Description

MALDON

TL8508SE THE STREET, Heybridge
574-1/5/270 (North East side)
02/10/51 Church of St Andrew

GV I

Parish church. C12, C15 east end and alterations; C19 south
porch and restoration. Rubble flint and septaria with some
pudding stone in tower; limestone ashlar dressings; timber
porch; plain tile roofs.
PLAN: unaisled 2-bay nave and 2-bay chancel in continuous
vessel with south porch and truncated west tower with
north-west stair turret.
EXTERIOR: tower slightly wider than nave, unbuttressed except
for large C18 red brick diagonal buttress to south-west. Small
quoins. Double-chamfered west door of late C14 set beneath C12
arch with roll moulding. Round-arched window of 2 orders
above. To S and N sides: one C13 lancet at low level and C12
round-arched window of 2 orders above. Upper stage shows jambs
of blocked openings on sill string course. Capped with
pyramidal roof with weathervane and louvred flat dormers.
Nave south side: timber porch incorporates one medieval
moulded tie beam. South door of 2 orders with impost blocks to
stilted over-arch to segmental door head; tympanum with
diaperwork; ancient door has C12-early C13 ironwork including
C-hinges and pierced scutcheon plate with ring. Two blocked
round-headed slit windows cut through by 2 square-headed
3-light C15 windows with heavily-restored tracery.
North side: 2 round-headed slit windows. Door has round
over-arch with roll-moulded imposts to segmental door head
with diapered tympanum.
Chancel south wall: 2 square-headed, much restored C15
windows; westernmost cuts through slit window. Blocked
round-arched priests' door with foliate coffin slab built into
it. C15 priests' door.
North wall: 2-light, square-headed window with restored
tracery containing fragments of C15 stained glass and
ferramenta, cuts through slit window. 5-light east window with
largely renewed Perpendicular tracery. Diagonal buttresses.
INTERIOR: no tower arch; timber ringing chamber supported on
two tie beams, one on posts, the other on short wall posts,
with carved spandrels to arch braces. Angle roll to internal
angle of stair turret. Upper level of nave has the lower
halves of the splayed reveals of irregularly-set clerestorey
windows, now blocked. No chancel arch. Rood stairs in
thickness of north wall pierced by 2-light Y-tracery window.

C12 stonework including a fragment of former font bowl with
saltire cross built into rere-arch.
Locker to chancel north wall. North-east window blocked for
large monument of 1638 to Thomas Freshwater, in marble with
kneeling figures of man and wife in double-arched recess
flanked by Corinthian columns, surmounted by achievement and
two shields of arms. Piscinae to chancel and nave south walls.
Chancel roof in 2 bays of 7 cants with 2 cross-quadrate crown
posts with no capitals and moulded tie beams. Hammerbeam truss
framing east window. 4-bay crown-post nave roof; 3 of the tie
beams have wall pieces with knees in the angles carved with
monograms, dated to c1518. C18 twisted-baluster altar rails.
Several ledgers of late C17 to Freshwater family. Elegant
marble wall plaque to Juline Hering of Heybridge Hall, d.1775.
C19 benches, stalls, reredos and panelling. C19 font basin
based on fragment mentioned above, on C12 reused stone base
resembling upturned scallop capitals.
HISTORY: the upper part of the tower fell in the C15, damaging
the main vessel, which was restored by Sir Henry Bourchier in
the late C15.
(RCHME: Essex: 1921-: 136-8; Shortland I: Guide to Church of
St Andrew, Heybridge: 1975-).

Listing NGR: TL8556808084

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17536864

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)