St Marys Church boundary wall, Woodbridge - Level 2 Historic Building Recording

The building recording comprises a Level 2 record as set out in the Historic England guidance 'Understanding Historic Buildings: A Guide to Good Recording Practice' (2016). A Level 2 building record is defined by Historic England as a 'descriptive record', which consists of a drawn, written and photographic record of the structure. Site Visit A site visit was completed on the 9th January 2025; this consisted of three main elements: a drawn, a photographic and a written record. Particular attention is paid to phasing and the fabric type and materials used within the wall's construction. This was recorded and interpreted to inform the overall understanding of the wall, gate piers and burial markers. Drawn record The drawn record is based on existing plans provided by the client. This element includes items 2-3 of the Historic England guidance regarding 'the drawn record'. According to the Historic England Guidance a Level 2 record will typically consist of: sometimes item 1 or 2 and sometimes one or more of items 3-7. The drawings include a both north and south elevations, as well as a site plan. Fig 7. also records the form and location of any structural features and/or detail of historic significance including any evidence for former fixtures and fittings. Existing measured elevations and plans with photo location points have been used to illustrate the report. Photographic record A digital photographic record has been compiled. Photography has been undertaken with a Canon 600D 20mpx TTL digital camera set to JPEG format (in accordance with items 1, 2 and 4 of the Historic England guidance (HE 2016). The photographic record includes general views of the wall and shots of the external appearance. Specific architectural details that relate to date, alteration, or function have been subject to more detailed photographic recording. Where surviving, detail (structural or decorative) relevant to the wall's design, development and use has been photographed, with scale where appropriate. The photographic survey comprises digital images of the wall and specific features of interest. Selected images have been converted to .jpeg format for use in the report, however, original RAW versions will be maintained in the project archive. Appropriate levels of Metadata will be maintained and included in the digital archive following the approach set out in the aforementioned guidance. Appropriate scales are located in most archive photographs. However, where appropriate (i.e. where scaling can be seen from items within the view) photographs without scales have also been taken. Written record The Level 2 written record is descriptive in its composition and includes the location of the wall (including its gate piers and burial markers), the dates of the record and the name of the recorder. The written record is intended to supplement and support the other elements of the recording to provide an external description of the wall in terms of its architecture, setting, construction, development and use. The written record includes a brief summary of the wall's historic and architectural context, based upon the site inspection and the historic research. This record includes the location of the wall, a detailed description of its phasing, and important features such as any fixtures and fittings. The components of the written record are in-line with Items 1-3, 6 of the Historic England guidance (HE 2016). Historic research A programme of historic research was undertaken to enhance overall understanding of the history and development of the wall, its gate piers and burial markers. This has been informed by secondary sources consulted online from the Suffolk Archives (Bury St Edmunds) and the Suffolk Historic Environment Record (HER). In addition, a Statement of Heritage Significance produced by Jane Blanchflower (2024) as well as other accessible published online sources were utilised.