St Laurence's Church, Blackmore

Church Details


Visited
19/03/2004 & 09/09/2006
Locking Status
Locked - no keyholder details
Built
Norman - originally priory church
Website
http://www.blackmorechurch.org.uk/

External Images

St Laurence, Blackmore Church - Carlsberg don't make timber church towers ... but if they did ... they'd be the best timber church towers in the world!

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church - Seriously, though, this really is one of the finest, if not the finest timber church tower in the country. This claim is upheld by Pevsner and many others. The tower consists of a lower storey with three lean-to roofs on each of the N, E and S sides. Directly above is an area of square weatherboarding. Above this, is another storey with four lean-to roofs, followed by what is a more common sight in this county - a square bell stage, topped with a shingled broach spire.

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church - In addition to the link to the church's own website, provided on the 'DETAILS' page, more history on Blackmore can be found on Andrew Smith's blog.

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Internal Images

St Laurence, Blackmore Church - The original Norman W wall, still easily recognisable from within the tower.

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church - From Pevsner's Buildings of England: Essex... Internally it possesses ten posts, making a nave and two aisles. The tower itself stands on the centre six, three N and three S. The arched brances for the cross-beams run N-S, thrown across the second and the fourth pairs. In addition, there are smaller and lower arched braces in an E-W direction between posts 2 and 3, and 3 and 4. Above these are two tiers of cross-struts. A date of c.1480 has been suggested by Mr C.M. Hewett (Archaeological Journal, vol 119, 1962). Tree ring dating in 2004 has now suggested a date of around 1400 for these timbers.

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church - The nave. The N aisle is early C14, whilst the S aisle is clearly C16, with it's brick piers. Due to the early dissolvement of this priory (1527), it is unclear as to whether the C16 alterations where as a result of the move to parochial use.

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church - Looking towards the W end of the nave. Directly above Julie's head is a Norman window. This is one of a pair of upper windows that can still be seen.

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church - One of two blocked doorways at the E end of the S aisle. Either this, or the doorway to it's left, would have led into the cloister.

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St Laurence, Blackmore Church - Original Norman upper window in the N wall of the nave (W end).

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Glass Images

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Monument Images

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Miscellaneous Images

St Laurence, Blackmore Church - The Cresset Stone, which can be seen in the Church, dates from about this time. It is a primitive form of oil lamp made of stone containing several shaped hollows. These recesses were filled with oil in which was placed a floating wick. The example in the Church is one of the finest in the country and the only one in Essex and it was, without doubt, used in the Priory to light some dark passage. Source

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Location Map

 


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