Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Grade I listed building in the Thurrock local planning authority area, England. First listed on 8 February 1960. A C12 Church.

Church of St Mary the Virgin

WRENN ID
silver-turret-owl
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
Thurrock
Constituency
Thurrock MP: Jen Craft (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
8 February 1960
Type
Church
Address
Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Road
OS grid reference
TQ 604 803
Coordinates
51.49894, 0.31025
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Grade I listed building located on High Road in Stifford. It dates back to the 12th century, with alterations and extensions made in the 13th, 14th, and 19th centuries. The church is constructed of flint and ragstone rubble, featuring Reigate dressings and plain tiled roofs.

The nave, which is from the 12th century, includes a two-centred recess with a 19th-century lancet window in the north wall, as well as a 19th-century, two-light window that reuses materials from the 14th century. The north doorway, also from the 12th century, has an arched head and a plastered tympanum. The south arcade, dating from around 1260, features segmental pointed arches supported by a circular central column with a moulded capital and base.

The chancel is primarily a rebuild from the 14th century, with 19th-century windows in the east wall and a 13th-century arch in the south wall. The mid-13th-century south chapel has 19th-century windows in the east wall but retains original rear arches, while the south wall also has 19th-century windows. The late 13th-century west window consists of one trefoiled light, and the bell chamber has four late 13th-century windows. The stair and floors are original, and the nave roof features a crown post on a flat tie beam, while the remaining roofs were added in the 19th century.

The north door showcases 12th-century ironwork that has been remounted. Inside, there is a pulpit from 1611 with a wrought iron hourglass stand, along with numerous brasses.

Local climate

Church of St Mary the Virgin sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 670 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 99% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 95% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 24 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 74% of listed buildings. Of these, 11 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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