Greensted Church facts for kids
Greensted Church is a very old church in the small village of Greensted, near Chipping Ongar in Essex, England. Many people believe it is the oldest wooden church in the world. It might also be the oldest wooden building in Europe that is still standing!
The church's walls are made of strong oak wood. They are like an early type of wooden church called a stave church. Experts think it was built a long, long time ago, either in the mid-800s or mid-1000s.
This special building is called a Grade I listed building. Its full name is The Church of St Andrew, Greensted-juxta-Ongar. But most people just call it Greensted Church. It is still used today, with services happening every week.
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A Look Back: The History of Greensted Church
Greensted Church has stood for nearly 1,200 years! That's a very long time. Scientists used a method called dendrochronology to guess its age. This method looks at tree rings.
At first, they thought the church was built around 845 AD. Later, they looked again and found the wood might be from 1053 AD. This means it was built sometime between 1063 and 1108.
Before this wooden church, there might have been another holy place here. Archaeologists found signs of two simple wooden buildings under the church floor. These might have been built in the late 500s or early 600s. This was shortly after Cedd started teaching Christianity in the East Saxon area around 654.
The church is named after St Andrew. This might mean it has Celtic roots. A famous king, Edmund the Martyr of East Anglia, was killed in 870. His body is said to have rested at Greensted Church in 1013. This happened when it was being moved to Bury St Edmunds. You can find many tributes to St Edmund inside the church.
Some people called the Tolpuddle Martyrs lived near Chipping Ongar. They were sent away from England for a while. When they came back, one of them, James Brine, got married at Greensted Church. This happened on June 20, 1839. You can still see the record of his marriage in the church's old books. The Brines later moved to Canada in 1844.
Greensted Church was even on a British postage stamp in 1972. The church also has a special oak font. A font is a bowl used for baptisms. This one was designed by Hugh Casson and made in 1987.
How Greensted Church Was Built
Like many old buildings, Greensted Church has been changed and fixed many times. This happened over hundreds of years.
Early Anglo-Saxon and Norman Parts
The main part of the church, called the nave, is made from huge split oak tree trunks. This was a common way to build during the Anglo-Saxon period. Most of the nave is still original. As we learned, tree ring dating suggests it was built around 1053 AD.
There's an interesting small opening on the north side of the nave. It was once called a "leper's squint." People used to think it was a place where lepers could watch the church service. This was because they were not allowed inside with everyone else. However, it was next to the original door. So, experts now think it was probably just a window. It might have been used to see who was coming to the church.
In the chancel, which is the area near the altar, you can see some older parts. The bottom of the walls is made of flint stones. There is also a stone piscina. These are the only parts left from the Norman period. Near the church porch, a large stone marks where an unknown knight is buried.
Changes in the 1500s
The original chancel was small and made of wood. But the chancel you see today is made of brick. It was built during the 1500s.
Additions from the 1600s to 1800s
The white weatherboarded tower was added in the 1600s. This is often the first thing people notice about the church. One of the bells in the tower has a message on it: "William Land made me 1618." There are other old wooden towers like this in the area.
Around this time, three dormer windows were added to the nave. These are windows that stick out from the roof. The south porch was also added. You can see a small piece of glass from the 1400s in a window at the west end. But it was put there during later repairs. The oldest memorial on a wall is for Jone Wood, from 1585.
Victorian Era Repairs
In the 1800s, during the Victorian era, the church had a big restoration. This means it was repaired and updated. The Victorians added detailed brickwork to the building. They also probably added some of the fancy decorations you see outside. They changed the three dormer windows to six. The porch was also rebuilt, and other small changes were made.
