St Mary's Church has stood above the Hythe Quay in Maldon since 1130, nearly nine hundred years. The tower was added in 1300 but fell in1605 and rebuilt due to its mariner's importance as a landmark. The white tower was added in 1705 to enhance the visibility. It's famous lantern acted, for centuries, as a navigational aid to seafarers and the church is still known as the sailors' church today. The church is normally open.
PJ Boyles
Medieval church overlooking Maldon's Hythe quayside.
Ian Yates266 days ago
An ancient church which dominates the skyline on approach up the Chelmer. The most striking feature on the inside is the ceiling - the roof timbers are massive.
Margaret Connolly266 days ago
Beautiful church full of history and set in a perfect setting
Diane Chambers297 days ago
A gem of a church. Situated a short distance from highstreet and waterfront I found this very interesting. Lots of iron grave markers which are of interest to me. Some beautiful stain glass along with a wealth of history,which I'm learning more about.
Jonathan Nichols2 years ago
St Mary’s church May well have started as a timber stave church, though evidence for this has not been found as far as I have been able to check. Possible some record on f this was found during the the late nineteenth century restoration. The first stone and rubble ( Kentish rag stone and flint cobbles was built about 850AD. Parts of this structure still survive including the north wall of the nave and the remains of the Saxon arch between the nave and chancel. Looking towards the altar the typical ‘long and short ‘work forming the bearing for the Saxon arch still stands to the left of the Norman arch. This former corner is capped with the spring stone from which the Saxon arch sprang. Above it is still the first stone of the arch. This spring stone, projecting from the surface of the wall, is reflected by the extant spring stone on the opposite side of the arch- above the pulpit. It can be seen that the Saxon arch was wider that the existing Norman arch, built within it in the twelfth Century. This probable reflects the size of Maldon in the eighth and ninth century, when the town at the top of the hill had a Royal mint( near Silver Street, beside the Blue Boar). The tower followed the Norman arch. It is a massive size with thick walls and stout buttresses. The west door displays (externally) norman carving around the outer face of the door arch. Further additions to the church were made including the south aisle.. The upper part of the tower fell down in the seventeenth century, and was rebuilt in brick towards the end of that century.For some reason the brick mullion to each of the three windows to the top storey of the tower has been taken down. Projecting bricks for where the mullion divided to form two pointed arches atop the window still show. The church was restored towards the end of the nineteenth Century, when the roof to the nave and chancel was rebuilt, and the stones of the Norman arch were largely replaced-only the first four or five stones of the twelfth century arch on each side and a few further up the arch still survive. There are a number of interesting items within the church, chief of which is the stone staircase built into the north wall of the nave to give access to the former rood screen- a timber’ bridge’ across the front of the Norman arch, on which stood a carving of the crucifixion arch on which was Jesus, with Mary on one side and John the Baptist on the other.These we’re frequently destroyed by the Puritans at the time of the civil war (1649-1660) which they won. There is also an excellent stained glass window at the east end of the chancel- again of the crucifixion, with startling colour-and and the war memorial to the fallen in the Great War (1914-19-19). This too is very well coloured, and conveys great sadness. Note that only the ground under the fallen soldier is red. The pulpit and the three carved figures above the arch to the chancel each came from other churches. The more recent timber enclosure to the vestry has been very successfully designed, is constructed of oak, and fits very naturally into the interior of the church. At the west end of the nave is the new platform for the new organ.This has been designed with discretion and care, and shows how new work in an old church can be done carried out without depleting the quality of the old church. Many other features can be discovered by the interested observer, including the two great oak doors , to the norther entry porch and opposite it, to the southern door, which now leads via a corridor to the recent octagon, which, again, is an example of a good addition to an old building.
Overall, this church has been found to be a very quiet building by visitors and users alike- probably a testament to its more than one thousand years of use for prayer, study of the scripture and song dedicated to the acknowledgement of the thousands of years of scripture of the Bible up to and since the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Jean Fleet2 years ago
We visited a Christmas Fayre here. Lovely welcoming church.
The church is normally open.
The first stone and rubble ( Kentish rag stone and flint cobbles was built about 850AD. Parts of this structure still survive including the north wall of the nave and the remains of the Saxon arch between the nave and chancel. Looking towards the altar the typical ‘long and short ‘work forming the bearing for the Saxon arch still stands to the left of the Norman arch. This former corner is capped with the spring stone from which the Saxon arch sprang. Above it is still the first stone of the arch. This spring stone, projecting from the surface of the wall, is reflected by the extant spring stone on the opposite side of the arch- above the pulpit.
It can be seen that the Saxon arch was wider that the existing Norman arch, built within it in the twelfth Century. This probable reflects the size of Maldon in the eighth and ninth century, when the town at the top of the hill had a Royal mint( near Silver Street, beside the Blue Boar).
The tower followed the Norman arch. It is a massive size with thick walls and stout buttresses. The west door displays (externally) norman carving around the outer face of the door arch.
Further additions to the church were made including the south aisle..
The upper part of the tower fell down in the seventeenth century, and was rebuilt in brick towards the end of that century.For some reason the brick mullion to each of the three windows to the top storey of the tower has been taken down. Projecting bricks for where the mullion divided to form two pointed arches atop the window still show.
The church was restored towards the end of the nineteenth Century, when the roof to the nave and chancel was rebuilt, and the stones of the Norman arch were largely replaced-only the first four or five stones of the twelfth century arch on each side and a few further up the arch still survive.
There are a number of interesting items within the church, chief of which is the stone staircase built into the north wall of the nave to give access to the former rood screen- a timber’ bridge’ across the front of the Norman arch, on which stood a carving of the crucifixion arch on which was Jesus, with Mary on one side and John the Baptist on the other.These we’re frequently destroyed by the Puritans at the time of the civil war (1649-1660) which they won.
There is also an excellent stained glass window at the east end of the chancel- again of the crucifixion, with startling colour-and and the war memorial to the fallen in the Great War (1914-19-19). This too is very well coloured, and conveys great sadness. Note that only the ground under the fallen soldier is red.
The pulpit and the three carved figures above the arch to the chancel each came from other churches.
The more recent timber enclosure to the vestry has been very successfully designed, is constructed of oak, and fits very naturally into the interior of the church.
At the west end of the nave is the new platform for the new organ.This has been designed with discretion and care, and shows how new work in an old church can be done carried out without depleting the quality of the old church.
Many other features can be discovered by the interested observer, including the two great oak doors , to the norther entry porch and opposite it, to the southern door, which now leads via a corridor to the recent octagon, which, again, is an example of a good addition to an old building.
Overall, this church has been found to be a very quiet building by visitors and users alike- probably a testament to its more than one thousand years of use for prayer, study of the scripture and song dedicated to the acknowledgement of the thousands of years of scripture of the Bible up to and since the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Lovely welcoming church.