The Church of St Mary the Virgin
St Mary's stands a little away from the centre of Elsenham, much as it has for some nine centuries. The nave and chancel were built early in the 12th century on the site of an earlier church, probably Saxon. A record of 1070 exists of the gift of the church as an endowment to the Abbey of St Stephen at Caen, in Normandy.
An architectural history
The chancel was altered in the 15th century, and the west tower — of three stages, without buttresses, with an embattled parapet and a stair turret rising to the second stage on the south-east corner — was added early in the same century. The south porch was added about 1500, with embattled wall plates and a tie beam with octagonal crown posts; the spandrels of the curved braces to the tie beams are carved.
The south doorway is Norman, with columns carved with zig-zag ornamentation and carved capitals; the tympanum is carved with saltire crosses, and inside the doorway a stone coffin lid carved with bands of saltire crosses is inserted in the tympanum. The nave retains some Norman windows and a fine chancel arch ornamented with zig-zag carving and bands of saltire crosses. Its 15th-century king-post roof survives, and the chancel has a fine double-arched piscina with dog-tooth ornamentation. The pulpit has an early 17th-century octagonal stem.
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hall Road, Elsenham
- Much of this church is of the 12th century.
- The nave and chancel were built early in the 12th century on the site of an earlier church, probably Saxon.
- A record of 1070 exists of the gift of the church as an endowment to the Abbey of St Stephen at Caen, Normandy.
- The chancel was altered in the 15th century; the west tower was added early in the 15th century.
- The south porch (c.1500) has embattled wall plates and a tie beam with octagonal crown posts.
- The Norman south doorway has zig-zag ornamentation, carved capitals and a tympanum of saltire crosses.
- The nave has Norman windows, a fine chancel arch and a 15th-century king-post roof.
- Graded for its architectural and historical value.
"The Church is situated away from the village centre." — and so it has quietly endured, the care of each generation written into its stone.