Church of St Michael

Details

TL 80 NW WOODHAM WALTER CHURCH HILL

3/178 Church of St. Michael

30.12.59

- 11*

Parish Church. Circa 1563, consecrated 1564, for Thomas, Earl of Sussex with much re-used materials including C14 Nave and Chancel roof structures, north arcade columns C15 north aisle roof structure, circa 1400 font etc; with circa 1879 restorations. Red brick with limestone dressings. Red plain tiled roofs, shingle spire. Chancel, Nave, North Vestry and North Aisle, C19 north porch, C19 belfry. Crow stepped gables to Nave and Chancel, North Aisle and Vestry and crenellated north porch. No division between Nave and Chancel but a lower roof level to Chancel, wall buttress at this point. Buttresses to south east, north east and north west angles. North Vestry, restored east window of 2 lights under a square head, moulded label over, Chancel C19 east window of 3 lights, with reticulated tracery over in a 2 centre arched head. South wall has a blocked 4 centre headed doorway to the east and two windows under square heads, that to east of 2 cusped lights, the other similar of 3 lights. To west of the windows is the chamfered round headed doorway. The north window of the Nave of 3 cusped lights under square head with label. The timber west window of the north porch is of 2 cusped lights. North aisle, west window of 2 cusped lights under a segmental pointed head with label. 3 cusped 3 light windows under segmental heads with labels to north wall and north doorway with moulded jambs, 4 centre arched head, moulded labels and carved shields to spandrels. Vertically boarded door, nailed and with strap hinges. 3 light sounding louvres to north and south faces of the shingled spire. 1914/1918 commemorative clock to apex of west gable of the Nave. Interior. Chancel and Nave roofs of 7 cants with moulded wall plates. Moulded tie beams to Nave. Bell turret with arched braces to western support columns. Chancel with carved wall panels by Chilton Newburn 1901-4. Altar rails of 4 wrought iron columns with tracery and moulded wooden rail. Carved choir stalls. North Vestry doorway with moulded 2 centre arched head, door of 3 vertical boards, nailed and with strap hinges. Above this door a red and black panel inscribed JP 1563. C19 square stone pulpit with quatrefoiled panels. North aisle of 3 bays with moulded and chamfered segmental pointed head arches, columns each with moulded capitals and bases and 4 attached shafts. Stained glass roundels in SW windows of suns, zodiacs and heads, and in a north window of a man reaping. 1660 hatchment over south doorway. C14/C15 font probably from the previous church. Octagonal, with alternate panels of quatrefoils enclosing blank shields and 2 cusped lights. Stem of cusped light panels, later spire cover with pulley intact. Coloured tiled floors throughout. Two bronze wall plaques: 1932 to John Walker Gregory FRS.,FGS. Scientist, explorer, teacher and 1905 to Henry Ayrton Chaplin research scientist, Gold Coast colony. Bells. 1676 by Miles Graye, 1713 Thos. Gardiner Sudbury, 1470 Giles or Henry Jordon. Believed to be the only church in Essex to be built during the reign of Elizabeth I. RCHM 1.

Listing NGR: TL8089506707

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

119154

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.