Former Church Of St James

There was some work in the C15, when the roofs were redone and some windows inserted.

The E and S walls of the chancel were rebuilt in the early C16, when the N rood stair turret and nave windows were also added.

MATERIALS: Flint rubble with some stone and Roman brick.

Dressings of stone and Roman brick.

Tile roofs.

EXTERIOR The chancel has a C15, 2-light traceried E window with a four centred head.

There is a late C15 window in the N wall

a C16 brick window of two lights with uncusped Y-tracery under a hood mould in the chancel S wall.

There are similar C16 brick windows in the nave N and S walls.

The C16 doors to the rood stair, subsequently converted to serve the pulpit have been preserved.

The chancel roof is probably C15 with trussed rafters and a tie beam at the W end

the nave roof is late C15, and now floored in to create an upper story, has carved and moulded wall plates and trussed rafters, with curved moulded braces on the collar truss in the middle decorated with the crests of Stafford and Bourchier.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES There is a C13 or C14 piscina rest in the chancel.

The C19 pulpit and some C19 glass has been retained.

HISTORY A priest is mentioned at Chignall in Domesday book of 1086, and while this presumably implies the presence of a church, it is unclear if it refers to that at Chignall St James or St Nicholas, Chignall Smealey.

SOURCES Buildings of England: Essex , 225 RCHME Essex II , 44-5 REASONS FOR DESIGNATION The former church of St James, Chignall St James, is designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons: * Medieval parish church of the C13

C14, restored in the C19

sympathetically converted to a house in the late C20. * Retains C15 and C16 windows and C15 roofs.