Church of St Mary the Virgin (EHER 6034)

11th century round-towered parish church of brown boulder clay inclusions incorporating flints and some courses of Roman brick. Late 11th century nave and west part of chancel. Tower added early 12th century, chancel lengthened circa 1430 and spire added to tower. Restored 1870 by Frederick Chancellor: north aisle, chancel chapel, vestry and south porch added. Coursed flint and ferruginous conglomerate with Roman bricks as quoins, and later ashlar quoins; plaintiled roofs, spire with shingles. West tower, nave, north aisle, chancel, chancel chapel and vestry.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. The church has Roman brick used in 11th century walls. The round tower is coursed flint with a few pieces of pudding-stone and Roman brick. The dressings of the 11th and 12th- century work are all of Roman brick. The large amount of Roman tile used is considered unusual and includes box-tiles. The 11th century walls consist mainly of lumps of brown boulder clay with some flints and short courses of Roman brick. The tower is of coursed flint, puddingstone with Roman brick. The rest of the church is largely of flint rubble with much reused material. The 11th and 12th century work has Roman brick dressings, the other dressings are mainly of sandy limestone. The church has tiled roof, the spire oak shingles. The nave and part of the chancel date from the 2nd half of the 11th century. The west tower was added early in the 12th century. The chancel was lengthened early in the 15th century. The end of the 11th century chancel is marked by Roman brick quoins. The west tower is circular, TWO-storied, unmarked externally. The early 12th century tower arch (much restored) has a semi-cirular head with plain responds. Features and fittings: windows of the early 12th century, around 1340, early 15th century 16th century south doorway, probably 15th century tower roof, 15th century stoup, late 12th century font. The north chapel, north vestry, north aisle and south porch are 'modern'. Three round-headed windows in the west tower's upper storey (early 12th century originally) were repaired in the 17th century in brick. The spire has four gabled spire-lights, its roof is oak-shingled. Features and fittings include: bible in nave, formerly in Charles I's library, brass of 1613 with inscription plates and indents of figures, floor slab of 1652. <1> The North side of the church dates from 1870 when it was restored by F. Chancellor. Norman round tower. The tower arch is round-heaaded and unmoulded. The nave and chancel are Norman. The chancel was lengthened in the 15th century-the east window dates from this. 13th century font. The spire is 15th century and octagonal.<2> VCH 3 suggests that some of the structure may be Saxon. Haverfield doubted whether the brick and tile in the church were Roman, on account of the tiles varying in size. "Some of them may come from Coggeshall Abbey" <3> 17th and 18th century wall monuments. <4> Field visit, 1976 The angle quoins of the nave and chancel are composed entirely of Roman brick, together with scatter (about 40%) in the fabric of the south wall. See photographs. <5> Watching brief, 1997 Watching brief during construction of new church hall footings.<6> Site Assessment Noteworthy for the round tower and building materials, including "an unusual quantity of apparently Roman brick" <1> Included in list of East Anglian churches with round towers. <7> Additional references <8> -<15> Photographs <16> <17>