Monument record MCC7548 - St Andrews Church, Marks Tey

Summary

Church of c.1100.

Location

Grid reference Centred TL 9112 2388 (31m by 13m)
Map sheet TL92SW
Civil Parish MARKS TEY, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Map

Type and Period (4)

Full Description

Church of c.1100.<1>
Norman nave, C14 chancel and tower originally C14 but rebuilt, the upper stage finished entirely in timber. The `Norman' nave is essentially undateable and could easily be pre-Conquest - the walls are 0.82m thick. The north wall of the nave is decoratively banded with puddingstone and rubble.<2> The nave is romanesque in origin built of septaria and indurated conglomerate. Nave return quoins of Roman brick with one south-east quoin having vertical freestone `longs, and Roman brick `shorts' in the Saxon of Saxo-Norman manner. The south door has a Romanesque tympanum above the oak lintel. Chancel of freestone, Roman brick and some indurated conglomerate. There is a C14 priests door.<3> The nave was buit c.1100 and the chancel rebuilt in c.1330. There was possibly a late C14 west tower which was rebuilt in the early C16. The chancel contains two C14 windows in the north wall and south wall, the latter partly rstored externally, and a C14 doorway. The chancel arch is of mid-late C14. The north wall of the nave contains a partly restored C14 window. Between the two windows of the north wall is the north doorway of c.1100. East of the east doorway is the lower doorway to the rood loft staircase of late C14 or early C15. The south wall contains a largely modern east window, central one of c.1100 of one round headed light in Roman brick and the westernmost of the mid C14. West doorway of the tower is late C14 or early C15. The bell chamber has in each wall a C16 window of oak. The fittings include a C15 oak font.<4>

Site Assessment (Rodwell & Rodwell, 1977) = External ground level is high causing dampness in the lower parts of the walls. There is a brick lined drain all around the church but this is only moderately effective. The church hall was built on the north side of the nave when an oppurtunity for archaeological investigation was lost. The church may lie on a Roman site but essentially its potential is unknown.<2>

A watching brief on the lowering of floor levels within the church uncovered a number of features, these include a pre C14 wall under the chancel arch, details of the nave foundations, fragments of old window tracery (replaced 1880) and some carbed stonework thought to be remains of a stone Rood screen, four vaults in the chancel, one for the Rev. Peter wright (d. 1839) and three C18 vaults belonging to the Bree Family. A purbeck Marble tomb slab belonging to Robert De Tey and wife Katherine dated 1360 was uncovered by the NW chancel window while another purbeck marble slab had been reused as a foundation for the nave floor.<5>

Bettley and Pevsner (2007) record, 'W. tower with a mix of brick, rubble and puddingstone at the base, then brick, with diagonal buttresses and stair turret. The top damaaged in the Civil War and replaced with vertical weatherboarding. Recessed shingle spire. Much puddinstone on the nave and chancel also. In the nave (S. side) one small Norman window, and plain Norman N. and S. doorways. These and the windows have surrounds of Roman brick, found also in the quoins. Chancel C14. S. porch C15, of timber, plain. 'Throughly' restored by E.J. Dampier, c.1884-5. Utilitarian brick N. extension by Duncan Clark & Beckett, 1967-8. Font C15. Octagonal. The remarkable thing is that it is of oak. Stem with tracery panels with roses in the centres, bowle with tracery panels formerly with seated figures.'<6>

Digital images of the Church taken in July 2016.<7>

Sources/Archives (7)

  • <1> DESC TEXT: unknown. 1960 0nwards. SMR form unknown.
  • <2> Monograph: Rodwell, Warwick J with Rodwell, KA. 1977. Historic Churches: a wasting asset. p.120.
  • <3> DESC TEXT: Department of the Environment. 1982. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Colchester Rural. p253.
  • <4> DESC TEXT: RCHME. 1922. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex - Volume 3. Vol 3, p179-80.
  • <5> DESC TEXT: Brooks, Howard and Orr, Kate. 2007. St Andrews Church, Marks Tey.
  • <6> Monograph: Bettley, James and Pevsner, Nikolaus. 2007. The buildings of England: Essex. p.593.
  • <7> Photograph: Tipper, J.. 2016. Photographs of St Andrew's Church, Marks Tey. Digital.

Finds (3)

Protected Status/Designation

Related Monuments/Buildings (4)

Related Events/Activities (0)

Record last edited

Sep 13 2016 11:03AM

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