Ovington

St Mary the Virgin was unsurprisingly locked - I say unsurprisingly since it, and the adjacent Hall, are in the middle of nowhere. It would have been nice for a keyholder to have been listed since this looked to be a fascinating church in a slightly shabby state. In this case it is the simplicity of the church that lends it its charm and its truly stunning location (even in the rain).

ST MARY. Nave, chancel, and belfry, the latter resting on four rough posts inside the nave. Cross-beam on the two E posts. The windows indicate the C14 as the date for nave and chancel. - No furnishings of interest.

 

Strangely this is another village which is not mentioned by Mee but Wikepedia says:

Ovington is a small village in Essex. The village is situated about three miles (5 km) from the village of Clare. It consists of Ovington hall, St. Mary's Church, and a few houses. Its a pretty place, with the air traffic of Ridgewell Airfield (usually gliders and sometimes military training exercises).

One of the earliest mentions of this place is in the Domesday book where it is mentioned together with Hedingham Castle and listed amongst the lands given to Roger Bigod by the King. The land given to Roger included 24 acres (97,000 m²) of meadow that was (in total) valued at four pounds.

Simon K -

A sweet little Essex church in a field beside the Hall, about a mile from its village. A hard track runs up to the Hall which you can take (I did) or there is a footpath from the village. It wasn't clear to me if the church was still in use - there were a few notices, but nothing current. I suspect it is not used in winter. It didn't look interesting inside - all the windows are clear, so you can see inside. A bogstandard restoration of the 1870s I should think. And again, ecclesiological junk set in the outer walls, because Ovington was under the same Rector and his wife as Tilbury. Despite being locked no keyholder, I quite liked it really. I'd like to see it again in sunshine. I'm not really that bothered about getting inside.