Church of St Nicholas, Tolleshunt (EHER 11391)

A parish church with 12th century fabric, 15th and early 16th century details and restored in the 19th century. It is built from flint rubble and indurated gravel conglomerate, with limestone dressings, and roofed with handmade red clay tiles.

December 1959. Grade I listed. A parish church with 12th century fabric, 15th and early 16th century details and restored in the 19th century. It is built from flint rubble and indurated gravel conglomerate, with limestone dressings, and roofed with handmade red clay tiles. The tower is built from red brick in English bond and roofed with lead. The chancel and nave, in one piece, are 12th century. The west tower is early 16th century. The south porch and north vestry is 19th century. <1> See photos <2>. The early 16th century archway in the north wall of the chancel originally led to a north chapel, but now leads to the north vestry. The roof of the chancel is in two bays with a tie-beam with double ogee mouldings. At the west end of the nave is an early 16th century doorway of stone with contemporary brickwork above and around it; it has been blocked and converted to a window. Fittings include the 14th century font of Purbeck Marble. In the floor of the south porch is a plain tapering coffin lid of Purbeck Marble. There are fragmentary paintings on the south wall and the west wall north of the tower arch. Of the three bells one is of late 14th century date. The bell cage is original or early. <3> The south porch and north vestry are 19th century. Of the three bells one is dated 1726 and is by Thomas Gardiner of Sudbury. <3> <4> April 1960. Field survey. No field action. Church in normal use. <5> A 12th century nave and chancel extensively altered in the 15th, 16th and 19th centuries. Built of flint and gravel conglomerate with Caen Stone dressings. The chancel has remains of a 12th century window, now blocked; restored 15th century east window; 16th century arch of plastered brick in the north wall; and a restored 15th century window and a 15th century doorway in the south wall. The north wall of the nave contains a 15th century window, a blocked 16th century doorway. The windows of the south wall are 19th century, with a late 14th century or early 15th century doorway. The west tower of red brick is late 15th century or early 16th century and of three stages. The nave roof is 14th century of seven cants with a tall octagonal crown post. Timber framing for the bell turret remains and the nave has been extended westwards in the 15th century. The chancel roof has been lowered and partly rebuilt but retains its moulded wall plates. Fittings include the 14th century semi-octagonal font, two late 15th century brick niches in the nave, now defaced, and fragments of wall painting remain. The church belonged to the Priory of St John the Baptist of Caldwell near Bedford from the 12th century and in the 13th century was granted to the Priory of Little Dunmow (EHER 1244). It occupies a commanding position on a rise overlooking the valley of the River Blackwater. <6> There are 19th century windows in the south wall of the nave. The south porch was built in 1888 from designs by the Rev. Ernest Geldhart. There was once a chapel on the north of the chancel finished in 1609 and containing a stately monument to Stephen Beckingham of Tolleshunt Darcy and Aris his wife. <7> (in <6>) The church is isolated with the hall. The nave and the chancel are undivided and of uncertain date but probably older than the 14th-16th century features now visible. The walls are of boulder clay flint and puddingstone rubble with dressings of limestone. The material used seems to indicate the existence of a 12th century chancel and nave but there is no detail of this period remaining and the side walls appear to have been substantially lowered. Probably in the 15th century the chancel was extended roughly 8 feet to the east. The tower was added in the early 16th century and later in the same century a north chapel with vestry to the west were built although the vestry was subsequently destroyed. Fittings include a coffin lid of the 13th century with raised cross and omega ornament, formerly used as a window head. There are fragments of 16th century glass in the east window and paintings on the north wall of the nave in an 'L-shaped' panel with traces of colour but of uncertain date. On the south wall are the remains of the head and hand of a figure and on the west wall remains of strapwork frames and black letter inscription of the 16th century. <8> <9> Site Assessment = Recent repointing 'has been poorly executed using an unsuitable grey-coloured cement. The church is in generally fair condition'. 'There are some fragmentary wall paintings in poor condition'. Archaeological assessment is impossible. <10> <11> NRHE data transfer: St. Nicholas's Church [T.U.]. <12> See also <13>.