St Andrew's Church, Willingale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Andrew's Church, Willingale |
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St Andrew's Church, Willingale, from the south
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| OS grid reference | TL 596 073 |
| Location | Willingale, Essex |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 20 February 1967 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman, Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint with some freestone and puddingstone Dressings in clunch and re-used Roman bricks Roofs tiled |
St Andrew's Church is an old Anglican church in the village of Willingale, Essex, England. It is no longer used for regular church services. This special building is listed as a Grade II* building, which means it's very important historically. The Churches Conservation Trust now takes care of it. What's interesting is that St Andrew's Church is less than 50 meters away from another church, St Christopher's, and they even share the same churchyard!
Contents
History of St Andrew's Church
The oldest parts of the church, like the main hall (called the nave), were built way back in the 12th century (the 1100s). The area near the altar (the chancel) was added later, in the 15th century (the 1400s). In the 19th century (the 1800s), the church was updated and repaired. During this time, a small entrance room (a porch) and a room for the clergy (a vestry) were also added.
Church Design and Materials
Outside Features of the Church
The church is built mostly from flint stones, which are small, hard rocks. It also has some freestone and puddingstone, which are other types of rock. The decorative parts are made from clunch (a soft limestone) and old Roman bricks that were used again. The roofs are covered with tiles.
The church's layout includes a main hall (nave) and the chancel. There's a porch on the south side and a vestry on the north side. At the west end, there's a wooden belfry (where the bells are) and a spire, both covered with wooden boards called weatherboarding.
The large window at the east end was added in the 19th century. It has three sections with decorative stone patterns. On the north wall of the chancel, there are two windows from the 15th century, each with two sections. Between them, you can see where a doorway used to be, but it's now blocked up. The south wall has similar windows and a doorway from the 15th century.
In the north wall of the nave, there are two windows from the 12th century with rounded tops. There's also a doorway from the same period. This doorway has a door with beautiful 12th-century ironwork that looks like scrolls. On the south wall, you'll find three windows of different styles: a tall, narrow window from the 13th century, a two-section window from the 14th century, and a small window from the 12th century.
The south porch is covered in weatherboarding. It leads to a 12th-century doorway with a rounded top and stone and Roman brick sides. The window at the west end has a rounded brick top, which was likely added in the 17th century.
Inside Features of the Church
The font, which is used for baptisms, is shaped like an octagon and dates back to the late 14th century. It is decorated with patterns like four-leaf shapes (called quatrefoils) inside circles. It also has carved roses and faces.
In the chancel, there are piscinae (small basins used for washing communion vessels) from the 15th century. There's also an altar slab made of oolite stone with carved crosses. You can also see memorials inside the church from 1614, which remember the children of the church's rector. The church has two bells in its tower. One of these bells has an inscription from the 15th century.
See also
