Christ Church, Stoneham Street, Coggeshall, Essex.
Posted by: 
greysman
N 51° 52.354 E 000° 41.147
31U E 340687 N 5749396
Standing on a large plot of land, this church has been serving the community for over 300 years.
Waymark Code: WMGH6K
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/06/2013
Views: 5
Various wealthy men who were members of the Independents raised money in 1710 to buy land in Stoneham Street to build this church, which opened for worship in August that year. It has been enlarged and improved over the years. An extra piece of land was purchased in 1794 behind the church for a cemetery and the building was enlarged in 1834.
The result is a rather unremarkable building but typical of architecture of the time, of two storeys and four bays wide and four bays deep, with a large gable over. The frontage has been added to since the original building with a canopied walkway covering the two entrances held up on two round pillars and four square pilastres. Extra side doors added each side. An apse has been added, 1865, at the east end behind the pulpit to accommodate the choir and organ and the whole of the interior was reconstructed in 1882.
The blue plaque is one of a series to be found around this small market town placed here with monies from a legacy provided by Stanley prentice, this fact is noted on the rim of the plaques with the following wording:- COGGESHALL HERITAGE SOCIETY - FROM FUNDS PROVIDED BY THE STANLEY PRENTICE LEGACY - OCT 2002.
The wording on the plaque reads:-
CHRIST CHURCH
BUILT 1710
A CONGREGATIONAL
CHAPEL THEN UNITED
REFORMED CHURCH
BECAME CHRIST CHURCH
1989 COMBINED WITH
METHODIST & BAPTIST
CHURCHES