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Canewdon - Fyfield

Essex Churches - Canewdon to Fyfield

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Medieval carving and grave-robbers...
  

Colchester - St Botolphs Priory

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Copford-St-Michael-All-Angels

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Canewdon - St Nicholas 14th century nave, chancel and north aisle. The tower was added during the early 15th century and is made of dressed ragstone. Since medieval times, Canewdon has had a reputation for witchcraft. There are many ghost stories within the village, mostly central to this church. The most famous ghost is the 'Grey Lady' who reportedly floats down from the church's west gate towards the river Crouch. : Church, Essex, C14, C15
1 Canewdon - St Nicholas
 Canvey Island - St Katherine St Katherine’s was built in 1875. It was the fourth church built on the site since Dutch settlers built a chapel there in the 17th century. Timber-framed, and originally weather-boarded, but plastered in the 1930s. It became derelict in the 1960s and was converted to the Heritage Centre in the 1980s. The old interior of the church is obscured by an over-crowded load of old tat on display inside. Apparently "Heritage" means the sort of flotsam & jetsam you'd expect to find in a skip after a loft clearance. : Church, Essex
2 Canvey Island - St Katherine
 Chadwell St Mary St Cedd is believed to have used a well near the site of the church to baptise converts to Christianity during the seventh century, and the name of the village derives from this. The current church has a Norman nave, 14th century chancel and 15th century tower. Over the north doorway is a Norman tympanum, decorated with rosettes and saltire crosses. The west doorway still contains the original 15th century door. It is a Grade I listed building. : Church, Essex, C14, C15, Norman
3 Chadwell St Mary
Chadwell St Mary - St Mary - N.Door The north doorway was built in the 15th century, replacing an earlier, Norman doorway, as can be seen from the 12th century tympanum decorated with rosettes and saltire crosses. : Church, Essex, Norman, C12, C15
4 Chadwell St Mary - St Mary - N.Door
 Chappel - St Barnabas Consecrated by the Bishop of London in 1352, St Barnabas was originally a chapel of ease to Great Tey, shortly after the Black Death, and eventually gave its name to the village of Chappel. The design of the nave and chancel is single cell, with no structural division under the roof. The south door and porch are early 17th century and 18th century respectively. Grade I listed. : Church, Essex, C14
5 Chappel - St Barnabas
 Chappel - St Barnabas - Nave and Chancel View from underneath the Georgian west gallery, showing the thick walls surrounding the early 14th century windows, and the 14th century timber roof beams. The pine benches are Victorian; the pulpit Jacobean. : Church, Essex, C14
6 Chappel - St Barnabas - Nave and Chancel
Chickney - St Mary This erratically planned church is an unusually complete example of Anglo Saxon work. The pre-conquest nave is rhomboidal and the 14th century tower and the chancel are skewed to the south. The western part of the chancel is contemporary with the nave although it was lengthened in the 13th century. The south porch was added early in the 15th century, and during the same century the north and south walls of the nave were cut back at the eastern end, and arched recesses formed, probably to give more space to two nave altars. The church was restored in 1858. The Grade I church is no longer in use and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. : Church, Essex, C13, C15, Saxon, Anglo-Saxon
7 Chickney - St Mary
 Chignal Smealy - St Nicholas This unusual church was built from Tudor bricks early in the 16th century. The battlements, buttresses, windows, arcades, piers and arches are all brick built. Even the font is Tudor brick. A north aisle was added in 1847, and uses bricks which blend in reasonably well. : Church, Essex, Tudor, C16
8 Chignal Smealy - St Nicholas
 Chignal Smealy - St Nicholas Interior This unusual Tudor brick church was originally plastered internally, but the plaster was removed as part of a restoriation in 1894. There was a further restoration in 1904 when the brick porch was re-built, and plasterwork was removed from the Tudor brick font. The elaborately carved altar came from a closed church at Chignal St James nearby where it had served as a WWI memorial. The chancel screen is also 16th century. The overall effect is plain and unadorned, yet warm and pleasing. : Church, Essex, Tudor, C15
9 Chignal Smealy - St Nicholas Interior
Chignal St James Now a private residence. The chancel and nave are probably of late 13th century origin, re-built early in the 16th century. : Church, Essex, private
10 Chignal St James
 Chigwell - St Mary The original Norman church with its south doorway (with chevron moulding and scalloped capitals) is now the south aisle and lady chapel of the building. In the early 15th century the belfry was added supported by massive oak posts. In the 1880s a new flint chancel and nave was added to the north side of the original building which tends to dwarf the original structure. : Church, Essex, C15, Norman
11 Chigwell - St Mary
 Childerditch - All Saints and St Faith The church stands on the high ground of Childerditch with broad views across the Thames valley, built on the site of its predecessor, which had the same dedication. The first known reference to the old building was in 1387–8, when Coggeshall Abbey paid a tiler for tiling the new chancel. In 1858 the church was a ruin, comprising a nave of flint rubble, thought to date from the 12th century, chancel, timber belfry, and south porch. In 1869, the old church was demolished and replaced by a new one built of Kentish rag and Bath stone. Childerditch was always a scarcely populated parish of scattered farms and cottages, and ceased to exist as a parish in 1934. : Church, Essex, Victorian
12 Childerditch - All Saints and St Faith
Chipping Ongar - St Martin of Tours The nave and chancel of St Martins was built at the end of the 11th century. The steeple dates from the 15th century and contains two bells dated 1672 and 1737. An early 17th century iron bedstead clock with no dial is still working and will strike the hours. There is a small opening in the north wall of the chancel which used to connect to an anchorite cell. Grade I listed : Church, Essex, anchorite
13 Chipping Ongar - St Martin of Tours
 Chipping Ongar - St Martin of Tours Chancel. The chancel arch was taken down and rebuilt in about 1350. In the chancel there are two original round-headed Norman windows, one at the east end of the north wall, the other opposite to it on the south wall. In 1284-5 John the Clerk of Ongar was killed by the clapper of the church bell, which fell upon him while he was ringing. God works in mysterious ways. : Church, Essex, chancel, Norman
14 Chipping Ongar - St Martin of Tours
 Chipping Ongar - Anchorite Cell This small opening gives access to the anchorite cell in the north wall of the chancel. An anchorite was a person who took a vow of stability, that is to remain for the rest of their lives in their cell which was attached (or 'anchored') to the wall of the church. They would receive food from the village and villagers would come to them for spiritual counsel. The cell consists of a recess in the outside wall of the church with a small window through which the hermit could take part in worship. : Church, Essex, Anchorite
15 Chipping Ongar - Anchorite Cell
Chrishall - Holy Trinity Chrishall is said by some to be the first place in Essex where Christianity took hold: in the Domesday Book the name of the village is stated as 'Cristehalla', meaning the home of Christ. The Holy Trinity is a large aisled church in the Perpendicular style. During the rebuilding period of the 13th and 14th centuries, a north transept was added, only to be replaced in the 15th century by the present north and south transepts. A north porch was added in the 15th century. Between 1867- 69, the two clerestory walls, the chancel arch, its piers and parapets, and the north porch were completely rebuilt, the latter being ‘in a ruinous state’. The roofs of the nave and south aisle were also completely replaced. In 1878, the vestry was added on the north side, destroying the middle window of the chancel north wall. A new reredos and the organ were added in 1889. The robust tower, constructed in flint in the Norman style, was restored in 1914 and contains a peal of six bells, the oldest of which date back to 162. It is believed that a much earlier Saxon church once existed here. There are the remains of a medieval Motte in the woods within 100 yards of the church, an indication that in the past the village might have been located nearer to the Church than it is at present. : Church, Essex, Chrishall, C12, Grade I
16 Chrishall - Holy Trinity
 Chrishall Holy Trinity - Chancel Roof A fine hammerbeam roof. : Church, Essex, hammerbeam, roof, Chrishall
17 Chrishall Holy Trinity - Chancel Roof
 Chrishall - Holy Trinity Brass Sir John de la Pole 1341-1379 and wife Joan de Cobham 1340-1388. : Church, Essex, Chrishall, Brass, Pole, C14
18 Chrishall - Holy Trinity Brass
Chrishall - Effigy 14th century recumbent stone effigy of a woman in a recessed tomb. : Church, Essex, Chrishall, Effigy, C14
19 Chrishall - Effigy
 Clacton-on-Sea - Christ Church (URC) Built in 1886/7 of brick with stone dressings. The slender tower was originally a spire. The south transept was added in 1890 and a lecture hall and clasrooms added in 1901. : Church, Essex, Victorian
20 Clacton-on-Sea - Christ Church (URC)
 Clacton-on-Sea - Our Lady of Light & St Osyth Built in 1902/3 in Neo-Norman style, this is the most prominent church in town. The exterior is of Kentish rag with Ketton stone dressings. Before this church was built, a Mass was held once a month in a nearby Martello tower. : Church, Essex, Victorian, Neo-Norman
21 Clacton-on-Sea - Our Lady of Light & St Osyth
Clacton-on-Sea - St James Possibly one of the ugliest churches in Essex. The parish of St James was created in 1907 as the new town of Clacton-On-Sea grew and developed. The original building was planned to be twice as large with a bell-tower, but this cement-rendered building, reminiscent of a war-time bunker, was built instead, and consecrated in 1913. The interior is nicer. : Church, Essex, Clacton
22 Clacton-on-Sea - St James
 Clavering - St Mary & St Clement This fine large Perpendicular church is built of flint rubble and is entirly embattled, with a west tower that has angle buttresses. The roofs are original with low pitched cambered tie-beams, and have interesting head corbels as well as carved wooden angels below the rafters. The chancel screen of c.1450 has beautifully crafted tracery, and has remains of paintings on the dado panels (Anthony with pig, Lawrence with gridiron, and Agnes with lamb). More on Clavering: Essex Walks Grade I listed : Church, Essex, angels, clerestory, C15
23 Clavering - St Mary & St Clement
 Clavering - St Mary & St Clement - Pulpit 17th century pulpit on a 15th century stem : Church, Essex, pulpit, C15, C17
24 Clavering - St Mary & St Clement - Pulpit
Clavering - Rood stairs : Church, Essex, Rood
25 Clavering - Rood stairs
 Clavering Seraphim One of many 15th century roof Seraphims : Church, Essex, angel, seraphim
26 Clavering Seraphim
 Coggeshall - St. Peter ad Vincula This Grade I Listed church is one of the very few churches in the country dedicated to St. Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in chains). It is reputed to be one of the very best specimens in the County of the Perpendicular period, built in the early 15th century. On 16th September 1940 the church was bombed by the German Luftwaffe. The roof of the nave collapsed, dragging down the north arcading and the roof of the north wall. Part of the tower was badly damaged, most of the stained glass windows were blown out, but the chancel, east end, south wall and south arcading survived. Many of the original medieval fittings were lost and the restoration was not completed until 1956. See Google photosphere of St Peter ad Vincula : Church, Essex, C15, clerestory, Perpendicular
27 Coggeshall - St. Peter ad Vincula
Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula - Interior The church was constructed in perpendicular style in the early 15th century. The tall, elegant piers consist of four attached shafts with capitals and 4 subsidiary shafts; the arches are four-centered. The builiing suffered bomb damage in September 1940 when the north aisle, west end and much of the tower was destroyed. : Church, Essex, C15
28 Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula - Interior
 Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula - Corbel The carved figures above the corbles were given to the church in 1880. : Church, Essex, Corbel
29 Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula - Corbel
 Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula Font This 13th century font was brought to Coggeshall from Pattiswick. It has a round bowl with shallow arcade of 12 trefoiled arches. : Church, Essex, Font, C13
30 Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula Font
Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula Kneeling angels grace the communion rail. WB Polley, c.1870. : Church, Essex, C19
31 Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula
 Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula - Porch Roof Inside the porch, the central boss of the elegant tierceron vault was changed from a Virgin and Child to a pelican, in 1869. There was an ancient belief that in times of famine, a mother pelican would wound herself in the breast in order to feed her young on her own blood.The self-sacrificial nature of this act led to the pelican being adopted as a Christian symbol. : Church, Essex, Porch, roof, C19
32 Coggeshall - St Peter ad Vincula - Porch Roof
 Colchester - All Saints Early 14th century chancel with a north aisle added in the mid 15th century. The tower was rebuilt in c.1500 and has large, three-light bell openings. Aside from the tower, much of the church was rebuilt in Victorian times. Closed as a church in 1957, the building now houses a natural history museum. : Church, Essex, C14, C15
33 Colchester - All Saints
Colchester - Holy Trinity The tower of Holy Trinity church is Saxon. It is just under 12 feet square with a low pyramidal roof. It is built of rubble with Roman brick in the quoins and window and door surrounds, and in decorative bandings between layers of rubble. The church closed as a place of worship in 1953, and is currently (2015) in use as a cafe and indoor market. : Colchester, Holy Trinity, architecture, church
34 Colchester - Holy Trinity
 Colchester - Holy Trinity - Saxon Doorway The small west doorway of the tower is Saxon and was built with Roman brick. It is a good example of 11th century brick laying, with two columns of bricks supporting a triangular head. : Church, Essex, Saxon, doorway, C11
35 Colchester - Holy Trinity - Saxon Doorway
 Colchester - Holy Trinity Tower The Saxon tower of Holy Trinity is just under 12 feet square and built in 3 stages. At the base is a small doorway with a triangular head. Roman bricks are used in the quoins, window surrounds, and in decorative layers throughout. : Church, Essex, Roman, Saxon
36 Colchester - Holy Trinity Tower
Colchester - Holy Trinity Tower- Saxon Brickwork The upper windows of this Saxon tower illustrate 11th century bricklaying techniques.The bell opening consists of twinned windows, but not separated by the more usual turned shaft or colonettes. There are traces of a blind arcade mid way up the tower. : Church, Essex, Tower, Roman, Saxon
37 Colchester - Holy Trinity Tower- Saxon Brickwork
 Colchester - Lion Walk URC Dissenters in Colchester worshipped in a timber built, octagonal structure known as The Round House until 1863, when this was pulled down and replaced by a Victorian Gothic stone church, graced with a tower and spire 125 feet tall. The top section of the steeple had to be re-built following an earthquake in 1884. The stone church was demolished and replaced by another octagonal building in 1984, although the spire was retained. The new building is of two storeys, with shops on the ground floor. : Church, Essex, Lion Walk, Spire, Victorian, Dissenters
38 Colchester - Lion Walk URC
 Colchester - St Botolph This church was built in 1837 on land adjacent to St Botolph's Priory. The medieval Priory church survived the dissolution of the monasteries only to be so badly damaged during the Siege of Colchester in 1648 that it was never repaired. The parish coped without a church for almost 200 years. The new St Botolph's was also nearly destroyed by war. Several incendiary bombs fell on the church during air raids in 1943 but were dealt with by the church's own team of fire watchers - all apart from one bomb, which landed on a radiator: the resulting flood of water extinguished that fire. : Church, Essex, Victorian, Priory
39 Colchester - St Botolph
Colchester - St Botolph - Entrance St Botolph's Church main door and tower. Built in 1837, the church has not been well served by the town planners, but nevertheless has a thriving spiritual and musical life. : Church, Essex, Victorian
40 Colchester - St Botolph - Entrance
 Colchester - St Botolph - Exterior The architectural style of the blind arcades mimics that of the nearby priory. : Church, Essex, Colchester, Botolph, blind, arcade
41 Colchester - St Botolph - Exterior
 Colchester - St James the Great The building was originally Norman, but has been added to and extended over the centuries. The south aisle was added c.1300, the north aisle added in the mid 14th century. Both aisles were extended in the 15th century. The tower was added in the 13th century then altered during the 14th century. The chancel and chancel chapels were added in around 1500 but are obscured from view on the south by a horrible vestry built in 1953 of roughcast concrete - and intended to be temporary. : Church, Essex, Colchester, St James, C13, C14, C15, Norman
42 Colchester - St James the Great
Colchester - St James the Less and St Helen (RC) Built by J J Scoles in 1837 of white brick, in Norman style. North aisle added in 1904, south aisle in 1907. : Church, Essex, Colchester, St James
43 Colchester - St James the Less and St Helen (RC)
 Colchester - St Leonard-at-the-Hythe Some impressive features notably the 15th century porch with an upstairs room, and internally, a 16th centuryhammerbeam roof. The church was repaired and restored by the Victorians several times, in 1839, 1848, 1863 and 1865/6, then the tower had to be re-built following the 1884 earthquake. Despite all this effort and energy, the church was declared redundant in 1985 and is now managed by the Churches Conservation Trust. : Church, Essex, Colcheser, St Leonard, C15
44 Colchester - St Leonard-at-the-Hythe
 Cold Norton - St Stephen St Stephen consists of a nave, chancel and vestry built from Kentish ragstone, with a simple timber porch. It was rebuilt in 1855 by Pritchett. : Church, Essex, Cold Norton, St Stephen, Victorian
45 Cold Norton - St Stephen
Cold Norton - St Stephen - Interior Immediately noticeable upon entering the church are the over-sized roof corbels depicting crouching figures of the apostles. : Church, Essex, Cold Norton, St Stephen
46 Cold Norton - St Stephen - Interior
 Colne Engaine - St Andrew Grade I listed. The base of the tower is 14th century, built of flint and rubble, whereas the upper half is c.1500, built of Tudor brick. The nave is Norman and the chancel, c.1300. In his will, John Draper (d. 1496) ordered 40,000 bricks for the building of the tower. Surplus bricks were then used to rebuild the porch although the original 15th century porch roof and bargebords were retained. : Church, Essex, Norman, C13, C15, C16, Grade I
47 Colne Engaine - St Andrew
 Colne Engaine - St Andrew - Interior Norman nave, 13th century chancel, restored internally in 1872/3. : Church, Essex, Norman, C13
48 Colne Engaine - St Andrew - Interior
Colne Engaine - St Andrew Tower Elaborate Tudor brickwork in the tower : Church, Essex, Colne, C16, Tudor
49 Colne Engaine - St Andrew Tower
 Coopersale - St Alban St Alban's Church is in Early English style built from flint rubble in 1852 by Miss Archer-Houblon of Coopersale House, who also paid for the vicarage and school. : church, architecture, St Alban, Coopersale, Epping, Victorian
50 Coopersale - St Alban
 Corringham - St Mary The herringbone pattern of masonry in the chancel south wall suggest this church was begun before the Norman Conquest The most impressive feature is the massive Norman tower, without buttresses, and with two tiers of blanked out arches at the top. Apart from remnants of Saxon construction, the chancel and chancel chapel are mainly 14th century. : Church, Essex, C14, blind, arcade, Saxon, Norman
51 Corringham - St Mary
Corringham - St Mary - Tower The Norman tower originally had a flat roof with battlements at the top when it was built onto a pre-existing nave and chancel between 1080 and 1120. On each of the tower walls, the central arch in the top row of arcading serves as a bell-opening, The pyramidal spire was added in the early 15th century. : Church, Essex, Corringham, Norman
52 Corringham - St Mary - Tower
 Cranham - All Saints Until 1873, a 14th century church with a short weather boarded west tower stood here. However by 1871 the church was said to be ‘in a miserable state of dirt and dilapidation’ and was entirely rebuilt by Richard Armstrong. The building material is stone with a design of the Early English Style. The three bells from the old church (all dated around 1460) were re-hung for chiming only. : Church, Essex, Cranham, Victorian, spire
53 Cranham - All Saints
 Cranham - All Saints interior The founder of the state of Georgia, USA, General James Oglethorpe (1696-1785) is buried in a vault in the chancel. After serving King George II in the colonies,and as a reforming Member of Parliament, he retired to his home nearby, Cranham Hall, the inherited estate of his wife Elizabeth. : Church, Essex, Cranham, Chancel, Victorian
54 Cranham - All Saints interior
Creeksea - All Saints Built high up on the site of a former church with stunning views over the Crouch, All Saints is a creation by Chancellor who completed the work in 1877 with an attractive mix of red tiles,stone, bricks and flint. The previous church's 14th-century south doorway with moulded jambs and two-centred arch has been retained. : Church, Essex, Victorian, Chancellor, spire, C14
55 Creeksea - All Saints
 Cressing - All Saints A Grade I listed building. Nave: 12th century with Saxo-Norman foundations; Chancel early 13th century. The south wall was rebuilt in the early 16th century; the bell-turret dates from c.1400; the north vestry was added in 1823; and the south porch is also 19th century. : Church, Essex, Cressing, C12, C13, C15, C16, Norman, Grade I
56 Cressing - All Saints
 Danbury - St John the Baptist The Grade I church is built on a hill which was once an iron-age fort, and subsequently occupied by the Romans and then the Dæningas tribe of Saxons.The oldest part is the 13th century north aisle, built of puddingstone, with early 14th century trussed rafter roof. The tower is 14th century, with a shingled spire rebuilt after a lightning strike in 1750. The church is spacious inside - the distance across the two aisles and the nave exceeds their length. : Church, Essex, Danbury, St John, C13, C14 C18 Grade 1
57 Danbury - St John the Baptist
Danbury - St John the Baptist - Pews The unusual carved wooden creatures gracing the ornate pew-ends are very good Victorian copies in the style of the three remaining fifteenth-century pews by the nave entrance. The pews are arranged right across the nave and north and south aisles and create the impression of a forest of poppyhead pew ends. All sorts of animals are represented - mythological and real. In the alcoves are three effigies of crusader knights. They belonged to members of the St Clere family, who controlled the manor of Danbury during the thirteenth century. At first glance the 3 effigies appear to be carved from stone, but are in fact hollow oak : Church, Essex, Danbury, St John, C13, C14 C18 Grade 1, Victorian
58 Danbury - St John the Baptist - Pews
 Danbury - St John - Pew Carvings Detail of pew carving of mythological abeasts. : Church, Essex, Danbury, St John, C13, C14 C18 Grade 1
59 Danbury - St John - Pew Carvings
 Danbury - St John - Effigy In the alcoves are three effigies of crusader knights. They belonged to members of the St Clere family, who controlled the manor of Danbury during the thirteenth century. At first glance the 3 effigies appear to be carved from stone, but are in fact hollow oak : Church, Essex, Danbury, St John, C13, C14 C18 Grade 1, Crusader
60 Danbury - St John - Effigy
Debden - St Mary the Virgin & All Saints The church was built around 1220 in the Norman cathredral form with chancel, nave, two aisles and a tower in the centre. The circular pillars of the nave date from this time. The church is Grade I listed. Originally there was a central steeple with 5 bells, but this fell in 1698, destroying the chancel. The subsequent steeple rebuild was evidently poor, as it collapsed again in 1717 and remained derelict for decades. The owner of the Debden Hall estate, Richard Chiswell MP commissioned the rebuild of the chancel in 1793 when the west belfry, spire and parapets of the nave and aisles were added, as well as an octagonal east chapel in white brick. He shot himself in 1797 after losing his fortune on failed investments in the West Indies but his legacy lives on. : Church, Essex, Debden, St Mary, Norman, C18, Chiswell, Grade 1
61 Debden - St Mary the Virgin & All Saints
 Dedham - St Mary the Virgin Building began in 1492 on the site of a medieval church dating back to at least 1322. The striking west tower, finished in 1519, is constructed of knapped flint, dressed with limestone, and is 131 feet high. Grade I listed : Church, Essex, Dedham, St Mary, Grade 1, C15, C16
62 Dedham - St Mary the Virgin
 Dengie - St James The church is built on a relatively high point of the Dengie Peninsula from a mixture of materials, notably rare 14th century yellow brick. : Church, Essex, Dengie, St James, C14
63 Dengie - St James
Doddinghurst - All Saints All Saints is a Grade I listed building of stone-dressed flint with a 13th century nave. The roof and porch are of the 15th century. The timber-framed belfry tower is dated c.1400 and is topped with a wooden shingled spire. All Saints was built on the route of a Roman road, now "Church Lane", and intersecting pilgrimage routes. : Church, Essex, Doddinghurst, All Saints, Grade 1, C13, C14, C15
64 Doddinghurst - All Saints
 Downham - St Margaret The oldest part of the present building is the redbrick tower that dates from around 1470. It is diagonally buttressed and contains six bells. The main part of the church, the nave, was rebuilt in the nineteenth century using much of the material from the original thirteenth century building. The dovecote in the background, which is 16th century, was moved to the churchyard from Downham Hall. : St Margaret, Downham, Essex, church, C15
65 Downham - St Margaret
 Duddenhoe End - The Hamlet Church This pretty thatched church was converted from a barn by the Squire Parson of Lofts Hall, Rev Robert Wilkes, in 1859. Until then, Duddenhoe End villagers were expected to walk to St Nicholas, Elmdon, each Sunday, no matter the weather. There is only one other thatched church in the Diocese, making this building as unusual as it is lovely. : Church, Essex, Duddenhoe, End, Hamlet, Thatched, Victorian
66 Duddenhoe End - The Hamlet Church
Duddenhoe End -The Hamlet Church interior An unusual feature of the church is that the altar is set on the long, eastern, wall of the building, with the scrubbed pine pews set accordingly. The pew backs support turned pine candlesticks. : Church, Essex, Duddenhoe, End, Hamlet, Thatched, Victorian
67 Duddenhoe End -The Hamlet Church interior
 Earls Colne - St Andrews The church comprises a chancel with north and south chapels, a nave with north and south aisles and south porch, and a west tower built in 1460. An unusual feature of the graveyard is that some of the headstones are made from cast iron, probably manufactured in the old Atlas Works Foundry. : Church, Essex, Earls, Colne, C15, St Andrew
68 Earls Colne - St Andrews
 East Hanningfield - St Andrews St Andrews Church was built in 1884-5 after fire destroyed the original 7th Century church.The heat of the fire was so great that the bells melted and fell as a shower of molten metal in the west end of the old Church. This metal was later salvaged by the local schoolchildren and used to make bells for the new church, which was built in the centre of the village. The insurance from the fire (£1000) was not enough to cover the rebuilding costs, and the villagers of East Hanningfield raised the rest of the money, a further £2500, themselves. The site for the new church was donated by Elijah Slater, a retired wool merchant. : Church, Essex, East, Hanningfield, St Andrew, Victorian
69 East Hanningfield - St Andrews
East Hanningfield - Old St Andrews The first Hanningfield church was built here in the 7th Century by the local Saxon Chief newly converted to Christianity. The church burnt down in 1883, and only the delapidated cemetary remains. 'Plate 44: East Hanningfield, Parish Church of All Saints', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex, Volume 4, South east (London, 1923), www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/essex/vol4/plate-44 : Church, Essex, UK Essex Church Derelict, East, Hanningfield, Old, Graveyard
70 East Hanningfield - Old St Andrews
 East Horndon - All Saints The church was built in brick in a basic cruciform shape in the the late 15th century; then in around 1512, the south chapel was added. All Saints was vandalised in the 1960's with all the metal removed, including the bells and memorial brasses, and the pulpit and communion table destroyed. The church has been redundant since 1970 but is still much loved. Open days occur through the year from time to time, and the building is used for musical events and weddings. It is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. : Church, Essex, East, Horndon, All Saints, C15, Churches, Conservation, Trust
71 East Horndon - All Saints
 East Horndon - All Saints This lovely 15th &16th century church sits alone on a hill overlooking the A127/A128 junction. The south chapel was built in 1512, the remainder of the church is late 15th century. The church is redundant and is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. : Church, Essex, East, Horndon, All Saints, C15, Churches, Conservation, Trust
72 East Horndon - All Saints
East Horndon - All Saints Detail of 15th century brickwork and tiny doorway. According to Wikipaedia, Essex folk had an average height of 4' in those days. : Church, Essex, East, Horndon, All Saints, C15, Churches, Conservation, Trust, Doorway
73 East Horndon - All Saints
 East Horndon - All Saints - Interior Inside All Saints, showing the gallery above the south chapel. : Church, Essex, East, Horndon, All Saints, C15, Churches, Conservation, Trust, Interior, Gallery
74 East Horndon - All Saints - Interior
 East Mersea - St Edmund King and Martyr The Grade 1 listed church was built on the former site of the Danish moated fortification where raids led by Hasten terrorised the country as far away as Chester. The church is Perpendicular in style with a 15th century tower and polygonal stair turret, and a slightly earlier chancel. Septaria (clay nodules from the shore) and flint are the main building materials. : Church, Essex, East, Mersea, St Edmund, C14, C15, Grade 1
75 East Mersea - St Edmund King and Martyr
East Mersea - St Edmund: Pulpit Internally much of the original interior of the church was destroyed by parliamentarian troops during the Civil war when they used the church as a barracks and stables. The lime-washed austerity of the post-Reformation years is still apparent, and the church has a simple devotional feel to it. Mounted high on a stone base on the south wall, the 17th Jacobean Pulpit and octagaonal sounding board ('tester') now has no visible means of access, after the box pews were removed in the 1920s. The pulpit is equipped with a simple wrought-iron hour-glass stand. In the the 17th century, the hour-glass was used to time to length of the sermon. Having a "second glass" was a sign of a preacher who had got carried away. There is also symbolism in its use: as the sands of time ran through the glass, the flock were reminded of their own time running out before their inevitable demise and Judgement.. : Church, Essex, East, Mersea, St Edmund, C14, C15, Grade 1, Pulpit, Jacobean
76 East Mersea - St Edmund: Pulpit
 East Mersea - St Edmund: Pulpit The pulpit is equipped with a simple wrought-iron hour-glass stand. In the the 17th century, the hour-glass was used to time to length of the sermon. Having a "second glass" was a sign of a preacher who had got carried away. There is also symbolism in its use: as the sands of time ran through the glass, the flock were reminded of their own time running out before their inevitable demise and Judgement.. : Church, Essex, East, Mersea, St Edmund, C14, C15, Grade 1, Pulpit
77 East Mersea - St Edmund: Pulpit
 East Mersea - St Edmund King and Martyr - Lampshade The Church has moved beyond candles, even in East Mersea : Church, Essex, East, Mersea, St Edmund, C14, C15, Grade 1
78 East Mersea - St Edmund King and Martyr - Lampshade
East Mersea - St Edmund - Sarah Wrench Grave of Sarah Wrench on north side of East Mersea Church. She died 6 May 1848, aged 15 yrs 5 months. The grave is protected by an iron cage or mortsafe, which is normally used to stop grave-robbers. The grave is on the north side of the church - which in earlier centuries had been regarded as the 'Devil's side', used for the burials of excommunicants, suicides and the unbaptised. A story has evolved that the poor girl was a witch and that the cage was there to stop her leaving her grave after death. Although the last person to be incarcerated for witchcraft in Great Britain was in 1944, the witchcraft accusation seems to be a fanciful urban myth. A more likely explanation is that when she died (cause unknown), her body was given a place alongside the many relatives from the family Croyden who lived at East Mersea Hall and are interred in the same part of the church-yard. The description of the cage as a mort-safe is also suspect. The Anatomy Act of 1832 had obviated the need for grave-robbing - allowing medical schools to get legal supplies of cadavers from the workhouses. As a durable strong material, iron was in fashion in Victorian times, and is frequently seen in local churchyards as gravemarkers. It is possible that this unusual iron construction was simply a 'modern' form of monument in the shape of the traditional bodystone. : Church, Essex, East, Mersea, St Edmund, C14, C15, Grade 1, Grave, Sarah, Wrench
79 East Mersea - St Edmund - Sarah Wrench
 East Mersea - Sarah Wrench detail Heartbreaking detail of the Sarah Wrench grave. : Church, Essex, East, Mersea, St Edmund, C14, C15, Grade 1, Grave, Sarah, Wrench
80 East Mersea - Sarah Wrench detail
 East Tilbury - Saint Catherines St Catherine's is a small 12th century church set on an escarpment adjacent the Thames. It is Grade I listed because of its significance as a Norman building with medieval and later additions. The Norman nave was extended with a north aisle in the late twelfth century and a chancel with three lancet windows in the east wall, in the thirteenth century. A south aisle and tower are reputed to have been demolished during a Dutch raid as part of the second Anglo-Dutch war in 1667. A new tower was started in 1917 but never completed, by the London Electrical Engineers from Coalhouse Fort nearby. This is now the vestry. : Church, Essex, Esat, Tilbury, St Catherine, Grade 1, Norman, Anglo-Dutch
81 East Tilbury - Saint Catherines
East Tilbury - Saint Catherine This is a Grade I listed building, with a twelfth century nave and thirteenth century chancel. The original west door was bricked up during the sixteenth century. On the right you can see a tower stump. The fate of the original tower is uncertain. The most common theory is that it was destroyed by the Dutch in 1667, during the second Anglo-Dutch war. An alternate theory suggests that according to the church records the building was in a parlous state in the late 17th century, and it is possibe that the tower simply collapsed. However, the Dutch navy did progress along the Thames as far as Gravesend in 1667, so it is possible that the tower was destroyed by enemy action. The stump of the tower contains the vestries. It was built by the First World War garrison of Coalhouse Fort, No.2 Company, London Electrical Engineers. The original plan was to build a complete tower commemorating the fallen in the Great War, and General Gordon of Khartoum who built the Coalhouse Fort. However this plan was never completed. : Church, Essex, East, Tilbury, St Catherine, Grade 1, Anglo-Dutch, Norman
82 East Tilbury - Saint Catherine
 Eastwood - St Laurence and All Saints The south aisle of the church has a distinctive 16th century brick porch with matching rendered gables alongside it. Below the gables, the upper part of the rubble walls have been rebuilt in brick. The nave is Norman, c.1100, with the south aisle and tower added in the 13th century when the chancel was rebuilt. The timber bell turret is 18th century. : Church, Essex, Eastwood, St Laurence, All Saints, Norman, Tudor, C12, C13, C18
83 Eastwood - St Laurence and All Saints
 Eastwood - St Laurence : Graves In the early 19th century, steel cages known as mortsafes were used to protect the graves from grave-robbers, so-called 'resurrectionists'. The Anatomy Act of 1832 meant that bodies could be more easily procured for medical dissection, although the stealing of corpses still continued for some years after. : Church, Essex, Eastwood, St Laurence, All Saints, Norman, Tudor, C12, C13, C18, Grave
84 Eastwood - St Laurence : Graves
Eight Ash Green - All Saints Lying 5 miles to the west of Colchester, Eight Ash Green is not a traditional English village but a civil parish formed in 1947 around a scattered collection of agricultural buildings. This small simple brick church was built alongside the main road in 1898 to serve as an outpost to the original parish of Copford. : Church, Essex, Eight, Ash, Green, All saints, Victorian, C19
85 Eight Ash Green - All Saints
 Elmdon - St Nicholas Although aspects of this lovely church date back to 1320, the church was virtually rebuilt in 1879-80. However the west tower is 15th century Perpendicular style, and in the chancel floor are two 16th century memorial slabs with brasses. : Church, Essex, Elmdon, St Nicholas, C15, Perpendicular, Victorian
86 Elmdon - St Nicholas
 Elmdon - St Nicholas - 'Elmdon Dial' This lovely church dates back to 1320, but was virtually rebuilt in Victorian times. The 'Elmdon Dial' is a stained glass window dating from the mid-1600's, which was probably made by the craftsman John Oliver. It was quite unusual for a stained glass window to be commissioned for a church at that time: following the rise in puritanism, church buildings had become much less ornate and many ecclesiastical artefacts containing Catholic imagery had been destroyed. Artists restricted themselves to images which could not be considered papist. The Elmdon Dial is essentially a memento mori, depicting an hourglass, a sundial, and a fly: all images designed to make people think about the fleeting nature of life, and their impending, inevitable meeting with St Peter. The mottos read 'Sic Vita' (such is life!), and 'Nulla dies sine linea' (no day without a line). This window was originally installed in St Dunstan's church nearby, and was moved to St Nicholas following its closure. : Church, Essex, Elmdon, St Nicholas, C15, Perpendicular, Victorian, Dial, Window, Stained, Glass, C17, Oliver
87 Elmdon - St Nicholas - 'Elmdon Dial'
Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence The church is essentially 14th century although signs of a Norman doorway can be seen on the north side, partially obscured by the new church hall extension. The exterior is covered with a "depressing C20 render" (Pevsner). The low tower, built in in the 14th century, is still unfinished. There are unusual small, low windows in the wall of the south aisle. The church is sited about a mile north of the village, on Essex flatlands adjacent to the A120 and is Grade I listed. : Church, Essex, Elmstead, Market, St Anne, St Lawrence, C14, Norman, Grade 1
88 Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence
 Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence - Interior The church is locked, which is a shame as the interior is much more intresting and attractive than the exterior. The 2-bay south arcade is 14th century, with elegant quatrefoil piers. There is a sequence of biblical texts on the walls which date from the 17th century. The box pews were installed in c.1820 and the wrought iron scrolly hat stand atttached to one of the pews is late 18th century. The pulpit is 18th century. : Church, Essex, Elmstead, Market, St Anne, St Lawrence, C14, Norman, Grade 1, Interior
89 Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence - Interior
 Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence The east window was reduced in size in 1821, then the tracery was replaced as part of a restoration in 1897. Some fragments of the original 14th century stained glass have been preserved in unusual small, low side windows in the south aisle. : Church, Essex, Elmstead, Market, St Anne, St Lawrence, C14, Norman, Grade 1
90 Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence
Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence - Graveyard Unusual grave momument based on Greek cross fleuree, 1861, overlooking the Essex flatlands. : Church, Essex, Elmstead, Market, St Anne, St Lawrence, C14, Norman, Grade 1, Graveyard
91 Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence - Graveyard
 Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence -Graveyard The churchyard contains a group of four headstones each decorated with a pair of winged cherubs, dated 1818 - 1837. : Church, Essex, Elmstead, Market, St Anne, St Lawrence, C14, Norman, Grade 1, Graveyard
92 Elmstead Market - St Anne & St Lawrence -Graveyard
 Elsenham - St Mary The Norman chancel and nave date from the early twelfth century, with a tower added in the early 15th century and a porch in 1500. The building was built on the site of an earlier, Saxon church. The chancel was altered during the 15th century at around the same time as a nave roof was added.The tower has 3 stages, with an embattled parapet and a stair turret rising to the second stage on the south-east corner. It is not buttressed. The church is a Grade 1 listed building. : Church, Essex, Elsenham, St Mary, Norman, Carving, Saxon, Grade 1, C15
93 Elsenham - St Mary
Elsenham - St Mary Interior The nave has some Norman windows and a fine chancel arch ornamented with zig-zag carving and bands of saltire crosses. There is a 15th century king post roof over the nave and the chancel has a fine double arched piscina with dog tooth ornamentation. The pulpit has an early 17th century octagonal stem. Inside the doorway there is a stone coffin lid carved with bands of saltire crosses, inserted in the tympanum. : Church, Essex, Elsenham, St Mary, Norman, Carving, Saxon, Grade 1, C15
94 Elsenham - St Mary Interior
 Elsenham - St Mary - Chancel Arch Norman chancel arch : Church, Essex, Elsenham, St Mary, Norman, Carving, Saxon, Grade 1, C15
95 Elsenham - St Mary - Chancel Arch
 Elsenham - St Mary - S.Door capital Elsenham - St Mary - S.Door capital : Church, Essex, Elsenham, St Mary, Norman, Carving, Grade 1, C15
96 Elsenham - St Mary - S.Door capital
Elsenham - St Mary Norman Door The south doorway is Norman with columns carved with zig-zag ornamentation and carved capitals. The tympanum is carved with saltire crosses. : Church, Essex, Elsenham, St Mary, Norman, Carving, Saxon, Grade 1, C15
97 Elsenham - St Mary Norman Door
 Elsenham - St Mary - Door Capital Elsenham - St Mary - Norman carving on the door capital : Church, Essex, Elsenham, St Mary, Norman, Carving, Grade 1, C15
98 Elsenham - St Mary - Door Capital
 Elsenham - St Mary - Doorway with Coffin Lid The south doorway is Norman with columns carved with zig-zag ornamentation and carved capitals. The tympanum is carved with saltire crosses. : Church, Essex, Elsenham, Doorway, Norman, Coffin, St Mary
99 Elsenham - St Mary - Doorway with Coffin Lid
Elsenham - St Mary - Porch The south porch was added about 1500 and has embattled wall plates and tie beam, with octagonal crown posts. The spandrels of the curved braces to the tie beams are carved. : Church, Essex, Elsenham, St Mary, Norman, Carving, Grade 1, C15
100 Elsenham - St Mary - Porch
 Elsenham - Roman tiles Roman tiles surrounding a Norman window - the glass was added later. : Church, Essex, Elsenham, St Mary, Norman, Carving, Grade 1, C15
101 Elsenham - Roman tiles
 Epping - St John the Baptist St Johns is a Victorian building in Gothic style. The foundation stone was laid in 1889 and the Nave and Chancel were completed in 1891. The north aisle was added in 1908 and finally, the tower was built as virtually a separate building in 1909. Epping is on high ground and the original use of the land was as a site for beacons warning of Viking invaders. In due course a small chapel was built by King William for the beacon warders (who over time became forest keepers). The chapel was a royal foundation, which meant that the priest was paid for directly by King William, and the chapel was deemed a 'Free Chapel', outside the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop. King Henry II subsequently granted a charter to the Abbot of Waltham, passing responsibility for the chapel to Waltham Abbey, which sent priests to serve there for the next 400 years. : Church, Essex
102 Epping - St John the Baptist
Epping Upland - All Saints All Saints was formerely the Parish Church of Epping, with 13th century origins. The nave and chancel were over-restored by James Brooks in 1878 leaving unattractive pebble-dashed walls of the combined nave and chancel. The brick tower with diagonal buttresses and battlements dates from the late 16th century. : Church, Epping, Upland, Essex, C16
103 Epping Upland - All Saints
 Fairstead - St Mary The nave and western part of the chancel is late 11th century. The west tower is c.1200, with the extension to the chancel being made about 30 years later. There is extensive use of old Roman bricks throughout the building. The brick/buttress stack is, however, 20th century. : Church, Essex, Fairstead, St Mary, Norman, C11, C12, Painting, Wall, Grade 1
104 Fairstead - St Mary
 Fairstead - St Mary St Mary's is a Grade I listed building. The nave is 11th century, the windows are 13th century, and the north porch is 15th century. The spire is c. 1600. Inside, there are 15th century pews with linenfold bench ends and there is a fine, ironbound, dugout “parish chest”, 9 feet long and made from a single piece of oak, thought to date from the 13th century. The walls are adorned with 13th century murals, including biblical scenes, two consecration crosses (the church is dedicated to St Mary and St Peter) and a strange grotesque horned head which looks distinctly pagan. : Church, Essex, Fairstead, St Mary, Norman, C11, C12, Painting, Wall, Grade 1
105 Fairstead - St Mary
Fairstead Fresco There are 13th century paintings above the St Mary's Chancel arch in 4 tiers. At the top: a man on an ass with a tree, probably Balaam. 2nd tier: scenes from the Passion, including the Last Supper. 3rd tier probably a 'Doom' painting, ie images of the Last Judgement; and in the fourth tier a row of figures, of which only two or three are now distinct. : Church, Essex, Fairstead, St Mary, Norman, C11, C12, Painting, Wall, Grade 1
106 Fairstead Fresco
 Farnham - St Mary the Virgin This strangely tall and narrow Victorian church was built in 1858, replacing an older church on a site which has been sacred since at least 1247. The church was partially funded by the Gosling family who lived in nearby Hassobury House. The church is roughly equidistant between the centre of Farnham Village and Hassobury House, being a third of a mile from each. In some other Essex villages, when an isolated church needed to be replaced the Victorians re-sited the new building somewhere more convenient. Here they chose to retain the original site. Lonely as it is, the site is charming with mature trees along one side and good views across the open countryside on the other. The churchyard is sparkling with snowdrops in Spring. : Church, Essex, Farnham, Victorian, Mary
107 Farnham - St Mary the Virgin
 Faulkbourne - St Germanus This Grade I listed church was built during the 12th and 13th centuries, and restored by the Victorians. The porch was added in the early 17th century. The upper window in the north wall, together with the small circular openings on either side, are original. There is also a Norman doorway on the south side. The timber bell turret was added during the 15th century. From the churchyard you can see Faulkbourne Hall, one of the most impressive 15th century brick mansions in Essex. : Church, Essex, Faulkbourne, St Germanus, Grade 1, Norman, C13, Tudor
108 Faulkbourne - St Germanus
Faulkbourne - St Germanus Window Early 17th century brick window. : Church, Essex, Faulkbourne, St Germanus, Grade 1, Norman, C13, Tudor
109 Faulkbourne - St Germanus Window
 Feering - All Saints All Saints is Grade I listed. The north aisle and chancel are 14th century and the tower, 15th century. In between is the more recent nave, built of brick in the early 16th century. The nave roof is from the 17th century. The nave and porch windows are of 3, 4 or 5 lights. Inside the porch is an elegant tierceron vault. : Church, Essex, Feering, All Saints, Grade 1, C14, C15, C16, C17, Tudor, Vault
110 Feering - All Saints
 Feering - All Saints The early 16th century brick built nave and porch have brick and some flint decoration. The porch has diapering and stepped battlements, and internally, a star-like tierceron vaulted ceiling : Church, Essex, Feering, All Saints, Grade 1, C14, C15, C16, C17, Tudor, Vault, Porch, Brickwork
111 Feering - All Saints
Feering - All Saints - Vault The brick built early 16th century porch has a beautiful tierceron vault. : Church, Essex, Feering, All Saints, Grade 1, C14, C15, C16, C17, Tudor, Vault, Porch, Brickwork
112 Feering - All Saints - Vault
 Felsted - Holy Cross Mainly 14th century, with a Norman tower. The church is Grade I listed and built of rubble and flint, with stone dressing, with re-used Roman bricks. The building dates from the early 12th century with the west tower and north-west angle of the nave surviving, whilst the south aisle and part of the arcade are late 12th century. The majority of the church’s architecture including the chancel, north aisle, north vestry and south porch are 14th and 15th century. It underwent restoration works in the 19th and 20th centuries. : Church, Essex, Felsted, Holy Cross, Norman, C14, Grade 1, C12
113 Felsted - Holy Cross
 Finchingfield - St John the Baptist The massive Norman tower dominates the site. The Norman arch above the west door exhibits the characteristic Norman zig-zag decoration. The top stage of the tower with battlements was added in the 15th century, while the single brick buttress supporting the base was a 19th century addition. The church is Grade I listed The church is at the top of a hill and so the tower would have had a role in defence of the settlement. A former spire was blown down during a gale in 1702 and never rebuilt. All that survives of it is the 15th century angelus bell, which is now in the cupola built in the 18th century in place of the spire. : Church, Essex, Finchingfield, St John, Norman, C15, Grade 1
114 Finchingfield - St John the Baptist
Finchingfield - St John the Baptist Interior Like the chancel arch, the octagonal piers of the south aisle arcade are 13th century. Under the chancel arch is a beautifully and elabortately carved screen. The screen of the south chantry chapel [above, right] housing the Berners tomb chest has a 14th century carved screen. Along the top of the screen the fourteenth century medieval wood worker has carved some quirky figures including a gryphon, a half-human winged lion, and end figures playing a double recorder and bagpipes : Church, Essex, Finchingfield, St John, Norman, C15, Grade 1, Interior, C13, C14, Carving
115 Finchingfield - St John the Baptist Interior
 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving One of the beasts and people carved around 1350. This one shows a jester playing a double recorder. There's a sense of humour about these little carvings - the craftsman had some unpretentious fun with his designs that still connects with us 600 years later in the po-faced 21st century. : Church, Essex, Finchingfield, St John, Norman, C15, Grade 1
116 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving
 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving One of the mythological beasts carved around 1350. A winged lion, perhaps, with human legs. There's a sense of humour about these little carvings - the craftsman had some unpretentious fun with his designs that still connects with us 600 years later in the po-faced 21st century. : Church, Essex, Finchingfield, St John, Norman, C15, Grade 1
117 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving
Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving One of the beasts and people carved around 1350. This seems to be a carving of a man having a laugh! Could it be a self portrait? There's a sense of humour about these little carvings - the craftsman had some unpretentious fun with his designs that still connects with us 600 years later in the po-faced 21st century. : Church, Essex, Finchingfield, St John, Norman, C15, Grade 1
118 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving
 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving One of the mythological beasts and people carved around 1350. This seems to be a carving of a gryphon. There's a sense of humour about these little carvings - the craftsman had some unpretentious fun with his designs that still connects with us 600 years later in the po-faced 21st century. : Church, Essex, Finchingfield, St John, Norman, C15, Grade 1
119 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving
 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving One of the beasts and people carved around 1350. This one shows a musician playing the bagpipes There's a sense of humour about these little carvings - the craftsman had some unpretentious fun with his designs that still connects with us 600 years later in the po-faced 21st century. : Church, Essex, Finchingfield, St John, Norman, C15, Grade 1
120 Finchingfield - St John - Medieval Carving
Finchingfield St John the Baptist View of the south window from inside the Norman tower. The ring of eight bells was installed in 1781. This picture is best viewed in full screen! : Church, Essex, Finchingfield, St John, Norman, C15, Grade 1
121 Finchingfield St John the Baptist
 Fobbing - St Michael The 15th century Kentish ragstone tower dominates the estuary landscape, with an even taller stair-turret built onto the south-east corner. The South Porch erected around 1550 is a interesting feature of the church. It has a timber frame on dwarf rubble walls, and is roofed with tiles. The barge boards on the gables are carved, the left side containing carvings of a king and a man with his head in a dragon's mouth. : Church, Essex, Fobbing, St Michael, C16, C15
122 Fobbing - St Michael
 Fobbing - St Michael - Tower The West Tower was built in the 15th Century and has an octagonal turret containing a staircase, which gives access to the top. The tower contains a peal of eight bells, four of them were installed in 1629, and the tenor bell was hung in 1724 : Church, Essex, Fobbing, C15, Tower, St Michael
123 Fobbing - St Michael - Tower
Fobbing - St Michael: Blocked Saxon Window Centre: blocked Anglo-Saxon window in the north wall Right: 14th century door with large C and strap iron hinges. : Fobbing, Saxon, Doorway, C14, St Michael
124 Fobbing - St Michael: Blocked Saxon Window
 Ford End - St John the Evangelist The foundation stone of the Church, laid in 1870 refers to the older name, Fourth End, instead of Ford End. The architect was Fred Chancellor, the architect responsible for many insensitive Victorian "restorations" of medieval churches in Essex. Unfortunately, this church had structural problems because it had been built on an ‘osier (or reed) bed’. This resulted in the demolition of the Chancel in 1985 and the peal of six bells were not rung for twenty years until they were declared safe in 2005. The four statues on the tower are of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. : Church, Essex, Ford, End, St John, Victorian
125 Ford End - St John the Evangelist
 Fordham: All Saints Mostly 14th century, although the north and south aisles were rebuilt c1500. The tower is 10 feet square and is supported externally by diagonal buttresses. The lower part was built in 1340 and the upper finished later in the same century. Originally it was topped by a shingled spire which was used as a landmark that helped to guide vessels up the River Colne. Inside, a large stone has been built into the wall of the tower arch. This may have been acknowledgement of the site as a former pagan site - the evidence of megalithic circle stones is also at nearby Alphamstone church : Church, Essex, Fordham, All Saints, C14
126 Fordham: All Saints
Foster Street - All Saints The chapel was built c. 1873 by the Revd. F. R. Miller, brother of the vicar of Harlow, as a memorial to their family. It was licensed in 1874 but never consecrated although it was in use in the 19th and early 20th century, when it was served from Harlow parish church. The chapel is an unusual cruciform-shaped building with a central tower and once had traceried windows, an organ, font, and bells. It is now a private residence. : Church, Essex, Foster, Street, All Saints, Victorian
127 Foster Street - All Saints
 Foulness - St Mary - North View Built in 1853 by William Hambley in Early English Style, this large village ragstone church replaced an earlier one from 1550. Now closed and in poor repair. : Church, Essex, Foulness, St Mary, Victorian
128 Foulness - St Mary - North View
 Foulness - St Mary the Virgin Foulness Island has a population of around 160 and is normally closed to non-residents, as it belongs to the Ministry of Defence. A School of Gunnery was established there in 1859 and since 2003 a private firm has been testing munitions under contract on the many firing ranges on the island. Like the village pub, the church is now closed. The dwindling population has no need for a church, the structure of which is now deemed unsafe: the isolated and potentially hostile environment of the island a fitting match to the ailing Victorian folly. : Church, Essex, Foulness, St Mary, Victorian
129 Foulness - St Mary the Virgin
Foxearth - SS Peter & Paul Tower & mini-spire by Woodyer 1862 : Church, Essex, Foxearth, Victorian, St Peter, St Paul, Woodyer
130 Foxearth - SS Peter & Paul
 Frating - Church House The Norman window, with Roman brick surround, in the south wall of the window reveal this church's origins. In 1125 Frating was a chapel-of-ease to Great Bentley. The church once had a tower with 3 bells, but this was demolished as allegedly unsafe in 1976, and the church was subsequently declared redundant. There are windows in the Decorated style, north and south, and the chancel windows are dated c.1300. It is now a private house, although a small graveyard still remains on the adjacent corner. : Church, Essex, Frating, Norman, C12, C14, Medieval
131 Frating - Church House
 Frinton-on-Sea - Old Church of St Mary St Mary the Virgin is the smallest complete church in Essex - the 14th century nave is only 25 feet long. The porch is 16th century brick, rebuilt in 1879, when Frinton's population was 29. By the 1920s, the population was well in excess of 3000, and the old parish church of St Mary the Virgin was considered too small. St Mary Magdalene was built in Old Road in 1928 as a replacement. : Church, Essex, Frinton, St Mary, Old, C14, C16, Medieval
132 Frinton-on-Sea - Old Church of St Mary
Frinton-on-Sea - Old St Mary Interior St Mary the Virgin - Interior of this tiny church and view of east window, with William Morris stained glass. : Church, Essex, Frinton, St Mary, Old, C14, C16, Stained, Glass, William, Morris, Medieval
133 Frinton-on-Sea - Old St Mary Interior
 Frinton-on-Sea - St Mary - Holy Smoke ? Original 14th century Fire Extinguisher, resting, as it has done for centuries, in its purpose-built alcove. : Church, Essex, Frinton, St Mary, Old, C14, C16, Medieval
134 Frinton-on-Sea - St Mary - Holy Smoke ?
 Frinton-on-Sea - Old St Mary East Window The four panels in the window were designed by Edward Burne-Jones (installed by William Morris & Co) around 1862. The panels may have originally come from Melchett Abbey. The lower mid panel is The Annunciation, based on a cartoon which Burne-Jones originally conceived as a design for a painted tile (1862, Birmingham Art Gallery) - and used at St Martins’ Scarborough, and All Saints, Dedworth. The outer panels show Angels with portative organs and harps. : Church, Essex, Frinton, St Mary, Old, C14, C16, Stained, Glass, William, Morris, Medieval
135 Frinton-on-Sea - Old St Mary East Window
Fryerning - St Mary The oldest part of St Mary's is the 11th century nave, built with walls 3 feet thick made of puddingstone and flint. The brick tower was constructed in the early 16th century by the Knights Hospitalers, replacing an earlier wooden version. Like many other historic Essex churches, St Mary's was restored by the Victorian architect (and first mayor of Chelmsford), Frederick Chancellor. The restoration in 1869 included the addition of the tiled porch, the vestry and pews, while extensive remodelling was performed on the interior, as well as removal of the exterior plastering. : Church, Essex, Fryerning, St Mary, Norman, C11, C16, Knights, Hospitaller, Chancellor
136 Fryerning - St Mary
 Fryerning - Graves - St Mary St Mary's Graveyard : Church, Essex, Fryerning, St Mary, Graveyard
137 Fryerning - Graves - St Mary
 Fyfield - St Nicholas This sturdy church was built by the Norman conquerors in the 12th century from local flint rubble. Unusually, the tower, which incorporates re-used Roman material, was built at the east end of the nave. The chancel was added to the east side of the tower in the 14th century, when a new roof was also built on the nave. Alterations to the nave arch at that time weakened the second stage of the tower which eventually cause it to collapse, but it was re-built in the current red brick around the end of the 18th century. : Church, Essex, St Nicholas, Norman, C12, C14, Fyfield
138 Fyfield - St Nicholas