Holy Innocents Church is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church in the village of Lamarsh, in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, England. The building has a round tower and dates from the 12th century. It is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Description

The interior of Holy Innocents church at Lamarsh - geograph

There is no mention in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 of a church in the village. It is thought that the church dates from about 1140; it was probably built by Simon de Beauchamp, who was granted lands in north Essex by King Stephen at that time."History"
''The Friends of Holy Innocents Church, Lamarsh''. Retrieved 26 September 2022. It is built of flint and tile rubble, which is rendered. It has a

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls. Castle ...

; there are other churches with round towers in East Anglia, mostly in Norfolk. A roof was added to the tower in 1869. The tower and

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

dates from the original building. The

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

, being the same width as the nave, was probably built at the same time. It was modified in the 14th century, with a doorway on the south side, and in 1869 was extended eastwards about 1 metre. The brick-built south porch and door are 16th-century.

Interior details

The

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

was erected in the 15th century. It is of oak and has ten bays. Mary Lowndes Holy Innocents 1896

The stained glass windows at the east end of the chancel were designed by

Mary Lowndes Mary Lowndes (1857–1929) was a British stained-glass artist who co-founded the stained glass studio and workshop Lowndes and Drury in 1897. She was an influential leader in the Arts and Crafts movement, not only for her stained glass work an ...

in 1895. They were placed in memory of Rev. Charles Baker Teesdale, rector of the parish for 42 years. The chamber organ was built by

George Pike England George Pike England (ca.1765 – February 1815) was an English organ builder who was among the most prominent in England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Life He was the son of organ builder George England and Mary Blasdale. He m ...

. It was a gift to the church from Rev. Teesdale; it is thought it was in use privately in the rectory before installation in the church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamarsh, Holy Innocents Church Grade I listed churches in Essex Church of England church buildings in Essex Churches in the Diocese of Chelmsford Braintree District Round-tower churches