Church of St Mary Magdalene is a Grade I listed building in the Basildon local planning authority area, England. First listed on 4 July 1955. A Medieval Church. 1 related planning application.

Church of St Mary Magdalene

WRENN ID
haunted-flue-winter
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
Basildon
Constituency
Basildon and Billericay MP: Mr Richard Holden (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
4 July 1955
Type
Church
Period
Medieval
Address
Church of St Mary Magdalene, Church Street, Great Burstead, Great Burstead and South Green, CM11 2TR
OS grid reference
TQ 680 922
Coordinates
51.60392, 0.42549
Source
Historic England listing

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

Description

The Church of St Mary Magdalene is a Grade I listed building of Norman origin, constructed from random stone rubble. The nave features one Norman window on the north side, while most of the church dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. The north and south porches, along with the South Chapel, are early 16th-century additions. The north porch is notable for its heavy timber arches. The west tower is characterized by angle buttresses and a castellated parapet, topped with a shingled spire. The west end of the church includes the former reredos from the Church of St Christopher-le-Stocks in the City of London, which features Corinthian pilasters and a segmental pediment. An 18th-century altar rail, also sourced from a church in London, is present, along with 18th-century wall monuments, including one dedicated to James Fishpoole, who died in 1767.

Inside, the church houses a fine oak dugout chest from the 12th century, believed to have been used for collecting money during the Crusades in the reign of Henry I. The seating is primarily from the 20th century, except for restored 15th-century benches located in the south aisle. The church features impressive crown-post roofs in both the nave and south aisle, with the north and south porches also displaying crown-post roofs. Additionally, remnants of 14th and 15th/16th-century wall paintings can be seen on the south wall of the south aisle.

Local climate

Church of St Mary Magdalene 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 86% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 22 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 77% 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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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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