The Lost Church of Essex, All Saints', Stanway, Colchester. - Preserved Architectural Remnants and Ruins on Waymarking.com

Called the Lost Church of Stanway, these are the ruins of All Saints' church which was once the parish church of the village of Stanway. It was some distance from Stanway village and eventually became just a chapel when the new church of St.Albright's was built in 1580 much nearer to the centre of the community.

It was built in the late C13th by the Belhaus family to serve Stanway Manor which was recorded in the Domesday Survey, and then much rebuilt probably following the fall of a tower in the early C15th when a north aisle was also built and then a north porch in c1605. It is built of flint and stone rubble with some limestone dressings and red brick. The roof is missing. As it stands it consists of a west tower, a three-bay nave and a north porch. The chancel, north aisle, and a north tower were demolished in c1605 by Sir John Swinterton when the church became the chapel to Great Stanway Hall, it is rumoured that there is a tunnel from the hall for the use of the Lord of the Manor. The west tower is of three stages and is late C13th flint and stone below the tower arch with a chequered and moulded plinth. Above this there are early C15th narrow bricks laid in single stretcher courses banded with courses of pebble flints and topped with an embattled parapet. It is over 13m high. To the west are stepped diagonal buttresses, and to the south corner a staircase door with two-centred arch and moulded arch. The interior has an early C15th domical brick vault, the nave south wall has a door with a two-centred head, and arched windows. The early C15th north aisle arcade was pierced in the C17th after being blocked during the 1605 demolition and has quatrefoil piers with hollows between the foils and round moulded capitals and two-centred arches. The chancel arch is blocked with an early C17th brick window. There is early C17th brick infilling at the north doorway, which has a four-centred arch and dripmoulding. The c1605 English bond brick north porch has a stepped gable with a blank panel and four-centred arch and colonnettes. It has been derelict since c1700 but underwent a major revovation in 2007 with the windows from the north aisle and chancel have been removed to St.Albright's .

These ruins are Grade II* listed, around which are several information boards.

Type: Ruin Fee: No, it's free access to the exterior when the zoo entrry fee has been paid. Hours: When the zoo is open, Generally open from 0930 with closing times depenent upon the time of year. See: opening times Related URL: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Original photographs showing additional views of the Ruin/Remnant or even just its current condition are encouraged. Please describe your visit, especially if no additional photos are available. Did you like the Ruin or Remnant? What prompted you to see the Ruin or Remnant?

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   02/25/2015 BEASTMARSTA visited it