In the heart of John Constable country, St Mary the Virgin was constructed in 1492 and has undergone numerous changes, mainly internally since then. Many times pictured in the background of a Constable painting, inside hangs one of the few commissions the artist undertook for the church. Puritan Divine Matthew Newcomen who lectured here in the mid 1600s was also famous for his preaching before the House of Commons. The bells can no longer peal due to the tower’s structure, but can still be heard chiming.