THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURE IN ESSEX. 1 85 



sixteenth century. Throughout this county there are innumerable 

 buildings of this period, both ecclesiastical and domestic, which are 

 of the greatest interest. The peculiarities of the style are a use of 

 plain bricks throughout the building, varied in many instances by 

 chequers of dark headers worked in patterns over the face of the 

 building. These dark headers were produced by the wood used 

 in the brick burning, which emitted a kind of acid, which burnt 

 black or dark-grey the face of the brick exposed to its action. The 

 use of moulded bricks was confined to the jambs, mullions, transoms, 

 head and labels of doors and windows, the splays of plinths and 

 buttresses, the strings and the corbelling and coping and details of 

 battlements. 



Amongst the churches, I have always thought that the tower of 

 Ingatestone Church is one of the finest examples we have. Then 

 again, Fryerning Church tower, and Sandon Church tower, 

 clerestory of nave, the battlements of aisles, and the dormers of 

 chancel of Great Beddow aie really very picturesque, although 

 not true Gothic. Then again, the tower of Rochford Church, 

 although here the windows and other moulded work is executed in 

 stone. 



Again, the tower of North Weald Church, the upper part of 

 the tower of Colne Engaine, and numerous porches and other 

 additions and alterations to windows, doors, and other details, until 

 in one church, Chignal Sowerby, we have the whole built of brick, 

 and even furnished with a brick font ; well may it be popularly 

 known as " Brick Chignal." 



Of domestic buildings of this period we have numerous 

 mansions about the county : New Hall, Boreham ; Faulkborn Hall, 

 near Witham ; the old parts of Hill Hall, Epping ; Spains Hall, 

 Finchingfield ; Moyns Park, Birdbrook ; what is left of Graces, in 

 Little Baddow, and of Crixea Place, and others. Many of these 

 old mansions, erected during the sixteenth century, have disappeared, 

 and others so altered as to be almost unrecognisable, because 

 during the eighteenth century the rage for square-built classic houses 

 was so predominant, that many of the picturesque old mansions of 

 the Elizabethan period were destroyed. We have distinct accounts 

 that such was the case with Moulsham Hall, the seat of the Mildmays, 

 and West Hornden Hall, the seat of the Petres, Heron Hall, the 

 seat of the Tyrells, and Marks Hall, Romford, the seat of the 

 Herveys, and Ciidea Hall, the seat of the Cookes. 



