This old church is reached along a track going west off Langford Road, B1018, about 235m south of the junction of Station Road with the B1018. Follow the track for 300m over the old railway and round the corner for the north entrance into the church grounds. The building has been in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches since 1975 after its redundancy in 1970. There are no longer any regular services but it is still a consecrated building. That the church was built here and the modern village is some way to the north-east on the ridge shows that the latter has moved over the centuries, strange that it was built here when the surrounding ground must have been much wetter than we see today. It's still only some 8m above the water level of the modern River Blackwater just to the west. The churchyard is very overgrown but there is evidence of an attempt to clear the undergrowth on the south side of the church.
Now Grade II* listed it is of C11th origin and restored in C19th but allowed to become derelict after the building of the new church in the village. There has been some restoration work recently carried out to some windows, roof and belfry. It is built of flint rubble, puddingstone, septaria, Roman tile and brick. Once plastered, it has red tiled roofs.
Of a very basic design the church has a nave and lower chancel, the very shortened weatherboarded belfry is at the west end and there is a south porch. There are Roman bricks in the south-east quoin. The east window has been restored, it has three-cusped ogee lights with tracery under a two-centred head. The north and south windows were formerly of two lights in two-centred heads. A blocked doorway in the south wall now has a flat concrete lintel.
The nave has angle buttresses at the west end with Roman brick quoins, there are two windows similar to those in side walls of the Chancel, but without tracery, to the north and south walls. The south doorway has chamfered jambs and a four-centred arch. The C20th restored west window is of three cusped lights with tracery and a label over. The west doorway chamfered with a two centred arch, probably C15th, the door, three board with muntins and iron strap hinges is of uncertain date. On the external south wall is a timber beam with iron tie rod, possibly part of the belfry supporting structure which itself has been shortened and made watertight.
The South Porch is gabled with red brick striations up to the apex, C20th restored east and west windows are of two trefoiled lights under square heads. Again Roman brick quoins, and a chamfered two-centred external arched entrance. A yellow brick floor and remains of a stoup, removed to the new St.Batholomew's, with a triangular head is in the north east corner. Roof of crown post construction with arched braces to collar purlin and chamfered tie beam.
Interior. Chancel. A seven-cant roof with plastered ashlars, moulded wall plates, two tie beams, no chancel arch but moulded wall posts and arched braces to tie beam. Nave. A seven-cant roof. Doorway with four-centred head formerly to rood loft stairs in the north wall. Small rectangular niche in the south wall. Blocked and partly intersected by the C15th south doorway is the Cllth round headed doorway in Roman brick. West of the north east window a rubble patch indicates the former north doorway above which can be seen remains of a C12th window. Stop chamfered wall plates and some beams remain of the bell turret.
The font and chest have been removed to the new church of St.Bartholomew about 1mile to the north-east on top of the ridge near the 'newer' village.
From Wikipedia:- "Since 1994 the church has been used as a studio by the stained glass artist Benjamin Finn. The windows of the church have been reglazed with oak tracery designed by Julian Limentani. The church now contains a new altar which was sculpted by Rory Young, and a statue of Saint Peter by Nicholas Hague. The original font has been returned from the new church. Benjamin Finn has been commissioned to create a new east window, to be financed by a grant from the Cottam Will Trust. In 2007 areas of C13th geometrical patterns were discovered on the walls; conservation work has been carried out in these." No evidence was found to support this when I visited in 2016.
Words from British Listed Buildings, Pevsner's Essex, Wikipedia, and own observations.