Church Heritage Record 608369

Nave with west belfry turret and south timber porch, chancel.

Nave estimated to be c 12m (38ft) x 7m (22ft), square chancel 5.3m long (18 ft).

The church was built in the early 12th century, chancel rebuilt in the 13th and later.  It appears to have been a chapel-of-ease to Prittlewell parish church (not the priory as has been claimed).  The church and site are of considerable archaeological significance, and the Historic Environment Record and County Archaeologist should be contacted before any development of the site is contemplated. 14th/15th-century bell turret, belfry frame and nave and chancel roofs.  Date on south porch 1633, when it was likely added.  Heavily restored 1869 by Slater & Carpenter, repairs in 1979 and again in 1991 by Aysham & Sansome with an English Heritage grant, including repairing the bell turret and structure. The hatchments and royal arms were also restored at this time with a CCC grant.

This is a small church, a little vertical emphasis is provided by the short square belfry turret with small trellised openings, pyramid roof and tall weathercock.  Wrought iron crosses to gables, and stone quoins to corners. The church is quite simple in plan, consisting of nave, chancel, and a wooden porch on the south side. The history of the building is not at all simple however, and the fenestration, doorways and fabric of the walls give immediate clues to the complexity of its development. An archaeological appraisal of the fabric could reveal much information.

Starting with the west wall, this complexity is immediately apparent. The large pointed window has been renewed in the 19th-century with two cinquefoiled lights, original moulded hoodmould with foliate stops over. Below this window, the stonework clearly indicates the presence of a wide blocked doorway here. How did this relate to the other three doorways in the church? 

There are doorways opposite each other in the western bay of the nave. The north doorway has a 12th-century round-headed arch, and a 15th/16th-century door of 4 nailed overlapping boards, one strap-hinge. Heavy oak cill. The doorway is now blocked and forms a cupboard internally, a cable protrudes and electricity metres have been fixed to the inner face. The south doorway is contained within the porch and is described below.  The north and south walls of the nave have a 12th-century (restored) round headed window just to the east of the doorways, and east of this a 19th-century window of three trefoiled lights with a cinquefoil in the head, under a hoodmould.

The lower and narrower chancel has angle buttresses of two weatherings, not to east. The north wall has an early 13th-century pointed lancet (restored), hoodmould over, rear splays. South wall has two similar lancets with hoodmoulds over, that to the west taller, the eastern window with a 12th-century rear splay. To the east is a blocked, partly restored 13th-century priest’s doorway with chamfered jambs and 2-centred arch.  The east window is a 3-light of widely spaced pointed lancets with hoodmoulds.

The south porch is gabled and plastered. The moulded, square-headed wooden doorway with sunk spandrels has the date 1633, guilloche pattern lintel over, round door arch with key block. 19th-century barge boards to gable, and 20th-century outer doors.  Wrought iron cross to gable apex. Internally the porch roof is boarded, the side walls each have blocked windows with turned balusters inset, possibly former altar rails. Below these the walls are lined with 17th-century panelling, partly fluted and partly plain frieze, names cut on west side Charles Hobson 1647, Samuel Purchas 1647 and ...ard Britridge 1647. The inner south doorway has a 13th-century arch of three moulded orders, moulded jambs (much restored), capitals and bases. The door is of a rare type, only five are known in Essex, including examples at Castle Hedingham and Elmstead churches. It is assembled with counter-rebates, its top and base seem to have been cut off. The door was turned to face to south in 1869.

Moving inside, the church is whitewashed, but the window reveals, the chancel arch and some medieval wall-paintings on these have been left exposed. The (restored?) polychromatic decoration on the 12th-century round-headed chancel arch catches the eye, the arch itself of two orders on the west face, the inner plain, the outer roll-moulded. The responds each have a flat half-round attached shaft with moulded bases and restored capitals, moulded abaci carried around the imposts.

Looking up and turning to face west, one becomes aware of a feature of Essex Medieval churches, the structural use of timber. Not only is there a fine 15th-century nave roof of seven bays, with square section 4-armed crown posts carried on tie beams, themselves resting on moulded wall-plates, and a similar chancel roof; there is also a timber cage of similar age supporting the belfry turret, with four outer (against the walls) and four inner posts, and arched braces.

Lowering our gaze again, most of the modest furnishings and fittings date to the Victorian restoration and are of less interest, the floor of coloured tiles with fleur-de-lys in the sanctuary, mostly under carpet, and very plain bench pews and choir stalls. 19th-century stained glass to the chancel windows, the east window also has shafted rere-arches. Aumbry with chamfered 2-centred head. There are some earlier features, including some interesting monuments, two hatchments, and a much restored medieval font, detailed below.  Some of these items came from nearby Shropland church, demolished in the 1950s.