Essex Churches A-B

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Abberton - Buttsbury

Essex Churches - Abberton to Buttsbury

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Abberton - St Andrew This is a lovely simple church in a secluded setting with views across Abberton Reservoir. The tower is Tudor brick and contains one bell.The nave is 14th century with the original 2-light north window. : Essex, church, tudor, C14, Abberton
1 Abberton - St Andrew
 Abberton - St Andrew (2) This is a lovely simple church in a secluded setting with views across Abberton Reservoir. The tower is Tudor brick and contains one bell.The nave is 14th century with the original 2-light north window. : Essex, Langenhoe, church, Tudor
2 Abberton - St Andrew (2)
 Abbess Roding - St Edmund Abbess Roding derives its name from the Abbess of Barking who was a patron of the church of in the Middle Ages. The church building is listed Grade II* and consists of a nave, chancel, north vestry, south porch and tower. The nave dates back to the fourteenth century although the plan of the church indicates 12th century origins, and the dedication implies Saxon origins. The most interesting features of the church are the 12th century font and the oak screen and stained glass, both 15th century. : Church, Essex, C12, Abbess, Roding, bells
3 Abbess Roding - St Edmund
Abbess Roding - St Edmund - Font The font is 12th century. The square bowl is cracked and held together with an iron band. There is a vine relief carved on two sides and conventionalized flowers on another. On the fourth side appear a disk, crescent, whorl, and stars which are characteristic of fonts of this period in the local area. : Church, Essex, font, C12
4 Abbess Roding - St Edmund - Font
 Aldham - St Margaret Nearly all older churches in Essex contain examples of re-cycling material used in previous local architecture. Built by Hakewell in 1855, St Margarets is an outstanding example of this approach in its re-use of building material and fixtures from its medieval predecessor sited a mile away at Church House Farm, with the addition of Bath stone for its tower and spire. Most of the stone window frames were re-used, as was the 14th century timber porch which was mounted on on a new flint and rubble foundation. The door on the south side of the tower (partially obscured in the photo) is c.1300. : Church, Essex, Victorian
5 Aldham - St Margaret
 Alphamstone - St Barnabas St Barnabas is built on the site of a Bronze-age burial earthwork. The nave is possibly pre-Norman (ie Anglo-Saxon): the 880mm thick walls are built of stone and flint, with two sarsen stones incorporated in the west wall. Despite stone being in short supply in Essex, there are other quite large stones in the churchyard which have been left, and this has led to speculation that they may have been part of an earlier megalithic stone circle. Certainly, the building of the church over a pagan site seems to have been an attempt to Christianise an ancient sacred place. Unusually there are two porch entrances. The doorway on the north side is 13th century. The 16th century south porch pictured above (see inset pop-up) is completely devoid of any 90 degree angles, and leads to an early 13th century doorway with two very worn headstops. The chancel is 14th century. View of interior The weather boarded belfry was constructed in 1729, after an earlier west tower was destroyed in a storm the previous year. : Essex, Anglo-Saxon, Saxon, weatherboard, church
6 Alphamstone - St Barnabas
Alphamstone - St Barnabas - Nave The west end of the nave of St Barnabas. The 3-bay south aisle (left) is early 14th century featuring octagonal columns. The 12th century Purbeck font is square with 5 blank arches on each face, with a 17th century domed cover (see pop-up inset) : Essex, Norman, C12, C14, church
7 Alphamstone - St Barnabas - Nave
 Alphamstone - St Barnabas - Font The 12th century Purbeck font is square with 5 blank arches on each face, with a 17th century domed cover. [pop-up inset] : Essex, Font, church
8 Alphamstone - St Barnabas - Font
 Aphamstone - St Barnabas - Porch Alphamstone - St Barnabas: South Porch : Essex, porch, church
9 Aphamstone - St Barnabas - Porch
Althorne - St Andrew The buttressed flint and stone tower was built around 1460, with an embattled parapet to match that of the lath 14th century nave. The chancel is Tudor brick, apart from Victorian repairs. : Essex, C14, Tudor, church
10 Althorne - St Andrew
 Ardleigh - St Mary the Virgin The tower and west porch are 15th century - the remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1882 by the Victorian architect Butterworth, who also added pinnacles to the tower. The porch is decorated with stone panels and traceries heads, with carvings of St George and the Dragon, and topped with embattled parapet guarded by lions. Inside, the colourful rood paintings above the chancel arch are complimented by Butterworth's richly painted panelled chancel ceiling. : Essex, clerestory, knapped flint, C15, church
11 Ardleigh - St Mary the Virgin
 Arkesden - St Mary The chancel and the nave of St Mary's were built in the 13th century, while the existing tower is modern (1855) and is the third one built. The first tower was circular, but this was replaced by a square tower in the 14th century. Inside, the north wall of the chancel has a recumbent statue of the priest John Crosby who was vicar here in the mid-15th century. See also:Arkesden - St Mary's Cutte Monument (1593) : Essex, C13, C14, clerestory, church
12 Arkesden - St Mary
Arkesden - Cutte Monument (1593) Arkesden - Cutte Monument (1593) : Essex, C16, monument, Cutte, church
13 Arkesden - Cutte Monument (1593)
 Arkesden - Cutte Monument (1593) A spectacular monument in St Mary's is the elaborate 16th century six-poster canopied tomb of Richard Cutte (d 1592) and his wife Mary in the south aisle. Above the brightly painted figures the canopy has the inscription: "As ye nowe are, fo once weare we As we nowe are, so fhall ye be When ye remember us, forget not your felues" : Essex, C16, monument, Cutte, church
14 Arkesden - Cutte Monument (1593)
 Alresford - St Peter St Peter's was originally built in the late 12th century on a site overlooking the Colne estuary. The chancel was added in the 13th century and extended in the 14th century when the church was also widened. The south aisle and noth porch were added during the 19th century. St Peter's was destroyed by a mystery fire in October 1971. The site of the church has been described as lonely but it is not bleak. The ruined building feels secure albeit open to the skies and there is a sense of serenity and peace here, despite the destruction. The graveyard is still in use, and occasional open air services are held in the ruined building. : Essex, C12, ruin, church, medieval
15 Alresford - St Peter
Alresford - St Peter - North Porch St Peter's was right at the centre of the rural community of Arlesford, being roughly half a mile north, south, east and west of Arlesford Lodge, Arlesford village, Arlesford Grange and Arlesford Hall respectively. The church was built just off Ford Lane, once the most direct route between Arlesford and Brightlingsea via a Roman ford across Alresford Creek. These days the ford is virtually impassable by man or 4x4 due to the depth and clagginess of the mud. : Essex, C12, ruin, church, Arlesford
16 Alresford - St Peter - North Porch
 Alresford - St Peter - Trefoil Window On the right of this image you can see the original 12th centurywest wall. The large window was added in the 14th century when the church was also widened. Roman bricks from a nearby villa have been used in the construction. The south aisle, including the elegant trefoil window, was added in Victorian times. Before the fire in 1971, the church had a timber belfry containing a single bell, topped with a shingled spire. Internally, the west gallery had twisted 18th century balusters and at the east end of the church there was a William Morris window. : Essex, C12, ruin, church
17 Alresford - St Peter - Trefoil Window
 Alresford - St Peter - Roman Bricks The north porch is a 19th century addition. In the foreground is part of the Norman west wall, built largely from Roman bricks taken from a villa about half a mile south of the church. : Church, Essex, medieval, C12, C14, ruin
18 Alresford - St Peter - Roman Bricks
Ashdon Church End - All Saints Church End is the smaller, older part of Ashdon dating from pre-christian times. The Church was built in the 14th and 15th centuries on the site of an earlier church within the hamlet, but after the Black Death, habitation moved to what is now Ashdon, leaving the church isolated. Medieval stained glass windows have survived. : Church, Essex, C14, C15
19 Ashdon Church End - All Saints
 Asheldham - St Lawrence Standing in virtual isolation, the remaining fabric of St Lawrence's is early 14th century, relatively preserved from heavy-handed Victorian restorations. The mystery is why was it built here? Asheldham as a village hardly exists, and consisted of just 4 households in 1086. When originally built (with central tower and apsidal sanctuary) the Norman church was half a mile east of the Iron Age fortification Asheldham Camp, later occupied by the Danes and the base for the tiny medieval village. Why was the church set apart and not inside the camp? (cf Danbury - St John the Baptist ). It may be that the Normans thought that its tower was better placed for defensive views to the south and west, than was possible from the ancient campsite. The church is now in private hands as an outdoor training centre. : Church, Essex, C14
20 Asheldham - St Lawrence
 Ashen - St Augustine of Canterbury The nave is 13th century of flint rubble, the chancel is a Victorian addition, built 1857. The tower is dated around 1400, to which was added an octagonal Tudor brick stair turret. The original south door survives with iron work from the 13th century. Grade I listed. : Church, Essex, C13, Tudor, Victorian
21 Ashen - St Augustine of Canterbury
Ashen - St Augustine of Canterbury Graveyard Victorian iron gravemarkers : Church, Essex, graveyard
22 Ashen - St Augustine of Canterbury Graveyard
 St Andrews, Ashingdon King Canute ordered St Andrew's, "a church built of lime and stone for the souls of those slain in the Battle of Assandune" in 1016, and it was completed 1020. Much of this Essex church was rebuilt in the 13th century, with a tower added in the 14th centruy. The rubble walls contain Roman tiles and there are Saxon timbers in the tower. : Church, Essex, C11, C13, C14
23 St Andrews, Ashingdon
 Aveley - St Michael Grade I listed St Michaels is a chunky building consisting of an early 12th century nave, with a low 13th century tower, later rebuilt with a spire in the 15th century. When unlocked, visitors can see the 12th century font and the Jacobean pulpit dated 1621 with a hexagonal sounding board above it. Aveley was a thriving village from the 11th to 17th centuries, with a recorded population of 33 in 1086, rising to 543 by 1801. After WWII, London County Council bought land here to establish the huge Belhus housing estate for Londoners which increased the population five-fold. : Church, Essex, Norman, C12, C13
24 Aveley - St Michael
Aythorpe Roding - St Mary the Virgin The chancel and nave were built in the 13th century. It is believed that the bell turret was erected in time for the coronation of Henry VIII in 1509.The church was restored in the 19th century when the North Vestry and South Porch were added. The walls of the church are probably of flint-rubble but are now covered with cement; the dressings are of clunch; the roofs are tiled, the bell-turret weather-boarded and the spire shingled. Unusually, the church still has lancet windows dating from the 13th century although some have been restored. Internally, the plain benches in the nave incorporate ends, backs and seats from the 16th or 17th century. : Church, Essex, C13, Victorian
25 Aythorpe Roding - St Mary the Virgin
 In Mossy Memory Aythorpe Roding Churchyard : grave, graveyard, church, Aylthorpe
26 In Mossy Memory
 Bardfield Saling - St Peter & St Paul This 14th century church is one of only six in Essex which have round towers, and is entirely of flint construction. The chancel seems to have been drastically shortened at some time in the 17th century, and suffered further damage when the Germans dropped a bomb on it during WWII. : Church, Essex, Round tower, C14
27 Bardfield Saling - St Peter & St Paul
Bardfield Saling - St Peter & St Paul This 14th century church is one of only six in Essex which have round towers, and is entirely of flint construction. The chancel seems to have been drastically shortened at some time in the 17th century, and suffered further damage when the Germans dropped a bomb on it during WWII. : Church, Essex, Round tower, C14
28 Bardfield Saling - St Peter & St Paul
 Barling Magna - All Saints All Saints consists of a small Norman rubble-built nave with a huge early 15th century ragstone tower and a chancel, taller and narrower than the nave, which was extended in the late 15th century. The church is built on the site of an earlier Saxon church. The first written evidence of All Saints dates from 998 AD when it was bequethed by Leofwine to Bishop Wulfstan of London. Leofwine was the father in law of Lady Godiva. The benefice of the church was later presented to the dean and chapter of St Pauls by Edward the Confessor. No physical evidence of this Saxon church remains. : Church, Essex, norman, C15
29 Barling Magna - All Saints
 Barnston - St Andrew A simple church in an isolated position with great views across the Essex countryside. The nave is Norman; the chancel Early English. There is no porch: the church is entered through a plain Norman doorway: see detail above for view of decorations on the door columns. : Church, Essex, Norman, C12, C13
30 Barnston - St Andrew
Barnston - Norman detail Barnston - Norman detail : Church, Essex, Norman
31 Barnston - Norman detail
 Basildon - Holy Cross Holy Cross was the parish church of the medieval village of Basildon, and remained the centre of what was largely an agricultural settlement until the mid 20th century. When Basildon was developed as a New Town following WWII, the area around Holy Cross became surrounded by modern housing. The nave of the church is 14th centruy. The south porch was added in the mid-15th century and the tower built c.1500. The chancel was rebuilt in 1597. The north wall of the nave was rebuilt in 1702, when other repairs were also carried out. The church was restored in 1888 by Joseph Peacock The south door is 14th century and is covered by a fine restored 15th century timber porch. The porch has two sets of four-light openings with moulded mullions on either side and heavily cusped barge boarding. The outer doorway is four-centred and set within a square frame; the inner part of the porch is supported on a heavy, carved beam with curved braces. In the spandrels are a collared bear on a ragged staff, a rosette and a dragon with a forked tongue. The porch now stands on dwarf stone walls, but formerly had weatherboarding on the lower part. : Church, Essex, C14, C15, C16, Tudor
32 Basildon - Holy Cross
 Basildon - Holy Cross(2) This 14th century church has been adapted and changed many times over the years. The original 14th century north door has been blocked. There is a 15th centruy door with a hood mould in the west wall, and 15th century window of two foiled lights in a square frame. The three stage tower has a plain parapet and a pyramidal cap, and contains early 16th century windows with cusped lights, in the upper stages. The eastern part of the north nave wall was rebuilt and heavily buttressed in brick in the 18th century. Inside the church, there is a 15th century brass indent in Purbeck marble for a female figure, a palimpsest reusing a 14th century slab, and another indent with the demi-figure of a priest. The . communion rails have twisted balustersare and are from around 1700. : Church, Essex, C14, C15, C16, Tudor
33 Basildon - Holy Cross(2)
Beauchamp Roding - St Botolphs Near Bird's Green. This uttery charming but isolated church sits in its graveyard in the middle of nowhere. The nave is 14th century, the chancel and tower 15th century. The ivy seen on the east side of the chancel is also growing inside! The church is still in use, holding two services a month. : Church, Essex, Birds Green, C14, C15
34 Beauchamp Roding - St Botolphs
 Beauchamp Roding - St Botolphs Interior South window in nave of St Botolphs. Ivy has penetrated the wall and is growing inside the church. :( Despite this, church is still in regular use, holding two services a month. The church has some nice stained glass and oodles of charm. : Church, Essex, Beauchamp Roding
35 Beauchamp Roding - St Botolphs Interior
 Beaumont cum Mose - St Leonards & St Mary The Church of St Leonard & St Mary is built mainly of rubble stone and is composed of a chancel, a nave of three bays, a north aisle which formerly was probably a Lady Chapel, a south porch and a western bell-cote with guardian angels . The Church is situated in the south-west part of the Parish, and all that remains of the ancient fabric - according to the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments - are the eastern buttresses and the chancel walls. These were probably built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The foundations are probably of the earlier date possibly 12th century. A writer in the 18th century states that the nave is of "one pace" with the chancel, i.e. there was no chancel step. The east wall of the Church was restored in 1950 while the nave and chancel was restored in the 19th century. (See: Chancel of St Leonards & St Mary ) In 1678 Moze Church was pulled down and some of the stone used to repair Beaumont Church. Tradition has it that the north aisle was repaired at this time. A stone Cross was erected within the precincts of Old Moze Hall on the site of St Mary's Church, Moze in 1959: two mature oak trees mark the gateway. : Church, Essex, C14, C15
36 Beaumont cum Mose - St Leonards & St Mary
Beaumont cum Mose - St Leonards & St Mary The open stone bell turret has angels facing north and south. Dated 1854. : Church, Essex, Bell
37 Beaumont cum Mose - St Leonards & St Mary
 Beaumont cum Mose - St Leonards & St Mary The Victorian rebuild of the chancel in 1854 included both tracery of the Decorated style, but also very fresh-looking 'Norman' windows, hopefully based on the preceding architecture. The vast organ came later: the (hidden) roof angel nearest the east window squeezes in alongside it. : Church, Essex, Victorian
38 Beaumont cum Mose - St Leonards & St Mary
 Belchamp Otten - St Ethelbert This is a beautiful little church with a belfry that leans east towards the church. It is in fact an early 19th century timber belfry in the form of a square tower that has been rendered in cement. The church is Norman, evidenced by the Norman zigzag doorway arch with 2 orders of columns with beaded spiral bands and scalloped capitals. Grade I listed. : Church, Essex, Norman
39 Belchamp Otten - St Ethelbert
Belchamp Otten - St Ethelbert Interior The two posts decorated with guilloche patterns are 17th century timbers used to support the belfry in the early 19th century. The chancel is 13th century, with a 17th carved communion rail. The octagonal oak pulpit is Jacobean. The box pews and the small north west gallery are early Victorian. : Church, Essex, C13
40 Belchamp Otten - St Ethelbert Interior
 Belchamp Otten - St Ethelbert: Coffin During recent restoration, a Norman coffin of Barnack stone (limestone from Lincolnshire) was discovered ten inches beneath the floor on the south side of the aisle under the box pews. This indicates that, with the piscina by the pulpit, the sanctuary was under the nave arch and the chancel was added after the original building. The coffin was laid in the chancel by the north wall with the carved lid above the level of the brick floor. : Church, Essex, Norman
41 Belchamp Otten - St Ethelbert: Coffin
 Belchamp Otten - St Ethelbert: Roof The chancel roof is 15th century, There are 7 cants with scissor braces and moulded wall plate : Church, Essex, C15
42 Belchamp Otten - St Ethelbert: Roof
Belchamp St Paul - St Andrew Built on the site of a Norman church, St Andrews was completed in 1490. Inside, the 15th century octagonal font has a carving of the 'Green Man'. The chancel has two choir stalls of 15th or 16th century with grotesque and foliated misericords, decorated with poppy heads and foliated scroll mouldings with elaborately carved figures of a seated king and a monk. Grade I listed : Church, Essex, C15
43 Belchamp St Paul - St Andrew
 Belchamp St Paul - ref Thomas Loveday The chancel has two choir stalls of 15th or 16th century origin. These are decorated with four carved figures, a knight and a monk on the south side and a king and an apostle on the north. The king and monk are believed to be by Thomas Loveday, Master Carpenter (1503 - 1536: he worked on other churches in the area but is most renowned for his extensive work on St Johns' College, Cambridge and the rood screen and pews of the Old Chapel at St John's). The knight and apostle are probably 17th century replacements. : Church, Essex, Thomas-Loveday, pew, carving
44 Belchamp St Paul - ref Thomas Loveday
 Belchamp Walter - St. Mary the Virgin Belchamp Walter - St. Mary the Virgin Nave c.1320, displaying some very interesting medieval wall paintings in red ochre. The chancel was added in the 14th century and the tower in the 15th century. Grade I Listed eg Belchamp Walter - Virgin suckling the Christ Child : Church, Essex, Grade 1, Belchamp
45 Belchamp Walter - St. Mary the Virgin
Belchamp Walter - St Mary - Font Norman circular font with band of interlacing ornament, divided by small round and twisted shafts, early 12th-century. The top has been cut down, and added to a modern base. : Church, Essex, font
46 Belchamp Walter - St Mary - Font
 Belchamp Walter - Virgin suckling the Christ Child Medieval fresco, c1350 inside St Mary's, Belchamp Walter : Essex, fresco, church
47 Belchamp Walter - Virgin suckling the Christ Child
 Bentley Common - St Pauls The church of St Paul, Bentley, was opened in 1880 as a chapel of ease to serve the north end of the parish. The vicar Charles Belli, gave £20,000, and Octavius Coope, M.P., of Rochetts gave £2,000 to build and endow it, while the site on Bentley common, was given by Christopher J. H. Tower of Weald Hall. A separate parish was formed in 1951, the advowson of the vicarage being vested in the bishop. : Church, Essex, Victorian
48 Bentley Common - St Pauls
Berden - St Nicholas Early English style of C13, the nave is Norman and the Chancel has been dated to around 1270. The two transepts would probably have been private family chapels belonging to Berden Hall and Berden Priory. The South Transept door way has now been blocked in but its windows date from the early 14th Century. The C15 three-stage tower is of Gothic Perpendicular style, added during the wealthier times of the wool trade. : Church, Essex, C13, C15
49 Berden - St Nicholas
 Berden - St Nicholas Interior 13th century cruciform design with transepts. Corbels & stiffleaf capitals Beautiful light and airy roof. : Church, Essex, C13
50 Berden - St Nicholas Interior
 Berden - St Nicholas Pulpit Mid-seventeenth century with unusual geometric designs in panels : Church, Essex, pulpit, C17
51 Berden - St Nicholas Pulpit
Berden - St Nicholas - Stiffleaf Early English stiff-leaf decoration. : Church, Essex, stiffleaf
52 Berden - St Nicholas - Stiffleaf
 Berners Roding - All Saints The All Saints Church was de-consecrated in 1985 and is now privately owned by the local farm, and managed by Strutt & Parker Ltd. The churchyard is a conservation area managed by Epping Forest County Care. The precise origins of the church are unknown, but there are elements of the building that date back to the 14th Century. Early in the 16th century the east and west walls were re-built above the window-sill levels (a 16th century window brick window in the chancel) and the south porch was probably added at the same time. In the 18th and 19th centuries buttresses have been added. The church did at one time have a tower, built in 1594, which held a single bell. When Nikolaus Pevsner surveyed Essex's historic buildings in 1953/4 he saw the tower and described it having a weather boarded belfry with a pyramid roof. The tower must have come down since that date. The church itself is Grade II listed, but unfortunately is in a poor state of repair. : Church, Essex, C14, C16
53 Berners Roding - All Saints
 Berners Roding - All Saints - Interior The roof of the chancel is probably16th century. It has moulded and cambered tiebeams, king-posts with curved struts, and moulded wall-plates. The roof of the nave has moulded wall-plates probably of the same date. Both are holding up well, considering. The blue door at the back is odd - there is no matching doorway on the outside. It's sad to see a church building in a state like this. : Church, Essex, dis-used, Berners
54 Berners Roding - All Saints - Interior
Bicknacre Priory The Priory of Black Canons (Augustinians), known as Wodenham Abbey, was founded in 1172 on the site of a small hermitage. The massive structure consisted of a tower which formed the central point with a nave, chancel and north and south transepts forming the shape of a cross. The Priory was constructed of local iron puddingstone with some brick and Roman tiles, with imported stone from Reigate. All that remains of this impressive building is the western arch of the central tower. Between 1250 and 1450 the Priory acquired donations of land and rent from properties. It owned 30 houses, the church at Woodham Ferrers, the Manor of Bicknacre and many acres of farmland meadow pasture and woodland in local areas and surrounding villages. After the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1536, the priory rapidly fell into ruin, many of the stones purloined for repairs to local roads and houses. By 1812, only the existing arch remained. : Priory, Essex, Bicknacre, C12
55 Bicknacre Priory
 Bicknacre - St Giles The Hospital & Homes of St Giles at Bicknacre was founded in 1914 by a community of Church of England monks and the Sisters of St Giles specifically for the care and treatment of leprosy. A cemetary with the St Giles mortuary chapel was created where patients who had died of leprosy were buried as well as the nuns who lived there. This quiet remote spot is now an Essex Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve. : Chapel, Essex, Bicknacre
56 Bicknacre - St Giles
 Birch - St Peter and St Paul Built by Teulon in 1850, this is now a Grade II listed building. It was built in Decorated style on the site of the previous medieval church. The church was closed for worship in 1990. Since then various proposals to re-use the building have been made, but the Church Commisioners seem intent on demolition. In the meantime little has been done to maintain its weather tightness and as a result it suffers from localised decay and water ingress. A non-statutory public enquiry into the building's future was expected to commence in early 2015. : Birch, Church, Essex
57 Birch - St Peter and St Paul
Birch - St Peter and St Paul - Rear Pevsner states this Teulon-built church has "none of the offensive features so favoured by Teulon". Damned by such faint praise, the church is nevertheless a popular landmark locally and considered an important architectural and historic structure. It is Grade II listed. The church has been closed for worship since 1990 and although several schemes for its re-use have been proposed, none has so far proved viable. A non-statutory public enquiry into the building's future was expected to commence in early 2015. : Church, Essex
58 Birch - St Peter and St Paul - Rear
 Birchanger - St Mary The nave of St Mary's, Birchanger was built around 1125 and and the chancel built 100 years later. Originally the church had a round tower but that was destroyed in the 18th century. The church was substantially restored in the 19th century but two Norman doorways remain, on the west and south sides. The west doorway was probably originally on the north side and moved when the tower was knocked down. The south doorway contains a feature unique in Essex: there is a figurative carving in the tympanum. The carving is of a lamb, possibly symbolising the Lamb of God. : Church, Essex, Norman, C12, C13
59 Birchanger - St Mary
 Birchanger - St Mary - Norman door with lamb This beautifully carved Norman arch has, in the centre of the tympanum, a crude carving of a lamb. This is the only example of a figure carved into the tympanum in the whole of Essex, although the custom is quite common in other counties. : Church, Essex, Norman
60 Birchanger - St Mary - Norman door with lamb
Birdbrook - St Augustine of Canterbury The north walls are early Norman. Both the nave and chancel were lengthened in the 13th century and the lancet windows in the east wall date from this time. The belfry was added in the 15th century at which time an arch was struck across the nave to support it. : Church, Essex, Norman
61 Birdbrook - St Augustine of Canterbury
 Birdbrook - St Augustine - Interior Restored by Chancellor in 1880/89 when the south wall of the chancel, south porch, nave roof and chancel arch were rebuilt, and the west gallery removed. The communion rail is c.1700 but the rest of the chancel furnishings are late 20th century, leaving it with a characterless feel. The lancet windows over the altar are 13th century. : Church, Essex, Norman, C13
62 Birdbrook - St Augustine - Interior
 Black Notley - St Peter & St Paul In an open,secluded spot, this restored church has plain Norman doorways and slit windows, with a chancel supported by brick diagonal buttresses, one of which is dated 1682. Ironwork from the 12th century survives on the south door: a 12th century north doorway existed at one time but was blocked up. The belfry rests on 8 massive wooden posts with arched struts, and contains five bells. Outside the south wall of the chancel is a monument marking the burial site of the son of the local blacksmith, the naturalist John Ray (1628 -1705), who laid the foundations of botany and zoology, with a systematic classification of species. : Church, Essex, Norman, C12
63 Black Notley - St Peter & St Paul
Blackmore - Priory Church of St Laurence Norman, from 1170, with many 12th century features remaining. The wooden bell tower was built c. 1400, and is the largest in Essex. The original medieval timber remains. The tower rises in three stages - unlike any other wooden tower in Essex. : Essex, Blackmore, Norman, tower, C12, C15, bell, Church
64 Blackmore - Priory Church of St Laurence
 Blackmore - Priory Church of St Laurence Norman, from 1170, with many 12th century features remaining. The wooden bell tower was built c. 1400, and is the largest in Essex. The original medieval timber remains. The tower rises in three stages - unlike any other wooden tower in Essex. : Church, Essex, Norman, spire, wooden, Grade I
65 Blackmore - Priory Church of St Laurence
 Blackmore - St Laurence - Carving Carving on north door arch c.1400 : Church, Essex, carving
66 Blackmore - St Laurence - Carving
Blackmore - Door arch carving Carving on north door arch c.1400 : Church, Essex
67 Blackmore - Door arch carving
 Blackmore - St Laurence - North door Stone arch c.1400. Tacky elf n safety notice c. 2013. : Church, Essex, Door
68 Blackmore - St Laurence - North door
 Bobbingworth - St Germain The church consists of nave, chancel, vestry, and tower. The original nave may be 13th century and the chancel 14th century, but parts of the church have been rebuilt at different periods and very little medieval work now remains. In particular subsidence on the south side has necessitated constant repairs. The nave roof may be 15th century. The nave itself is said to have been rebuilt in red brick in 1680. In 1770 the interior of the church was remodelled, including the erection of a west gallery. The nave walls were again largely rebuilt in 1818 and fitted with oak windows. In 1840 the chancel was rebuilt in 14th-century style, and the north tower and porch were added. Unusually, the lowest stage of the tower is both a ringing chamber and the north porch church entrance. The red-brick vestry was built in 1864. In 1902 seven new stone nave windows replaced the wooden windows of 1818. The stone font is 15th century with an octagonal bowl and a moulded shaft. In 1770 the bowl was removed and a new one fitted to the pedestal. In 1936 the original bowl, carved with the initials 'J.P.', was discovered in the churchyard at Little Parndon. It was returned to Bobbingworth and now occupies its original position. There is a 17th century iron-bound chest with two locks inside the church, and the pulpit and reading desk are from the same period. : Church, Essex, Bobbingworth, C14
69 Bobbingworth - St Germain
Bocking - St Mary St Marys Church is built on land once owned by Aetheric, a Saxon Lord of the manor of Bocking, who fought the Vikings at the Battle of Maldon in 991. This was not a good thing: the battle was a rout, one of those curiously British heroic and magnificent failures, such as the Charge of the Light Brigade or Rourke's Drift. Men fought and fell : heroes died glorious and courageous deaths. No one from the defending army lived - except those who fled the battle. Aetheric was one of those who survived, and he subsequently willed his lands to Christ Church, Canterbury. One can only speculate as to his motives. The chancel and the south aisle may be partly 14th century. The tower was built or rebuilt early in the 15th century, and c. 1450 the north and south arcades of the nave were rebuilt. However most of the church was rebuilt again in the late 15th century and the church was extensively restored in the 19th century. Grade I Listed. The early 16th-century roofs of the nave and aisles, and the 13th-century ironwork of the south door, are interesting. : Church, Essex, clerestory, C15
70 Bocking - St Mary
 Boreham - St Andrew St. Andrew’s Church is the heart of the village of Boreham. It has seen additions and alterations from the 11th Century onwards which give us the building as it is today. Parts of the tower are Saxon, but later enlarged by the Normans. It is a central tower, square on plan, with 8 bells (increased from 6 bells in 1913), a clock, a pyramid shaped roof and a weather vane. Grade I listed. : Church, Essex, Saxon, Norman, Bell, Tower
71 Boreham - St Andrew
 Boreham - St Andrew St Andrew's is the focal point of Boreham village. It still retains some Saxon features and includes a memorial chapel to the Earls of Sussex. A lych- gate and covered way leading to the church were built in the 1920s with warm red tiles matching those of the main roof. Grade I Listed. : Church, Essex, Lych-gate
72 Boreham - St Andrew
Borley - Dedication Unknown Grade I listed church on an early manorial site, with Saxon fabric surviving in the nave. The chancel and tower are 15th century, the exceptionally thick-walled nave at its south west corner is one of the rare examples of long-and-short quoining in Essex. The topiary is in another league altogether. : Church, Essex, Saxon, topiary, bell, tower
73 Borley - Dedication Unknown
 Bowers Gifford - St Margaret of Antioch This church was built c. 1320 by Sir John Gifford, and there is an incomplete memorial brass to him in the sanctuary. Large parts of the church was re-built in the 16th century. The church is said to be haunted. The haunting tales include reports of the organ being played by unseen hands, and of odd electrical faults in cars nearby. Headlights flicker, and even brakes are rumoured to have failed! Strange unexplained shadows flicker over the site, thuds and whistles and the rattling of chains can be heard...... : Church, Essex, buttress, C16
74 Bowers Gifford - St Margaret of Antioch
 Bowers Gifford - St Margaret The tower of St Margarets was built early in the 16th century and has the most enormous buttress. The church is in a low-lying area and the churchyard is quite marshy, which might explain why so much support is needed. The bells are 14th century (amongst the oldest in the county, and older than the church) and are still rung regularly. One of the bells is inscribed "Sancta Katerina Ora Pro Nobis,"; the second has the inscription "Sit Nomen Domini Benedictum." : Church, Essex, C16, bell, tower
75 Bowers Gifford - St Margaret
Boxted - St Peter The Grade I listed building consists of a Norman tower with nave, chancel and north and south aisles built inthe 13th and 14th century. The construction is a mixture of stone, brick and pudding-stone, with a scattering of Roman brick. The tower was topped, embattled and buttressed in Tudor brick in the early 16th century and has two bells, made in 1714 and 1812. : Church, Essex, Norman, Tudor, bell, tower
76 Boxted - St Peter
 Bradfield - St Lawrence Church The Nave and Chancel are 13th century, the south porch was added in the 14th century and the tower, around 1500. The church was heavily restored in th 19th century. There is a commemorative memorial to Commander Dunning, a WWI pilot, inside. The 14th century bell has the inscription "I am the Koc of this floc wit Gloria Tibi Domini" - 14th century wit and unusual in that it is partly in English. The memorial to Squadron Commander Edwin Harris Dunning DSC., RN., gives an Admirality citation which states "The Admiralty wish you to know what great service he performed for the Navy. It was in fact a demonstration of landing an Aeroplane on the deck of a Man-of-War whilst the latter was under way. This had never been done before;and the data obtained was of the utmost value. It will make Aeroplanes indispensable to a fleet; & possibly, revolutionise Naval Warfare. The risk taken by Squadron Commander Dunning needed much courage. He had already made two successful landings;but expressed a wish to land again himself, before other Pilots did so;and in this last run he was killed. My Lords desire to place on record their sense of the loss to the Naval Service of this gallant Officer." : Church, Essex, Dunning, Tudor, C13
77 Bradfield - St Lawrence Church
 Bradwell-juxta-Mare Bradwell-juxta-Mare's St Thomas has a 14th century chancel, a nave rebuilt in 1706 and and a brick tower from 1743. : Church, Essex, Bradwell
78 Bradwell-juxta-Mare
Bradwell-on-Sea - St Thomas: Font Faces The 14th century octagonal font has these carved heads protuding from the base of the bowl. In common with church carvings elsewhere in Essex, they probably represent King and Bishop, knight and monk. Pevsner described them as "four big ugly heads". : Church, Essex, Bradwell, Font, carving, C14
79 Bradwell-on-Sea - St Thomas: Font Faces
 Bradwell-on-Sea - St Thomas: Interior Restored by Chancellor in 1864. The 19th Century stone pulpit with foliar and dogtooth decoration, has green marble shafts to the angles and is inset with red marble panels. : Church, Essex, pulpit, Bradwell
80 Bradwell-on-Sea - St Thomas: Interior
 Bradwell-juxta-Mare - St Peter-on-the-Wall St Peter's Chapel, Bradwell, Essex, built in 654 AD by St Cedd of Lindisfarne. The chapel was built astride the former west wall of the Roman fort of Othona, and was used for various purposes including a barn, restored as a Chapel circa 1920. Originally the chapel has an apse, north and south porticus and west porch with later tower, but now only the nave remains. : Chapel, Essex, St.Peter, Bradwell, Saxon
81 Bradwell-juxta-Mare - St Peter-on-the-Wall
Bradwell-juxta-Mare - St Peter-on-the-Wall St Peter's Chapel, Bradwell, Essex, built in 654 AD by St Cedd of Lindisfarne : Church, Essex, Saxon
82 Bradwell-juxta-Mare - St Peter-on-the-Wall
 Bradwell-juxta-Mare - St Peter-on-the-Wall interior Interior of St Peter's Chapel, Bradwell, Essex, built in 654 AD by St Cedd of Lindisfarne. The atmosphere inside is very tranquil. : Church, Essex, St.Peter, Bradwell, Saxon
83 Bradwell-juxta-Mare - St Peter-on-the-Wall interior
 Braintree - St Michael Despite extensive restorations in the 1860s, some older parts of the original church remain, notably the 13th century arcades in the nave and the tower, with its shingled spire. Built from flint and rubble c. 1240 on the site of an earlier Roman settlement or cemetary, the church seems oddly located in terms of the local topography: half-way down the hill on which now stands the centre of modern Braintree. Adding to the uniform and uninspired restoration by Pearson, the council also contributed to the characterlessness of the site by stripping out gravestones and cutting out the higher north-most slope, giving even more the impression of a lost mis-sited church. The 1977 Council for British Archaeology report went further: "It is in fact probably the worst disaster area in the Archdeaconry - devastation has been total. The ground around the building is high and has been cut down on the north, where the sunken paths are revetted with tombstones (much broken and decayed). Other headstones have been moved to the boundaries. In all, a text book example of what not to do". : Church, Essex, C13, bell, tower
84 Braintree - St Michael
Brentwood - Chantry Chapel, Thorndon Mid 19th century private Roman Catholic chapel and mausoleum of the Petre Family, in woodlands south west of Thorndon Hall, by W.W Wardell in Gothic Revival style. Grade II* Having become redundant and subject to decay and deterioration, the chapel was given to the Historic Chapels Trust by Lord Petre in 2010, and was restored in 2014. : Brentwood, Chapel, Petre, Chantry, Thorndon
85 Brentwood - Chantry Chapel, Thorndon
 Brentwood - St Thomas Chapel Brentwood is sited on the junction of the Roman London - Colchester Road and the pilgrim route from north Essex to Canterbury. A chapel for the pilgrims was built in 1221, but all that remains now are the 14th century ruins of the nave and stump of the north-west tower. : Church, Essex, ruin, C14
86 Brentwood - St Thomas Chapel
 Brightlingsea - All Saints The church is situated on high ground overlooking the Colne estuary and Alresford Creek. The original building was Norman, with the chancel and nave being rebuilt in the 13th century. In the late 15th century the 94' tower was built (separately from the rest of the church: the nave was lengthened to meet the tower) and in the early 16th century the vestry, south chapel and porch and north aisle were added. The tower was restored in 1886 following damage during an earthquake in 1884. : Church, Essex, C13, C15, C16, bell, tower
87 Brightlingsea - All Saints
Brightlingsea - St James St James was consecrated as a Chapel of Ease in 1836 for the growing waterside part of Brightlingsea which is over a mile away from the older All Saints' church. With roofing of grey slate, it used Suffolk White brick as an economical building material, although it's not very white now. The town clock celebrating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee (1887) is mounted on the side of the unusual octagonal tower. : Church, Essex, Victorian
88 Brightlingsea - St James
 Broomfield - St Mary Originally a Norman church, but much altered over the years. The Norman tower is built from successive course of flints brought in from the fields. About 9 courses were laid per year. The church was fully restored in Victorian times when the north aisle was built. Inside, the font of Purbeck marble is Norman. There is some folklore about the site chosen for the church. The orginal intention was to build it at the top of New Barn Lane, and stones were assembled there. But at night, a dragon would move the stones to the the Green. Finally, people gave up fighting the dragon and built the church where it stands today. In a field at the top of New Barn Lane there is a depression in the ground called Dragon's Foot in the tithe maps Some of the folklore about the church is rooted in its pagan beginnings. Among the flint and Roman bricks of the South wall is a projecting puddingstone, or mass conglomerate. This feature suggests a Christianised site according to the edicts of Pope Gregory to assimilate pagan practices into early Christianity. As at Alphamstone in Essex and Pewsey in Wiltshire it has an unusual stone protruding (and prominently visible) in its foundations. Across the lane from the Church of St Mary there is a pond fed by both a stream and several springs - one of the houses (parts of which are medieval) opposite the church has a rivulet running under the paving stones in its cellar. It is said that the two sarsens in front of the church gate were originally in the stream that runs close to the church. The springs and stream, together with evidence of a Roman villa and the unusual black puddingstone in the church foundations, perhaps indicate that the site was sacred and pre-dates both Christianity and the Roman occupation. : Church, Essex, Norman, pagan, round tower, C12
89 Broomfield - St Mary
 Broxted - St Mary the Virgin St Mary's nave and chancel was built during the thirteenth century and some of the original lancet windows survive. The north aisle and belfry were added during the fifteenth century. There are two Tudor windows in the south wall of the nave and iternally, an elegant Tudor pulpit. : Broxted, St Mary. Church, Essex, C13, Belfry
90 Broxted - St Mary the Virgin
Broxted - St Mary the Virgin - Interior The thirteenth century nave and chancel of St Marys. The north aisle was added during the fifteenth century. More recently the church has become a world centre for commemorating the captivity and release of hostages everywhere and two new stained glass windows have been installed in recognition of this new role. : Church, Essex, Broxted, St Mary, C13, C15, Tudor
91 Broxted - St Mary the Virgin - Interior
 Broxted - St Mary - Acorn Cross The Acorn Cross was carved by a local worshipper. It is made from an oak gatepost and symbolises the emergence of Broxted Church as a centre for commemorating hostages across the world. : Church, Essex, Broxted, St Mary, C13, C15, Tudor, Altar
92 Broxted - St Mary - Acorn Cross
 Broxted - St Mary - Tudor Pulpit The Elizabethan pulpit is beautifully carved with arabesque ornament. : Church, Essex, Broxted, St Mary, C13, C15, Tudor
93 Broxted - St Mary - Tudor Pulpit
Broxted - St Mary - Village Map This beautifully carved pictorial map of Broxted was created by Fred Barker, a former resident of Broxted, and illustrates various points of interest around the village. The reverse shows the Hostage Windows and scenes of rural life. I know this because the sign tells me. The sign that is actually pinned on top of the artefact it's describing. When there's a perfectly sized and placed random ledge right there, in the photo. RIGHT THERE! : Church, Essex, Broxted, St Mary, C13, C15, Tudor, Map, Philistinism
94 Broxted - St Mary - Village Map
 Bulphan - St. Mary the Virgin The church was built in the 15th century. The timber cladding on a brick plinth, and tiled tower and roof, make for an attractive building. Decorative carving on the wooden porch is particularly good: Pevsner suggests a carpenter from London might have done the work. The wooden tower stands internally on six posts forming a nave and aisles, with cross beams and diagonal braces. The church was restored in 1874. The building in the foreground is the parish room (2000), which was made of similar materials to the church and built close to but separate from the church itself. Would that all recent additions to the Church's estate were so harmonious. : Church, Essex, Belfry, C15
95 Bulphan - St. Mary the Virgin
 Bulphan - Porch detail Wooden porch with particularly fine carving, c.1500: tower tiles 1874; tower clock 1897. : Church, Essex, Porch, 1500AD
96 Bulphan - Porch detail
Burnham-on-Crouch - St Mary The long row of 15th century Perpendicular windows in the embattled aisle create an imposing image of this large church. The ragstone-rubble tower is 14th century. : Church, Essex, C14, C15
97 Burnham-on-Crouch - St Mary
 Bush End - St John the Evangelist The church was built in 1860 in the early English style; and consists of nave and chancel, with a tower. Despite its remote location it is still in regular use. : Church, Essex, Victorian
98 Bush End - St John the Evangelist
 Bush End - St John the Evangelist The church of St. John The Evangelist was built in 1860, around the time the main north/south road from Takeley Street was created. A separate parish was formed at the same time. It is a small, unpretentious church near Hatfield Forest and has a patterned tile pavement in the chancel. : Church, Essex, Victorian
99 Bush End - St John the Evangelist
Buttsbury - St Mary The floor plan of this small isolated church indicates Anglo Saxon origins. The chancel and aisles may be 14th century in origin, but the whole church was remodelled in the 15th century when the present arcades were built and the nave and chancel reroofed. The west end of the church, including the tower and the west ends of the aisles were rebuilt in brick in the 18th/19th century and the east window was installed in 1876. Further restoration occirred in 1923, in 1949 following damage in WWII and again in 1977 when the nave roof was uncovered. During this most recent restoration a well preserved fragment of a late medieval Doom painting found behind the nave ceiling, and subsequently conserved. The colours are very fresh. The top of Christ's head and halo are visible, as are the heads of angels carrying the nail and the spear from the Instruments of the Passion. There is no longer any village of Buttsbury although it is mentioned as having 19 households in the Domesday book and was once a more important place than neighbouring Stock. : Church, Essex, C15, C18
100 Buttsbury - St Mary
 Bulmer - St Andrew The chancel and north aisle were built in the 14th century and the tower in the 15th century. The chancel is unusually long. Internally there is a 15th century octagonal font with a Green Man carving. The church was extensively restored in the late 19th century. It is a Grade I listed buiding. : Church, Essex, C14, C15
101 Bulmer - St Andrew
 Bulmer - St Andrew's Green Man Font carved with hexagonal roses, angels with shields, vine leaves and bunches of grapes. 15th century. : Font, Bulmer, Green Man, Pagan, C15
102 Bulmer - St Andrew's Green Man
Broxted - St Mary - Hostage Window One of two windows by John K Clarke, 1993. The other window is in shades of grey and symbolises the capture of hostages; this blue one symbolises freedom. Broxted church became a world centre for commemorationg the captivity and release of the Beurut hostages, and now bears witness for hostages everywhere. : Broxted, St Mary, Stained, Glass, Window, Hostage
103 Broxted - St Mary - Hostage Window