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St Mary's church in West Tofts - stained glass

West Tofts is situated near Thetford and approximately 7 miles distant from Santon Downham, Suffolk. Its parish church, St Mary > Link - the only complete building which remains of the village that was compulsorily abandoned in 1942 - is located in the grounds of the Stanford Battle Area and hence usually inaccessible to the public. It is also out of bounds to troops > Link. Only two services per year are permitted. The church is presently under the patronage of the Guild of All Souls. St Mary's was extensively restored and remodelled by the architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852) who rebuilt the chancel > Link and added a richly decorated south transept serving as a memorial chapel to Jane Mary Sutton > Link. The tomb recess of her husband Augustus can be seen in the exterior chancel south wall > Link. Pugin also designed the roodscreen and the parclose screen > Link to the north aisle chapel, which houses an elaborately decorated tomb recess > Link also designed by the architect, as are the reredos in the chancel > Link and the decorative paintings > Link and stencilling > Link seen on the walls. Some of the stained glass > Link that had been removed has since been re-installed. The building contains several 18th century memorials > Link to members of the Partridge family of nearby Buckenham House. The organ has been removed but the organ loft > Link is still in place and can be seen on the chancel north wall. The church still houses its original baptismal font with its cover suspended above it > Link although it does not appear to have been used for a baptism in quite some time.

In July 1942 about a thousand occupants of four villages and surrounding farmland were compulsorily evacuated from their homes: the villages of Buckenham Tofts, Langford, Stanford, Tottington, West Tofts and Sturston as well as parts of the parishes of Lynford, Ickburgh, Hillborogh, Little Cressingham, Merton, Thompson, Wretham, Stow Bedon and Croxton - encompassing an area of altogether approximately 30,000 acres (120 square kilometres) of heathland, meres and farmland > Link to the north of Thetford - were cleared in order to make way for an army training area that is still in use today. The Stanford Principal Training area (PTA) or Stanford Battle Area (STANTA), as it is known nowadays, has since played a vital role in preparing soldiers for major British military deployments. The sites of the original villages and farms no longer exist, having been razed to the ground by troops using tanks, live rounds, mortars and artillery whilst training for a war that could take place anywhere around the globe. All that remains are concrete pillars with plaques that commemorate the locations where buildings once stood > Link. Especially for the training of troops deployed to Afghanistan a new village - including houses, a market and a mosque as well as a system that pumps out smells like rotten meat and sewage for authenticity - was constructed in 2009. This new village replicates an Afghan village and is manned by ex-Gurkha soldiers and amputees from the charity Amputees for Action to simulate locals and wounded soldiers. Another village, called Eastmere, was originally built to give soldiers experience of fighting on the north European plains. Needless to say that access is not allowed without special permission from the Army - the only time the British public caught a glimpse of it was on TV - and access is limited to a number of tours per year. In order to visit the four historic parish churches still standing at the sites of the former villages of Langford > Link and Stanford > Link as well as Tottington > Link and West Tofts - with furnishings and stained glass windows removed, roofs covered with blast-proof tiles and churchyards surrounded by high security fences > Link - one has to apply in writing. Only St Mary's church in West Tofts, situated very close to the fringe of the training area, has retained its furnishings. Due to the interest and efforts of a handful of enthusiasts the church is being used again, if only twice a year.