Borley Church facts for kids
Borley Church is a historic church located in the small village of Borley, in Essex, England. It's part of the Church of England and serves the local community of Borley and Liston. This church is very special because it's a Grade I Listed building, which means it's considered extremely important and has a lot of history. People also know it for its unique path lined with shaped bushes and a huge monument dedicated to Sir Edward Waldegrave and his wife.
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What is Borley Church Like?
Borley Church is a small building made of stone. Some parts of the church, like the main area called the nave, might be as old as the 11th century (the 1000s!). Over time, it was updated, mostly in the Perpendicular style from the 1300s to the 1500s. You can still see this style in the chancel (the part near the altar) and the tall tower at the west end.
The church has a chancel, a nave, a south porch, and a tower with a fancy top called "crenellated" (like a castle wall). Inside the tower are three bells. Two of them were made in 1926, and one is much older, from 1574! They hang in their original wooden frame.
Leading up to the church porch is a special path called a topiary walk. This path used to have bushes shaped like chess pieces! In 2017, the old stone path was replaced with a new brick path that is easy for wheelchairs to use, and it even has lights along the sides.
Why is it a Grade I Listed Building?
English Heritage has given Borley Church the highest possible rating, Grade I. This means the building is "of exceptional interest" and is sometimes even thought to be important worldwide. It's a truly special place!
A Look Back at History
Around 1545, the land where the church stands was given to Sir Edward Waldegrave by King Henry VIII. Sir Edward was knighted in 1553 when Queen Mary I of England became queen. He was an important person in Queen Mary's government and even managed her clothes and belongings as the Master of the Wardrobe. He later moved his family to a different manor, but his family remained connected to Borley.
Inside the church, you can find several tombs belonging to the Waldegrave family. The most impressive is a huge monument, about 14 feet tall, 9 feet long, and 5 feet wide! It has six pillars and underneath them are marble statues of Sir Edward Waldegrave and his wife, Lady Frances Waldegrave. There's also a statue of their daughter, Magdala Southcote, who passed away in 1598. The church also has memorials for two rectors (church leaders) from the 1800s, John Philip Herringham and his son William.
In the mid-1800s, the church had about 10 acres of land, and the village of Borley had about 195 people living there in both 1821 and 1831.
Stories of Haunting at Borley Church
Borley Church is known for stories of ghosts, though not as many as the famous Borley Rectory that used to be nearby. People have reported hearing strange things like phantom organ music, ghostly singing, and even seeing the ghost of a nun moving around the churchyard.
These ghost stories often connect to a legend about a Benedictine monastery that supposedly existed in the area long ago. The legend says that a monk from this monastery fell in love with a nun from a nearby place called Barking Abbey. Their secret love was discovered. The monk was sentenced to death by hanging, and the nun was imprisoned within the walls of her convent.
In the 1970s, after reports of bells ringing by themselves late at night and a ghostly monk leaving mysterious messages on the church walls, famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren came to look into the claims. The Warrens and a group of photographers said they saw the ghostly nun in the church cemetery and then inside the church, walking through the aisles as if she were praying.
