Ugley

St Peter took me an age, and several trips, to find but was worth it in the end - you can almost feel how the church has evolved over the years and the views are lovely. Whilst its contents and furnishings are not the most lavish it's a comely church.

ST PETER. Early C16 brick tower with low diagonal buttresses and battlements, and start of the S wall of the nave in brick. The rest dates from 1866 and is of no interest.

UGLEY. It deserves a better name, for with beautiful cottages and farms, splendid barns, and an ancient church, it is one of the most charming villages in Essex. Someone has suggested that its old name was Oakley, which the Normans mispronounced. One of the old houses, Parsonage Farm, has Tudor carvings on a fireplace; another, Orford House, has a square dovecot with 350 nests. Ugley Hall of the 16th century has a noble barn of 11 bays, with aisles and three entrances. Bollington Hall of the 17th has another fine barn with eight bays and two gabled entrances. A little way off, among fine chestnut trees, stands the church, its Tudor brick tower said to be the last in Essex to keep a flock of pigeons, which were turned out not long ago. The chancel is modern, but has masonry from the ruins of Bollington church, including niches carved 600 years ago. The nave is 13th century, the chancel arch and the porch are 15th century. Part of a medieval screen stands under the tower arch, and there is a hoary chest of about 1600 with four fastenings and a great lock. A sombre cherub looks out from the chancel wall in memory of Isaac Whittington of the 18th century; and a delightful figure of Charity shines from a window to remind us of a lady who loved her village.

Flickr set.