- A feature from the February 2017 issue of Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine
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- Places
By Susannah George, along with Harry and Lily
Despite looking overcast and the potential of rain, we set off to one of East Anglia’s most picturesque villages. The parish of Kersey consists of Kersey village and four hamlets, Kersey Tye, Kersey Upland, Wicker Street Green and William’s Green. Whilst it possesses a significant assortment of medieval buildings, Kersey is also a vibrant community focused on its school, church, village hall and pub. Since our last walk in Thetford our little Lily has been very poorly. She was diagnosed with pancreatitis and as you can imagine we were very worried. Thanks to our wonderful vet in Stowmarket, Lily has made a full recovery. We have been taking it easy with her so a nice leisurely stroll round the pretty village of Kersey was the perfect choice for our walk.
We started by walking up Church Hill with St Mary’s Church in our sight. The steps leading into the churchyard are quite steep and with their little legs it must have looked like Everest to Harry and Lily. Although they are little dogs they are quite heavy so it was a matter of carrying them up one at a time. Just as we reached the top of the elevated position we paused awhile to admire the scenic views over the village and beyond. The church really is the crowning glory of the village.
The oldest part of St Mary’s Church is the south wall of the nave, which dates back to the 12th Century, indicating a Norman rebuilding of the original Saxon church. A more extensive reconstruction occurred in the 14th Century; the chancel was enlarged and the north aisle built and joined to the nave by an arcade of seven arches in about 1335.