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The destruction of Loughton Hall in 1836 left the church even more isolated than before. The new church of St. John was therefore built in 1846 to provide more effectively for the religious needs of the growing parish. It was decided that the old church should be demolished to defray part of the cost of building St. John's and a faculty was issued for this purpose in 1847. It had been hoped that St. Nicholas' would fetch £250 but it was sold by auction for only £89. The chancel was for some reason left standing and with the addition of new north and west walls (costing £36) became a mortuary chapel. This chapel was demolished in 1877 and the present church of St. Nicholas was built slightly to the west of it. This rebuilding was clearly connected with that of Loughton Hall, and St. Nicholas' was used for many years after 1877 as the private chapel of the hall.