Church of St Andrew, Belchamp St Paul (EHER 6991)

Parish Church. Mid 15th century nave and north aisle, chancel, west tower, and south porch. 19th century north vestry. Flint rubble walls with dressings of limestone and clunch. Red tiled roofs.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 6991, 6992, 6993, 6994, and 27769. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: St Andrew's Church [NAT]. <1> Parish church of St Andrew stands 3/4 mile north-east of the village. The church has flint rubble walls with limestone and clunch dressings, roofs covered with tiles and lead. The north transept (east bay of the present north aisle) was built around the mid 15th century. Towards the end of this century the chancel and nave were rebuilt, the chancel being widened and nave probably lengthened westwards. At this time the north aisle, west porch and south porch were added. There is no chancel arch, instead a truss with curved principals with foliated spandrels. The truss rests on posts with attached shafts that have moulded bases, capitals and foliated corbels. Features and fittings include: 15th century windows and doorway; late 15th century roofs 15th century font; late 15th century sedilia; a coped slab in the churchyard, raised for a monument of 1700, may be 13th century originally; carved stalls in the chancel, including two standards with figures of a seated king and a monk, are late 15th or early 16th century in date (photo of king in RCHM). The late 15th or early 16th century carved bench-ends in the chancel are noteworthy. In the 19th century the church was restored and the north vestry added. Post-medieval features include: two bells, of 1626 and 1682; brass to William Golding (1587) and his wife Elizabeth (1591), reset in same slab and disarranged; two marble slabs set in chancel wall under south east window include part of a former monument to Elizabeth Golding; early 17th century communion table; 17th century floor slabs (group from same family); monument in churchyard of 1700 reuses a possibly 13th century coped slab; the plate includes a cup and stand-paten of 1680. <2> 15th century nave, chancel, west tower, north aisle, north transept, south porch. Nothing known of an earlier church except a Norman chevron voussoir, in the tower with other reused stones, and some Roman bricks. Graded BIIa by Rodwell. '...a large building with many good architectural features, spoilt by lime wash over all dressings, including the arcade. Major internal clearance and redecoration needed, including removal of eyesores. There is good potential for archaeological investigation both inside and out, above and below ground. No obvious disturbances, ground level concrete gutter around walls, but these are still seriously damp. The graveyard has been devastated and is now a characterless expanse of grass. Site Assessment = The graveyard has been devastated and is now a characterless expanse of grass.' <4> The 15th or 16th century chancel stalls are of particular interest. Five on each side with grotesque and foliated misericords (the only others in Essex are at Castle Hedingham). 19th century north arcade in the chancel. A mid 16th century arch in the north aisle originally opened into the north transept. 19th century window in the west wall. 19th-20th century brass plaque in the transept to Arthur Golding. Sedilia in chancel has 19th century wall plates to the Pemberton family and one to Francis Pemberton (1749). Floor slab to John Spalding (1799). Two similar 19th century table tombs (both to members of the Ewer family) in the churchyard, north of the north vestry, are listed. RCHM 1. Grade I. <4> Masonry foundations have often been encountered by the Sexton of the church when digging graves. A later Sexton, in 1950, had not noticed any foundations. <5> According to the VCH, the foundations may be Roman. VCH states that no Roman material is in the church fabric, but Rodwell claims otherwise. <6> See also: <7> - <9>