St Peter and St Mary's Church

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St Peter and St Mary's is an Anglican church in Stowmarket, Suffolk. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and the archdeaconry of Ipswich. Its earliest parts date from medieval times.On 28 July 1950 the church was designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage. The nave, aisles and chancel date from the mid-14th century. The west tower is mid-15th century ("new" in 1453) as are the clerestory and the north and south porches. The spire was re-built in 1712. The church was restored in 1825, a vestry added in 1855, the tower restored in 1894 and the spire removed in 1975. A new spire, with St Peter's keys in gold upon it, was added in 1994HistoryOriginsThe Domesday Book indicates a population of 650 for Thorney (Thorney Island) - the original name for Stowmarket, and refers to a "mother church", "a chapel" and "a market". It is likely that the mother church was an Anglo Saxon Minster church, with several clergy. This notion is supported by the large endowment of glebeland, 120acre, which supported the clergy. The Domesday book also mentions "the church at Stow" in the entry for nearby Onehouse.