heads also have original carving.

The Bank was built in the 1920s and was listed in 1971. The building is a Grade II listing and has been converted into a non-profit art centre while preserving the buildings wooden interior and large glass windows as well as the grand stone exterior.

Now The Bank embraces a wide range of creative arts, including visual arts, music, theatre, literature, and performance There is a coffee house, exhibition space and educational centre, offering a wide range of classes and workshops, as well as other craft activities.

The Vault under the Bank is a high-spec digital hub hosting training, gaming, and a sound recording/editing studio.

In 2016, as apart of the New Year’s honours, Becky,a valued member of the Eye Arts Guild, and prime initiator of The Bank Arts Centre in Eye, was awarded the British Empire Medal, as cited in newspapers:‘Rebecca Lyne, Voluntary Co-ordinator Bank for services to the Community in Eye, Suffolk.’

Built of granite, this Gothic memorial was erected in 1888; it was designed by James Colling of London in memory of Sir Edward Kerrison, Baronet and a local benefactor. Kerrison was Member of Parliament for Eye from 1852 until 1866. The stone monument has a square base and a tall octagonal fleche with crocket finial.

The sides show the arms of the Kerrison family,those of Eye,and the arms of Gibraltar (where the Suffolk Regiment distinguished itself in battle).

The ‘Big Head’ was made by Ben Platts-Mills and Ray Brooks in 2003. Together they worked in a wood sculpting organisation, Treesculpture based near Coney Weston, Suffolk.

   Benjamin Fortescue Platts-Mills was born in Westminster, London in 1948. Ben spent two years at art college and two years as an apprentice carving marble in Italy. On his return to England, he commenced drawing and painting pictures, living in near poverty.

Ben lived in Eye from 1977 and after the great storm of 1987 he started the Eye Town Moors project, which enabled him to work in three dimensions and learn about the environment, trees, ecology and volunteers.

He lived with three others on a site called ‘Heaven’ in the corner of a field belonging to a sawmill. Most of his work was for outdoor public spaces, complete for a particular place and then transported but sometimes he carved a tree in situ.

Ben Platts-Mills died in Eye on the 9th of November 2014. He was a magnificent artist and a profound New Age Scholar. Ben’s New Age funeral was held at the Eye Community Centre and he rests in Eye Cemetery.

In 1943 construction of a class ‘A’ heavy bomber airfield was begun at Eye in Suffolk by the U S Army Engineer Battalions 827 and 859 and British contractors, and was commissioned early in 1944. It consisted of three intersecting runways, two large hangers, administrative buildings and enough living quarters for 2,894 servicemen. The base housed station 134 of the 490th Bomb Group of the US 8th Air force which operated Liberator and Flying Fortresses Air Craft.

Between May 1944 and April 1945 158 missions and 5,060 sorties were flown from Eye The Aircraft left on July 8 of 1945 and the remaining ground crew departed in August of the same year.

EYE WORLD WAR 2 AIRFIELD

The base was then handed over to RAF Bomber Command in November 1945 gradually run down and decommissioned 1961. Eye Church was on the approach to one of the runways and in consequence had a red hazard light fixed to the tower.

A black regiment the 932nd Regiment of Aviation Engineers was responsible for the maintenance of the base. Eye was off limits to white servicemen on certain evenings and to black servicemen on others.

In 1984 the White Lion and the experiences of local people, formed the basis of a TV programme called ‘Jim Crows Army’ about black servicemen in England during the War.

Members of the 490th Bomb Group veterans the ‘Eye Guys’ returned to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the airfield in 1984 and donated a shelter at Brome and a collection of books to the High School.

In 1992 they returned again to both Brome and Eye to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ‘friendly invasion ‘by the USAAF. A subsequent visit for the 75th anniversary was abandoned due to a world wide lock down in 2022.

Ley lines, also known as ‘leys’ and ‘dragon lines’ are a phenomena most people have heard of but few really understand.

Michael’s Gate is situated at the end of the car park, Cross Street about 300 yards from what is believed to be an ancient location ‘the gate of slaughter.’

An elaborate architectural wood carving with two piers on top lies an eagle and a swan. These are supporters for a cross beam made of three curved planks held together with pegs.

It is said that Michael’s Gate visualises the passage through Eye of the leylines known as Michael and Mary lines where they intersect, Michael leyline is one of the most important leylines in England, this ley line

runs from Cornwall to Norfolk passing through Stonehenge, Eye and across to the North Sea.

The author John Michell, who had so many connections with the town of Eye, published a book called ‘A view over Atlantis’ which suggested that leylines marked the course of a force of energy used in prehistoric times to connect divinity to humanity.

The Mary line is thought to be meandering and entwines around the Michael line, meeting at certain points.The Michael line is solar and masculine while the Mary line is lunar and feminine.

Interestingly Michael of the Michael/Mary leyline slays the dragon in the Book of Revelation.