ONGAR HUNDRED 



FYFIELD 



largely of red brick. There is a timber belfry. The ex- 

 terior of the church is mostly covered with cement, now 

 in poor repair, and numerous buttresses of the i8th and 

 19th centuries show where weaknesses have developed 

 in the structure. The building differs in several respects 

 from the type of parish church found in the district. 

 The 1 2th-century plan with the tower standing 'cathe- 

 dralwise'3' is unusual, and it is evident that large sums 

 were spent on improvements during the 13 th and 14th 

 centuries. The chancel in particular has some good 

 interior features. 



The nave was built in the 1 2th century. The walling 

 at each end of the two arcades is 3 ft. thick and is evi- 

 dently the original 1 2th-century work. The lower part 

 of the tower is of the same date, including the large stair 

 turret on the north side reaching to the second stage. 

 The stair has a circular newel of Roman brick and there 

 are arches of Roman brick to the round-headed windows 

 in the south and west walls of the second stage of the 

 tower. The former window has been blocked by brick- 

 work and the latter opens into the roof space above the 

 nave. There is one very small rectangular opening in 

 the north wall of the stair turret, and there are two in 

 the east wall. 



In about 1220 a north aisle of three bays was added 

 to the nave. The pointed arches are of two chamfered 

 orders and rest on circular columns with moulded capi- 

 tals and bases. Attached half-columns form the responds 

 against the ends of the 1 2th-century walls. In the middle 

 of the 13th century the south aisle was added. This is 

 similar in general arrangement to the north aisle but the 

 arches are moulded and the supporting columns are 

 octagonal. The single-light window in the west wall is 

 probably of the 13th century but its four-centred head 

 was added later. There are traces of colour decoration 

 of uncertain date on both arcades. 



The chancel was built about 1330-40. The date 

 can be fixed approximately by the detail of the interior. 

 All the windows are of the 14th century and have 

 moulded labels and head stops. The tracery of the east 

 window has been replaced, but the fine carving of the - 

 jambs and rear arch survives. On the north side the 

 arch has beasts of the chase and on the south a series of 

 cowled heads. The jambs are carved with flowers and 

 leaves in high relief In both north and south walls are 

 two windows, the easternmost being two-light with 

 shafts to the internal splays. The other windows are 

 single light, the sill of that on the south side being taken 

 down to form a 'low side' window. Between the win- 

 dows in the south wall are stepped sedilia of three bays. 

 The arches are cinquefoiled and between them are 

 octagonal shafts of Purbeck marble. The moulded label 

 has four carved head stops, one head wearing a mitre^^ 

 and anothera curious pointed head-dress terminating 

 in a flower. In the spandrel above a third head are three 

 balls carved in relief; it has been suggested that these are 

 the emblems of St. Nicholas." East of the sedilia is 

 a piscina of similar detail and farther east there is a 

 credence with one jamb cut off by the east wall of the 

 chancel.34 Below the chancel is a vault which has a 

 wide arched opening externally under the east window. 



This opening was sealed during the restoration of 1 893, 

 but one account of the church suggests that it was for- 

 merly pierced with quatrefoil openings,^' possibly for 

 the viewing of relics. Another account, given in 1898 

 by the then rector, the Revd. L. Elwyn Lewis, referred 

 to the existence of arcading internally below the east 

 window. 3* The fact that part of the credence is now 

 cut off suggests that the lower part of the east wall has 

 been widened, perhaps obliterating the arcade. 



Some windows were inserted elsewhere in the church 

 in the 14th century. These include one in the south 

 wall of the tower and the westernmost windows in the 

 north and south aisles. The other aisle windows may 

 have been of the same date, but if so they were replaced 

 in the 19th century. The south doorway has I4th<en- 

 tury splays and the stoup on the north side has a 14th- 

 century trefoiled head, probably taken from a window. 

 The arch between the tower and the nave is of the 

 14th century, much restored. The responds have three 

 attached shafts. The north porch retains moulded 

 timbers of the late 14th century and a pointed timber 

 arch of which the spandrels were probably once filled 

 with tracery. 



Early in the 1 5 th century there were some alterations 

 at the east end of the north aisle. An east window was 

 inserted of which the tracery is now missing; the win- 

 dow itself was blocked by the early 19th century .3^ 

 Also in the 15th century a niche was built across the 

 north-east corner of the aisle. It has an elaborately 

 carved canopy with a ribbed vault and probably once 

 held a figure of the Virgin.^* The nave roof has three 

 15th-century trusses; the square king-posts have four- 

 way struts and two have moulded capitals and bases. 



Some years before 1768^' part of the tower fell, per- 

 haps after being struck by lightning.'*'* Before the end 

 of the 1 8th century the second stage was largely rebuilt 

 in red brick and a window was inserted on the north 

 side. Above the brickwork is a hipped roof, above 

 which is a square weather-boarded belfry with ball 

 finials at the corners. There is a small boarded spire. 

 The west wall of the nave may have been rebuilt in the 

 1 8th century. 



In the first half of the igth century a vestry was 

 formed by extending the north aisle eastward as far as 

 the stair turret of the tower .■" In 1853 the church was 

 restored*^ and in 1875 tracery was inserted in the east 

 window at the expense of W. S. Horner.*^ In 1 893 

 j^i,300 was spent on restoration.^* Some blocked win- 

 dows were uncovered and a new west door and window 

 inserted. The window replaced a 'hideous wooden 

 structure' of the i8th century .♦5 Both the tower arches 

 were largely rebuilt and the chancel roof may have been 

 reconstructed at the same time. The oak teredos and 

 chancel seating were installed, the oak coming from 

 St. Paul's, Knightsbridge.t* The seating in the nave is 

 also of the late 19th century, incorporating some i6th-' 

 century moulded rails. 



During the incumbency of the Revd. L. Elwyn Lewis 

 (1895-1905), who held high church views, a surpliced 

 choir was started and the old organ was moved from the 

 west end of the church into the vestry.'" In 1 901 a new 



" Morant, Essex, i, 13;. 



3^ This perhaps represents the mitred 

 Abbot of Bermondsey: E.A.T. N.s. vii, 

 184. " E.A.T. N.s. vii, 184. 



M A print of 1834 by A. Suckling shows 

 that the credence was walled-up at that 

 time: E.R.O. Prints, Fyficld. See plate 

 facing p. 53. 



35 Methuen's Little Guides: Essex, 108. 



3' E.A.T. N.s. vii, 185-6. 



37 Ibid. '* Ibid- 



3« Morant, Essex, i, 135. Cf. Hist. 

 Essex by Gent. iii. 337. 



« E.A.T. N.s. vii, 186. 



<■ Ibid. 185. 

 *' Kelly's Dir. Essex (1886 f.). The 



53 



Directory of 1874 gave the year of 

 restoration as 1852. 



*3 Inscription in situ. 



■" Kelly's Dir. Essex (1895). 



*i E.R. iii, 6. 



to Ibid. 



«' Inf. from Mrs. T. W. Gamage » 

 member of the choir at the time. 



