Parish Church of St Andrew

Details

TL 7229 SHALFORD BRAINTREE ROAD (east side)

6/42 Parish Church of St. Andrew 21.12.67 GV I

Parish church. Mainly C14, restored in C19. Flint rubble, partly cement rendered, with dressings of limestone and clunch, roofed with lead and handmade red clay tiles. Nave c.1330, altered in later C14. Chancel c.1340. N and S aisles c.1330, altered in later C14. W tower possibly of C12 origin, rebuilt in later C14. S porch later C14. Combined N vestry and organ chamber C19. The Chancel has an E window of c.1340, restored, of 5 lights, the middle light cinquefoiled, the others trefoiled, with C19 tracery under a 2-centred head; the jambs, splays, mullions, rear-arch and labels are moulded; the internal label has head-stops. In the N wall at the E end is a C14 window, restored, of one trefoiled light with moulded label. Further W is the C19 door of the vestry and the C19 arch of the organ chamber. In the S wall are 2 windows, the eastern similar to that in the N wall, the western c.1340, restored, of 2 trefoiled ogee lights with quatrefoil under a segmental-pointed head; the detail is similar to that of the E window. The C14 chancel arch is 2-centred, of 2 wave-moulded orders on the W and one chamfered and one wave-moulded order on the E, blending into responds of 2 chamfered orders; there are moulded labels on both sides. S of the arch is a plain squint with shallow ogee head. The roof is of 7 cants, boarded to the soffits in the C19. Reset in the E wall of the N vestry is a window of c.1340, restored, similar to the SW window of the Chancel but with one headstop. The Nave has C14 N and S arcades of 3 bays, irregularly spaced; the 2-centred arches are of 2 wave-moulded orders with moulded labels and carved stops, much defaced; the piers each have 4 quarter-shafts with keeled rolls between, with moulded bases and capitals; the responds have attached half-columns. The clerestorey has on each side 3 late C14 windows, each of 2 cinquefoiled lights with tracery under a square-head; those on the N side have 3-centred rear-arches, those on the S side have internal lintels, and are restored externally. Below the sills internally is a moulded string-course. Crenellated brick parapets. The low-pitched roof is in 3 bays with cranked tiebeams, intermediate tiebeams, ridge and 2 through-purlins. The main tiebeams are on wallpieces with arched braces of 4-centred curvature, mounted on moulded and crenellated corbels. 5 corbels are of wood and 3 of stone, one of the latter having a carved head. The rafters are plain and of horizontal section. Hewett describes this roof as early Perpendicular (C.A. Hewett, Church Carpentry, 1982, 127), the RCHM as early C17. The N aisle has in the N wall 2 late C14 windows; the eastern is of 3 cinquefoiled lights with tracery under a square head with moulded labels; the jambs, mullions and head are moulded; the internal label has defaced angel-stops. The western window is similar but of 2 lights. Further W is the early C14 N doorway with jambs and 2-centred head of 2 orders, the inner moulded, the outer chamfered, with moulded labels. In the W wall is an early C14 window, restored, of 2 cinquefoiled ogee lights with a quatrefoil in a 2-centred head; the rear-arch and moulded internal label are 4-centred, probably reset. The low-pitched roof is plain. The S aisle is wider than the N aisle, and appears to have been widened in the late C14. In the E wall is a C14 window of 3 cinquefoiled lights with leaf tracery in a 2-centred head, with a moulded internal label. Below the sill is a re-set string course of the C13, mutilated. In the S wall are 2 early C14 windows altered in the late C14, and restored, of 2 cinquefoiled ogee lights with a quatrefoil in a 4-centred head, with moulded internal labels; the western window has moulded internal and external reveals. Furttier W is the late C14 S doorway with moulded jambs and 2-centred arch in a square head, all moulded, with a moulded label; the cusped spandrels each have a plain shield. The late C14 2-fold doors are richly carved in the solid, each fold in 2 bays with quarter-round surround and rib and blind tracery, on simple portcullis rear frames with a wrought-iron drop-handle (C.A. Hewett, Church Carpentry, 1982, 90 and 92). In the W wall is an early C14 window reset in the late C14, of 2 cinquefoiled ogee lights with a quatrefoil in a 4-centred head. The low-pitched roof retains some C14 moulded timbers at the W end, but is otherwise c.1600 and C19, plain. Both aisles have crenellated brick parapets. The W tower is of 3 stages with a moulded plinth. The ground stage has clasping buttresses which may indicate a C12 origin, but the remainder is late C14. The upper buttresses are diagonal. The late C14 tower-arch is 2-centred, of 2 moulded orders on the E, 2 hollow-chamfered orders on the W; the outer order is continuous, the inner order springs fron attached semi-circular shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The W window is late C15, restored, of 3 cinquefoiled lights with tracery under a 2-centred head. The S and W walls of the second stage have each a late C14 small square quatrefoiled window. The bell-chamber has in the wall a late C14 window of one cinquefoiled light; the other walls have each a late C14 window of 2 cinquefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a 2-centred head. The second stage of the tower has a contemporary floor with double hollow-chamfered beams framed round a square bell-way. Crenellated brick parapet and low-pitched roof, not examined, with a weathervane pierced with the initials SH and the date 1687. The late C14 S porch has an elaborately moulded 2-centred outer arch under a square head, each spandrel having a blank shield in a quatrefoil, with a moulded label; the responds have clustered shafts with moulded capitals. The E and W walls have each a window of 2 trefoiled lights. Inside, the E window is flanked by blind lights under a common square head; the E window has one similar blind light, the other unfinished or blocked; the moulded label of the E window has defaced head-stops. The late C14 low-pitched roof has moulded tiebeams and purlins with carved bosses of foliage, grotesques, and 6 shields of arms (one restored). Fittings. There are 5 bells, the second by Charles Newman, 1690, the third and fourth by Richard Bowler, 1601. There is a brass on the E wall of the Chancel to William Bigge of Redfans, 1616, and Susanna his wife, 1615, with skull and texts, 2 shields and inscription, in a moulded frame. In the N aisle is a coffin-lid of Purbeck marble, probably C14, much broken and defaced. The communion rail is late C17, with moulded rail, twisted balusters and square posts. The font is of clunch, C15, the hexagonal bowl having cusped and panelled faces, alternate panels each with 2 shields of arms, the stem having trefoil-headed panels between square buttresses. There is C14 glass in the tracery of the E window, foliage, lions, and shields of arms; the NW window of the N aisle, 2 heads of canopies; and in the E window of the S aisle, tabernacle work and shields of arms. Also a fragment of C15 glass in the W window of the tower. In the S wall of the Chancel there is an altar tomb with restored front and Purbeck marble slab with indent of a woman's figure, with crocketed canopy, side pinnacles, recess with 4-centred cusped and sub-cusped arch having carved spandrels and ogee crocketed and finialled label with pierced and traceried main spandrel; buttressed and crocketed pinnacles at sides, and crenellated main cornice, enriched with carved heads of 1 woman and 3 men; below, 2 cusped panels with shields of arms, re-cut, all late C14. In the N wall of the N aisle there is a tomb recess with cinquefoiled and sub-cusped 2-centred arch, having crocketed and finialled ogee label, and traceried spandrels, side shafts with diagonal buttresses having crocketed heads to off-sets (the left shaft partly missing), and horizontal moulded cornice, all c.1360. In the S wall of the S aisle there is an altar tomb with 5 shields of arms, a Purbeck marble slab with indistinct indent, a crocketed and finialled ogee label, and traceried spandrel, crocketed side-pinnacles with panelled and crocketed buttresses, horizontal main cornice and carved sprigs of foliage, all c.1340, damaged. There are 2 piscinae - one in the Chancel, with cinquefoiled ogee head and octofoil drain, C14, and one in the S wall of the S aisle, with moulded jambs and trefoiled head with defaced label and drain, C13, re-set. Under the Chancel arch is a wooden screen with 2-fold door, of 3 bays on each side, the upper panels all with trefoiled traceried heads, the posts buttressed, with moulded cornice and close lower panels. In the lower panel on the N side there are 2 trefoil-headed piercings, and over them 2 quatrefoil piercings in the middle rail, all late C14, restored. In the Chancel there are 3 sedilia with octagonal shafts and shafted jambs, with moulded capitals and bases, moulded 2-centred heads, trefoiled and sub-cusped, with moulded label and square outer label, C14, restored. RCHM 1.

Listing NGR: TL7239729245

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

115561

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Hewett, C A, Church Carpentry A Study Based on Essex Examples, (1982), 127 90-2

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.