Little Bentley

For me St Mary the Virgin was the church of the day because of the location, the quirky exterior, the interior, though dull, was treated fairly gently by the restorers and feels 'right' and for that Essex rarity the nave hammerbeam roof with, albeit severely damaged, roof angels.In the vestry I found Sir William Pyrton's equally damaged brass.

I spent much more time here than in any of the other central Tendring churches of the day soaking up the atmosphere that a good church generates.

En route to St Mary I passed a redundant Methodist chapel in seriously dilapidated state and when I got home I googled it and was surprised to find that it was declared redundant in 1967 and has been sitting empty ever since. I wonder why in 40+ years no-one has converted it?

ST MARY THE VIRGIN. Chancel C13; see the three stepped E lancets and one each in the N and S walls. The N aisle Early Perp, but heightened and lengthened in brick early in the C16, when much other renewing and adding also went on. The W tower, e.g., of an attractive mixture of stone, flint, and odd bricks (early C15, with W door with shields in the spandrels and large three-light W window), was heightened in brick and embattled. The S wall is entirely of brick with blue brick diapers and parapet. One (renewed) three-light brick window. The S porch also brick, with diagonal buttresses and battlements. Three-light side openings. Inside, to one’s surprise, one sees that the nave must be Norman; for it has a N arcade cut roughly through the wall early in the C13. Arches with one slight chamfer on circular piers with minimum capitals. Fine hammerbeam roof. - FONT. Octagonal, plain, only one shield on the E front (Pyrton arms). - BENCHENDS. Some few with poppy-heads. - CHEST. Very impressive, large C15 piece, iron-bound and closely studded, with semi-cylindrical lid. - HELM. C16, in the chancel. - PLATE. Cup and Flagon of 1623, both with the original leather-covered wooden cases. - BRASS. Sir William Pyrton d. 1490, wife and children (Vestry floor).

LITTLE BENTLEY. A very tiny place, it lies in a well-wooded district, its neat green in front of a churchyard ringed by limes and chestnuts. Both nave and chancel are Norman, with Roman bricks in the chancel walls. The embattled porch was built about 1520, at the same time as the splendid hammerbeam roof of six bays. The handsome 16th century tower has curious gargoyles. An octagonal font of 1500 is ornamented with the arms of the Pyrtons, and there is a brass portrait of Sir William Pyrton, who died in 1490, in the chapel. We found here an old hourglass stand, a coffer of the 16th century, and eight poppyheads on bench-ends 400 years old. The parish register has an entry in shorthand for about 1650.

Flickr.