Summary

The church stands to the W of the town.

Full description

The church stands to the W of the town. Its walls are of ragstone rubble with some flint and septaria in the chancel walls. Squared rubble is in the S aisle, porch and stair turret of the tower, and the N chapel and W tower are of brick. The dressings are of Reigate and other limestone, the roofs are covered in tiles and lead. The E wall of the nave and the N wall W of the arcade are thicker and may indicate remains of early work. The N aisle was added in the first half of the 14th century. There was possibly a S aisle of the same date. The chancel, N and S arcade of the nave, and the S aisle were rebuilt in the late 15th century, and the S porch was added and the stair turret started. The W tower was completed and the N chapel added early in the 16th century. Features and fittings include a 14th century window, N doorway now blocked; 15th century windows, doorways and doors, and some timbers in the S aisle roof; an early 16th century squint, windows and doorways, and a brass of 1514. The floor of the first stage of the tower has early 16th century moulded beams. There is also a possibly 13th century coffin lid in the S porch. <1> <2> Other refs: <3> <4>

Site Assessment = "The west tower is a good example of early 16th century brickwork." Condition of the church is stated as "good".

The Parish Church of St Andrew lies about three-quarters of a mile to the west of the town, beside Rochford Hall. Its walls are of ragstone rubble with some flint and septaria in the chancel, and the dressings are of Reigate stone and limestone. The east wall of the nave and the north wall to the west of the arcade are thicker than the others and may represent the earliest phase. The north aisle was added in the first half of the fourteenth century (there was possibly also a south aisle). The chancel, arcades, and south aisle were rebuilt in the late fifteenth century, the south porch added and building of the tower stairs begun. <6>

The church contains post-medieval fixtures and fittings, and has been much restored in that period. In the graveyard is the grave of James Banyard, founder of the ‘The Peculiar People’ of Essex sect, a grass-roots revivalist movement in the 1850s.<6>

Andrews, D, 2005, Rochford, St. Andrew (DESC TEXT). SEX65839.

<1> RCHME, 1923, An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex - Volume 4, Vol 4, pp126-7 (DESC TEXT). SEX356.

<2> unknown, 1988, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Rochford, pp63-4 (DESC TEXT). SEX41109.

<3> Pevsner, N, 1954, The Buildings of England, Essex, pp298-9 (DESC TEXT). SEX83.

<4> Gilman, Paul, 1990, TQ89-003 (DESC TEXT). SEX41110.

<6> Medlycott, Maria, 1999, Rochford Historic Town Assessment Report (DESC TEXT). SEX61557.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (C14 - early C16, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• COFFIN (C13, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• TOWER (early C16, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

• BRASS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• COFFIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WINDOW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

• Listed Building (EH) (II*) 1112585: CHURCH OF ST ANDREW
• Historic Environment Character Zone: Rochford 17
• Conservation Area: Rochford
• Historic Environment Character Zone: Rochford 22
• Historic Environment Character Area: Thames Gateway 88
• Historic Environment Character Area: Thames Gateway 87
• Historic Environment Character Zone: Thames Gateway 88_1
• Historic Environment Character Area: Rochford 7
• Historic Environment Character Area: Rochford 8

Sources and further reading

Related records

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