Parish Church Of St Andrew

Parish Church of St Andrew

This parish church occupies the south side of the High Street at Earls Colne. Its origins are medieval, with fabric dating from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, though the nave may be of 13th-century origin. The building underwent much rebuilding and restoration around 1864. It is constructed of flint rubble with limestone dressings and some red brick in English bond, and is roofed with handmade red plain tiles.

The chancel and south aisle date to around 1340, while the west tower was built around 1460 and partly rebuilt in 1534. The north aisle, north chapel and south chapel are 19th-century additions. The south porch is also 19th-century but retains its 15th-century roof. The nave itself is of unknown date, possibly 13th-century.

The chancel is of medieval fabric, though no original features survive. It has two diagonal buttresses. The nave features a 19th-century north arcade of three bays. The south arcade, dating to around 1340, comprises three bays with two-centred arches of two moulded orders. The octagonal piers and semi-octagonal west respond have moulded capitals and 19th-century bases; the east respond is 19th-century, the east arch has been rebuilt, and elsewhere there is considerable 19th-century surface alteration. The nave roof is 16th-century, spanning five bays, with moulded principals, collars and arch-braces, hollow-chamfered wind-braces, saltire bracing above the collars, and a carved boss on each collar.

The north chapel contains a reset window of around 1340, partly restored, consisting of two trefoiled ogee lights with tracery in a two-centred head. The south chapel is 19th-century but incorporates some 14th-century moulded voussoirs in its west arch. The south aisle has two restored 14th-century windows in its south wall, each of two cinquefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head, moulded label and rear-arch. Further west is the south doorway, which retains 14th-century splays and a moulded two-centred rear-arch. The west window incorporates some old stone. The south aisle roof is late 14th-century, spanning six bays, with moulded wallplates, principals, collars and purlins, and a carved boss on each collar; one bears the de Vere molet. The south porch roof is of crownpost construction in a single bay, with moulded and crenellated wallplates, moulded tiebeams, and hollow-chamfered collar-purlin and axial braces.

The west tower comprises three stages with diagonal buttresses and a southeast stair-turret. The 1534 rebuild is in red brick. The 15th-century tower-arch is moulded and two-centred, springing from moulded and shafted responds with moulded capitals. The west doorway is 19th-century; on either side runs a 15th-century moulded string course enriched with carved flowers and heads. The second stage has a single 15th-century light with a trefoiled head in the east and west walls; a similar window in the north wall has been removed. The bell-chamber has 15th-century windows of three cinquefoiled lights with tracery in square heads in the east, south and west walls. In the north wall is a restored early 16th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights in a square head. The crow-stepped and crenellated parapet is enriched with panels of flint inlay featuring cinquefoiled or trefoiled heads; the larger panels each display the de Vere molet. In the middle of the east and west sides is a carved achievement of arms; below the east one appear the date 1534 and the regnal year H.8.25. The first floor has two bridging beams each way, with wall-pieces incorporating arched braces. The stair-turret has an early 16th-century brick doorway with a four-centred head, and a parapet with flint inlay and de Vere molets. The weather-vane is late 17th or early 18th-century, with a copper corona and cock.

The church contains numerous monuments. In the south chapel and south aisle are monuments to Richard Harlackendon (died 1602) and his four wives Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Jane and Anne, a small painted wall-monument of alabaster with kneeling figures flanked by pilasters supporting an entablature, achievement and four shields of arms, restored in the early 18th century; Jane and Mabell Harlackendon (died 1614), a plain rectangular tablet; John Eldred (died 1646), a rectangular tablet with marble frame and cornice supported on two stone heads; Mehetabell, daughter of Edward Eileston (died 1657), an oval tablet with white marble frame; John Eldred (died 1709), a plain stone removed from Little Birch; Samuel Tufnell (died 1722) and members of the Cressener family; Daniel Androwes (died 1681) and his widow Mary (died 1729), a white marble table with coat of arms; John Eldred (died 1682), his son John (died 1717) and his son John (died 1732), a white marble tablet with coat of arms removed from Little Birch; George Biddulph (died 1726), his widow Frances (died 1753) and his niece Elizabeth Wale, a white marble tablet with coat of arms; John Wale (died 1761), his wife Anne (died 1770) and Richard Wale (died 1761), a black marble tablet in white marble surround with coat of arms above and below a roundel with winged Mercury carved in low relief by I.F. Roubiliac; Henry Anderson (died 1823), white marble on grey marble with side-scrolls; and Anne Carwardine Probert (died 1836), a white marble urn on black marble.