Church Of St Nicholas

The Church of St Nicholas is an interesting church built of ragstone rubble and pudding stone, with some old brick and tile incorporated. It is prominently located on top of a steep hill overlooking the new town. The church was primarily constructed in the 14th century on the site of a Norman church, with some earlier work still visible inside.

The weatherboarded tower is a notable example of an Essex timber-framed tower, built in the first half of the 14th century. Inside, there is heavy framing with braces, and the tower braces resemble cruck blades in their design. The tower is topped with a shingled spire. On the west side of the tower, there is a 17th-century annex known as the Priests House, which is timber-framed with brick and flint and has two storeys. This annex has been much restored and was originally used as the village school.

The nave, south chapel, and chancel date from the 14th century, while the roofs of the nave and chancel are fine work from the 15th century. The timber of the south porch is also from the 15th century, mostly rebuilt, but retains the original archways, one of which is carved with a dragon and a scallop shell in one spandrel, and a beast transfixed by a cross in the other. The nail-studded door is from the 15th century as well.

Inside the church, there are two brasses commemorating priests who served the church at the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, one for John Kekilpenny and the other for Richard Bladwell. The front of the church is from the 13th century, and the roof has been tiled in the 20th century.