Church of St Michael

Church of St Michael

This parish church was built around 1563 and consecrated in 1564 for Thomas, Earl of Sussex, making it believed to be the only church in Essex built during the reign of Elizabeth I. The building incorporates much re-used material from earlier structures, including 14th-century nave and chancel roof structures, 15th-century north arcade columns and north aisle roof structure, and a font dating from around 1400.

The church is constructed of red brick with limestone dressings and has red plain tiled roofs with a shingle spire. It comprises a chancel, nave, north vestry, and north aisle, with a 19th-century north porch and 19th-century belfry. The external walls feature crow-stepped gables to the nave, chancel, north aisle and vestry, and a crenellated north porch. Buttresses support the south east, north east and north west angles. There is no division between the nave and chancel, though the chancel has a lower roof level with a wall buttress at this point.

Windows and doorways include a restored east window in the north vestry of 2 lights under a square head with moulded label; a 19th-century chancel east window of 3 lights with reticulated tracery in a 2-centred arched head; two south wall windows under square heads (one of 2 cusped lights, the other of 3 cusped lights); and a blocked 4-centred headed doorway to the east of the south wall. A chamfered round-headed doorway is positioned to the west of these windows. The north window of the nave contains 3 cusped lights under a square head with label. The timber west window of the north porch has 2 cusped lights. The north aisle features a west window of 2 cusped lights under a segmental pointed head with label, and 3-cusped 3-light windows under segmental heads with labels on the north wall. A north doorway has moulded jambs, a 4-centred arched head, moulded labels and carved shields to the spandrels. The spire's north and south faces contain 3-light sounding louvres. A commemorative clock marking 1914-1918 is positioned at the apex of the west gable of the nave.

Interior features include chancel and nave roofs of 7 cants with moulded wall plates and moulded tie beams to the nave. A bell turret with arched braces supports the western columns. The chancel contains carved wall panels by Chilton Newburn dating from 1901-4, and altar rails of 4 wrought iron columns with tracery and moulded wooden rail. Carved choir stalls are also present. The north vestry doorway has a moulded 2-centred arched head with a door of 3 vertical boards, nailed and with strap hinges. Above this door is a red and black panel inscribed JP 1563. The north aisle comprises 3 bays with moulded and chamfered segmental pointed head arches, columns with moulded capitals and bases and 4 attached shafts. A 19th-century square stone pulpit with quatrefoiled panels stands in the church.

The font, probably from the previous church on the site, dates from the 14th or 15th century. It is octagonal with alternate panels of quatrefoils enclosing blank shields and 2 cusped lights, with a stem of cusped light panels and a later spire cover with pulley intact. Coloured tiled floors cover the interior throughout.

Stained glass roundels in the south west windows depict suns, zodiacs and heads, while a north window contains a figure of a man reaping. A 1660 hatchment hangs above the south doorway. Two bronze wall plaques commemorate individuals: one from 1932 to John Walker Gregory FRS, FGS, scientist, explorer and teacher, and another from 1905 to Henry Ayrton Chaplin, research scientist in the Gold Coast colony.

The church contains three bells: one cast in 1676 by Miles Graye, one from 1713 by Thomas Gardiner of Sudbury, and one from 1470 by Giles or Henry Jordan.

The building underwent significant restoration around 1879.