There are only three churches in Suffolk to be dedicated to St Ethelbert. This one is out in the fields beyond the village of Worlingworth.

The exterior is rather stark, perhaps because of the rather functional restoration of the roof. The tower appears late 14th century, but the nave and chancel have a number of earlier details. The porch can be dated more accurately; Simon Cotton points to a bequest of 1451. Not quite the aesthetic delight of Dennington, a couple of miles away across the fields, perhaps; but this is a most welcoming church.

Tannington's great treasure is its surviving medieval bench ends, which show some of the seven sacraments, and also what may be the Christian duties, although Cautley and Mortlock think them virtues and vices. These are all terribly mutilated, and some have been completely destroyed; but enough survives that can be identified, and forms part of the same group as similar survivals at Wilby, Bedingfield and Athelington.

Of the seven sacraments, one bench end carries Penance and Mass. Of other subjects, an intriguing carving shows one figure directing another figure to enter a tower. The first figure appears to be female, and is taller than the other figure, which is probably a man, but may be a child. Munro Cautley's Lust? Cautley thought that this represented lust, which probably says more about Cautley than it does the medieval mind. I wonder if it represents the Christian duty of giving shelter to the homeless, one of the works of mercy, the tower itself a symbol of heavenly glory. However, it may link up with a carving to be found at nearby Kettleburgh, which shows a tower with a face peeping out of the top. Another one is probably Gluttony, and the remains of a hoofed animal are almost certainly the evangelistic symbol of St Luke. So much has been lost, I'm afraid. Mortlock thought they had been carved by the same person that did Wilby and they are so similar in style to those at Bedingfield that they are all probably by the same hand, and may all originally have come from the same church.The other major medieval survival here is the restored canopy of honour to the rood, although the rood apparatus and screen themselves have now disappeared. It has been restored with sacred monograms, like those at Metfield.

The coat of arms is unusual for being so recent! It is one of a handful of Elizabeth II sets in the county. The fine modern window illustrating a verse from Genesis (and most appropriate it is in this rural backwater) commemorates a churchwarden who died in the 1970s. There are also a handful of minor memorials and brasses, as well as a hatchment. Finally, a splendid exhibition can be found in a case at the back of the church. This includes copies of early bibles, which are, of course, interesting. Rather more so, though, is a surviving parish truncheon, as wielded by the 19th century parish constable. Looking out across the fields from the graveyard, one can't help wondering what on earth he found to use it for.