Ixworth
Our Church
We are a welcoming church in the heart of our village. We have Communion
services every Sunday at 9.30am, a said BCP Holy Communion on the
second Saturday at 5.30pm, and and a weekly Morning Prayer at 9am on
Thursdays. We hold a lively Messy Church at 10am on the fourth Sunday of
the month.
We have good links with the Church of England Primary School in the
village, who regularly come to church to celebrate the seasons of the church
year. Several of us are School Governors and are very proud of the work
we do there. We also have an Open the Book team who go into school
to act out Bible stories on a regular basis.
We hold a weekly Coffee Morning at 10am on Thursdays, so do come along for company and chatter!
We support parishioners in the residential homes in the village, bringing in communion and singing.
The fine church at Ixworth reflects the importance of the little town in the Middle Ages. It dates from the 14th century, and was substantially enlarged during the 15th and early 16th centuries. Built of flint, some knapped, it is set slightly back from the High Street. The south porch and doorway both date from the 14th century. Look up to the roof of the five-bayed 15th-century nave where angels with spread wings gaze down from the ends of the braces. Alterations were made in the mid 19th century when the vestry was built and the 14th-century chancel much changed. The great west tower was built in the late 15th century, with walls six feet thick. Its buttresses, plinth and parapet are decorated with panels of knapped flint.
Ixworth has a peal of eight bells, two of which were added in this century, and a fine late-Victorian organ. Bell Teams from other churches often come to ring.
Our Parish
Ixworth with Ixworth Thorpe, the largest of the Blackbourne Team Ministry parishes, lies at the southernmost end of the Blackbourne Team area, with a population of just over 2365 (2011). Over the last 40 years the village has grown considerably, but at its heart is a thriving Church community.
Our village is served by a good range of shops, together with public houses, restaurants and food outlets in the busy medieval High Street. There are two schools (Primary and Secondary), care homes, fire and police stations and a well respected doctors' surgery and pharmacy, together with the branch library in the well-used village hall. Currently there are over twenty different voluntary organizations providing activities as varied as playgroup, Over 60s Club, outdoor bowls and carpet bowls, angling, Royal British Legion, army cadets and many more. The monthly Newsletter keeps us all in touch, and the Church is a regular contributor. The parish also has a website and Facebook page.
Today Ixworth is a busy, thriving and exciting place with its mixture of old and new, and forms a vibrant and caring community with something for everyone.
The parish also includes the nearby hamlet of Ixworth Thorpe, with its tiny self-contained population. Services are regularly held in the thatched church, dating back to Norman times, which is much loved and well cared for.