Summary

Tower and altar of the former Church of St Michael, built in the early C16; the nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1871 to architectural designs by Sir Arthur Blomfield and demolished around 2000.

Description

Tower and altar of the former Church of St Michael, built in the early C16; the nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1871 to designs by Sir Arthur W. Blomfield and demolished around 2000.

MATERIALS: Coursed and squared limestone with ashlar sandstone dressings.

PLAN: The tower is square on plan and stands at the former west end of the Church of St Michael; the altar is rectangular on plan and stands at the centre of the east end of the former church.

EXTERIOR: The early C16 tower is square on plan and is of three stages, undivided externally, with an embattled parapet; the parapet formerly had carved gargoyles at the angles however these are no longer present. On its east elevation, a doorway to the former nave (demolished) has chamfered jambs, a two-centred arch and gate; over the doorway the scar of the former gabled nave is evident. The west elevation has a single bay of windows to each stage; the first and second stages have flat-arched window surrounds, the first-stage opening being blocked. The third stage, the former bell-chamber, has on its east elevation a square-headed window opening; the other three sides each have a trefoil-arched window opening with a square hoodmould over.
The altar at the east end of the former church likely dates from the C16. It has an 18cm thick limestone slab, three sides of which have been shaped to incorporate beading and a bevel, and two rough crosses are incised towards one end. The slab, called a ‘mensa stone’, from the Latin word for table, mensa, was broken in two pieces, probably during the Reformation.

INTERIOR: The interior of the tower has been adapted to house telecommunications equipment, with steel ladders and floors inserted.

History

Pitsea appears in the Domesday Book, and the earliest documentary reference to the existence of a church there appears to be in C12 records relating to St John’s Abbey, Colchester. St John’s Abbey continued to hold Pitsea until the abbey was dissolved in 1539, and a new church, the west tower of which survives, was built sometime in the early C16. A visitation by Rev WJ Pressey in 1685 recorded the church as being in a poor condition and leaning. The nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1871 to designs by Sir Arthur William Blomfield ARA FRIBA (1829-1899) a prolific architect of churches. The church continued to suffer subsidence, and in 1899 the walls and windows were reported as fitting very badly. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex published in 1923 described the appearance of the west tower and its fittings at that time including three C16 and C17 bells, an early-C16 font, and early-C16 masons’ marks on the east doorway of the tower.

St Michael’s Church was listed at Grade II in 1950 and the List entry was amended in 1975. The condition of the church continued to decline, and construction of the A13 in the 1970s effectively cut the church off from the community it once served. The church closed in 1979, became redundant in 1983 and was largely demolished around 2000 following severe vandalism. Only the C16 tower of the church and its altar survive, and the medieval tower has been adapted for use as a telecommunications station.

Reasons for Listing

The tower and altar of the former Church of St Michael, built in the early C16, are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* for the architectural quality and craftsmanship of these surviving fragments of the C16 former church;
* as an important and imposing landmark located high on Pitsea Mount.

Historic interest:
* as surviving fragments of the medieval church of St Michael, contributing to our understanding of the history and evolution of Pitsea.

External Links

• Wikidata Q26622707

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.

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