Site of 13th century chapel, 'Chapel of St Mary', London Hill (EHER 13502)

Now destroyed. The site of a chantry chapel which once stood in Chapel Field at the foot of London Hill, Rayleigh, where 13th century encaustic tiles and masonry were found in 1928. Summary from record 19762: Site of St Mary's Chapel.

Site of chapel of St Mary which once stood in Chapel Field at the bottom of London Hill, Rayleigh. Encaustic tiles and masonry were found in 1928. <1> Southend Museums Records locate the finds from the chapel to TQ 8045 9120. A photocopy of the museum's original accession record is in the EHER. <2> St Mary’s Chapel was located near the bottom of London Hill (Wallis, 1993). At the beginning of the 20th century its location was preserved in the place-name ‘Chapel Field’. In 1928 when the modern town expanded into this area, stone columns and blocks together with numerous floor tiles were found during construction work. The earliest known reference to it dates from 1285 and it is thought to have been demolished at the time of the Reformation. <3> NRHE data transfer: Site of (NAT) Chapel (NR). <4>