The Parish church of St Martin, which is a Grade 1 listed building, is situated in the centre of the village of Exning in a conservation area, in a large churchyard, with entrances to the churchyard from both the East and West elevations.. The approach to the church from the West end through the churchyard is up a steep slope, reflecting the elevation of the church above the rest of the village of Exning. Until recently the church was clearly visible from the A14 Newmarket bypass, but this view has now been somewhat restricted by the erection of sound-reducing barriers on the road. At night the church is floodlit, the floodlights being a gift in memory of a local landowner’s wife.

THE CHURCH BUILDING

At its west end the church has a 75 ft tower; the tower contains a peal of six bells;  Both Roman and Norman masonry have been identified in the tower, therefore it is likely that there has been a church present on this site for at least 900 years. Indeed a church was present in 1087, when the patron of the living was Battle Abbey in Sussex. The earliest part of the present building is the Chancel, where two blocked slit windows can be seen in the south wall that date from the late 12th century. The priest’s door in the south chancel wall dates from the 15th Century.  

The church is entered through the South porch. There is an interesting plaque in the porch, indicating that the tiled floor of the porch was laid by “Badger” Smith,  a churchwarden and benefactor of the village. Above the porch is a parvis room, accessed by a very steep staircase through an external door. 

The entrance into the body of the church is through a 14th century inner door. This is flanked in the doorjambs by large holes, into which a beam could be set for security. The church itself has a spacious open feeling and because the windows in the nave of the church lack stained glass and both the walls and ceilings are predominantly white in colour, is very bright when the sun shines.  On the South wall there are two sets of Royal Arms: a now rather dark George II and a George III dated 1817 that was cleaned in the 1990s. On the North wall close to the North door is a niche that may have contained a statue of St Christopher or the church’s patron saint St Martin. In 1999 a new statue of St Martin carved by local stonemason Charlie Hull was installed in this niche.   

At the west end of the nave is located the 14th century font, which is much in use today, with 20-30 baptisms per year. Also at the west end is a 17th century gallery that would have accommodated singers, but now houses the organ, which was moved there and extensively restored in 1999.

The nave benches have 14th century linenfold panelled ends, and there are a further six in the south aisle. During restoration in 1990, the linenfold panels were incorporated into in some of the restored pews, and the number of pews being consequently reduced. However, in 1999, as a Millennium project, a local craftsman, Mr P Symonds, made nine new pews. 

The North transept is furnished as a Lady Chapel and there is a medieval niche for a statue above the altar. This now contains a modern cross that matches the candlesticks, having a crown and arrows symbol of St Edmund, located on the 16th century altar table. Against the west wall of the transept is a medieval stall, now known as the ‘Simpson Pew’. 

The South transept was restored in 1971. At this time several interesting discoveries were made.  In the east wall is an aumbry, and in the south wall is a 13th century piscina.  Just to the west of this was discovered an ogee-headed recess divided into two compartments, each containing a pair of hands holding a heart – a rare example of a double-heart tomb. 

In 1990 the South transept was partitioned east to west to provide a clergy vestry on one side and retaining on the other side adjacent to the pulpit a chapel dedicated to St Wendred. The pulpit itself is 18th century in dark stained oak. Before 1909 it was a ‘two-decker’ arrangement. When it was altered two sets of candlesticks attached to it were disposed of. These may have been originally purchased by Thomas Frognall Dibdin (vicar of the parish from 1823 - ) who is remembered for his catalogue of the Spencer library at Althrop and for his own ‘Bibliomonia’. Following their disposal, they eventually found their way to a Cambridge museum and ultimately were returned to Exning where they are now located above the high altar.

In medieval times the nave would have been separated from the chancel by a rood screen. Nothing of this now remains, but the staircase to the rood loft remains on the North side (behind the organ console). The communion rails are 17th century – it has been speculated that they may originally have been located east to west in St Wendred’s chapel, as their length would exactly fit there, whereas they are too short for their present location. In the northeast corner of the sanctuary is a Purbeck marble tomb, with an indent in its flat top for a former brass. The late 13th century double piscina in the South wall is located beneath two restored plain arches, but with an original central shaft. The altar reredos is late Victorian and comprises the Ten Commandments, the Lords Prayer and the Creed painted on tin.  The stained glass east window is Victorian and not of the greatest quality.