Church of St Mary (EHER 34680)

12th and 13th century parish church, largely rebuilt and added to in the 18th-20th centuries. Excavations have shown that this was originally the priory church of Wix Abbey.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. St Mary's Church (C of E) [NAT]. <1> Church of St Mary. Parish Church. Parts of the north wall may be C12, blocked north arcade of Nave C13, the rest of the church appears to be C18-C20, rebuild and additions. RCHM1 Grade II (see list for details). <2> The Parish Church of St Michael stands near the middle of the parish. The ancient portions are of rubble with dressings of limestone; the roofs are covered with slates. The church was attached to a priory of Benedictine nuns founded temp. Henry I and dissolved in 1525. Parts of the W. wall may be of the 12th century; the N. arcade of the Nave is of mid 13th-century date. The whole of the rest of the church appears to have been rebuilt about the middle of the 18th century. The foundations of the N. aisle are reported to have been uncovered in recent years. <3> St Mary Wix. Excavation by BP Blate in 1961 for Colchester and Essex museum revealed the chancel of the monastic church in a field to the east of modern St Mary's. The North wall proved to be on the line of the North wall of the parish church. The investigation was occasioned by the bull dozing of the site. <4> <5> Additional reference. <6> Photos <7>