St James And St Paul

The tower has some Roman brick.

Roofs are tile and lead.

The early C16 chancel is faced externally with knapped flints, and has a moulded plinth and buttresses with flush flintwork.

The large perpendicular E window was partially blocked in the post-medieval period and heavily restored in the C19.

The C16 N vestry is much lower than the N chapel and sits below a window.

Both the N chapel and the N vestry have parapets ornamented with quatrefoil diapering embellished with carved flowers.

The S door is also C19 in a C15 style, and the S aisle has heavily restored C15 windows.

A partial C14 string course below the eastern windows of the S aisle is probably the remains of the S wall of a former S transept or shorter aisle.

The second stage has restored C13 windows of a single pointed light, with restored C14 two light windows in the upper, bell stage.

The early C15 chancel arch is very tall and wide and has a rood beam with figures.

The roofs of the N and S chancel chapels are C16 and have curved braces.

That on the N has probably C17 or early C18 repairs with the arms of the See of London.

The arches from the aisles into the chancel chapels are C13 material reset in the C15, and may indicate the presence of former transepts that preceded the present aisles and chapels.

The nave N and S arcades are of 4 bays and several periods, beginning with the two eastern bays on the S of the late C13 or early C14, then the matching bays on the N of the early C14, followed by the western two on the S of the early C15 and the corresponding bays on the N of the later C15.

The earlier parts of the arcade were also partly remodelled in the C15.

The Roman brick NW corner of the earlier unaisled nave is visible in the N aisle.

The nave and aisle roofs were rebuilt in the C19, but the N aisle roof has reused C15 brackets.

Chancel piscina, C16 piscina in N chapel

a C14 piscina in S chapel.

Statue bracket in S chapel, with a supporting angel.

Oak pulpit by H and K Mabbit, 1951.

Glass of 1843 by Warrington in the S chapel.

Monuments: some good monuments, including brasses to John Maynarde, d. 1569 and Alys his wife, d. 1584, the later a palimpsest on an older, draped figure.

Wall tablet to Thomas Reynolds, d. 1665 and his wife Margery, d. 1649. large standing wall monument to Arthur Winsley, d. 1727 with a semi-reclining figure in Augustan mode.

HISTORY: The church of St James was first mentioned in the mid C13, but the architectural evidence suggests that it is considerably earlier.

In the C13 it was held briefly by Coggeshall priory and later by St Botolph's before passing to the Audley family after the Dissolution.

The NW corner of the long nave survives and has Roman brick, suggesting a C12 or earlier origin for the church.

The tower was added in the C13, and also in the C13 the eastern bays of the S arcade were built.

The arches into the chancel chapels also reuse C13 material, perhaps from former transepts.

The eastern part of the N aisle was built in the early C14

both aisles were reworked and extended in the C15.

There were anchorites associated with the church in the C12

C13, and in the later middle ages, it had an active parish life with several guilds that had altars within the church.

The chancel was rebuilt in the early C16, and its chapels and vestry are contemporary.

Little is known of work carried out on the church in the post-medieval period, but the tower was `decayed¿ in 1633 and the small lantern shown on it in early prints may have been C17 or C18.

SOURCES Bettley, J and Pevsner, N., Buildings of England: Essex , 265-6 RCHME Essex III , 35-37 VCH Essex IX , 309-36 REASONS FOR DESIGNATION The church of St James and St Paul, East Hill, Colchester should be designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons: * Fine, multi-phase medieval church, heavily restored in the C19. * Excellent C16 chancel, chancel chapels and N vestry with fine flint flushwork detailing and excellent work inside including C16 roofs to both N

S chancel chapels. * Nave with arcades of the C13-C15, preserving evidence for a large, possibly cruciform, early church. * Good landmark value.