Date: -
Audience: SPAB Members and their guests
Price:
Members £7
Non-members £15
Event details
Tuesday 26 May, 1–5pm
Join the Essex & Suffolk Group for a rare, guided visit to Suffolk’s only partially timber-framed church, followed by an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of master craftsman Rick Lewis’s workshop—possibly your last chance to see it in action.
We meet at All Saints Church, Crowfield, the only partially timber-framed church in Suffolk for a visit guided by the churchwarden (Stewart White), followed by refreshments. The church is undergoing a programme of repair and improvement works.
We then drive for about six miles to visit the workshop of the Traditional Oak Carpenter, Rick Lewis at Mendlesham, next to the Middy railway station.
Rick is a craftsman who has specialised in timber framed buildings for nearly 40 years. He is well known not just for important commissions, but for courses that he has run over the years. He has an impressive collection of traditional woodworking tools and a deep knowledge of medieval timber buildings.
This may be the last chance to visit Rick’s workshop as he intends to give up his workshop and to concentrate on smaller projects in future, working mainly on site. Currently the workshop is being used to breathe new life into a 15th-century building, one wall at a time. So, we expect to see one side of the building on the ground as repairs and improvements are being made.
You will need
Sensible flat sole shoes please. Clothing to suit the weather.
How to get there
Parking is somewhat limited in the small car park to the South of the entrance gates to the church and a strip of level ground on the opposite side of the road. It is also possible to park on the path leading to the church, but this will require reversing out: this location may be most suitable for anyone wanting to minimise the distance to be walked. Please drive up to the church, so that others can park behind you. The post code for the church is IP6 9TH.
For parking for the Traditional Oak Carpenter’s workshop, please follow signage for the Mid Suffolk Railway which will be closed on the date of our visit, so there should be plenty of space. The car park is at IP14 5PW.
Accessibility
Seating is available in the church. However, there is no seating at the Traditional Oak Carpenter’s workshop.
Some ground around the exterior of the Church is uneven because of recent drainage improvement works.
The Traditional Oak Carpenter’s workshop is a working space and there will be various hazards that will require some care when moving round the workshop.
Not suitable for wheelchairs.
There is one toilet available at the Church and one at the Workshop
Anything we can do to make this event more accessible for you? Please email membership@spab.org.uk.
Photos and filming: We may take photos or videos at this event to be used in future promotion, including in print and online. Participants may take photos and short videos for personal use, with permission of the course leader and all other participants in frame. If you want to post on social media, please message SPAB's Comms Team (press@spab.org.uk or @spab1877) for permission. If your material is good, we might ask to share it with our followers.
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Photo credit: © Nigel Wall – 2026