Little Hallingbury

53. LITTLE HALLINGBURY. (C.a.)

(O.S. 6 in. ^(a)xxxi. N.E. ^(b)xxxi. S.E.)

Little Hallingbury is a parish and scattered village 4 m. N.N.E. of Harlow. The church is interesting.

Ecclesiastical

^a(1). Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin stands in the village. The walls are of flint-rubble mixed with some tiles and Roman brick; the roofs are tiled and the spire is shingled. The Nave was built early in the 12th century and part of the Chancel walls may be of the same date but it was lengthened, if not entirely re-built about the middle of the 13th century. Late in the 14th century the South Porch was added. The church was restored in the 19th century when the North Aisle and South Vestry were added and the bell-turret re-built.

The early 12th-century S. doorway and the late 14th-century S. porch are interesting.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (29 ft. by 14 ft.) has a modern E. window. In the N. wall are three windows: the two eastern are lancets, probably of the 13th century but almost completely restored; the westernmost is a small 'low-side' window of one segmental-pointed light, rebated for a shutter and probably of the 14th century. In the S. wall is a lancet window which has been restored and enlarged so that the sill cuts across a former sedile or second piscina, of which only part of the hollow-chamfered E. jamb, probably of the 13th century, is now visible; further W. are two doorways and an archway, all modern. The chancel-arch is modern.

The Nave (40 ft. by 18 ft.) has a modern N. arcade of three bays. In the S. wall are three windows: the easternmost is a 13th-century lancet internally splayed towards the W; the second is all modern except the 14th-century moulded splays and two-centred rear-arch; the westernmost window is a single trefoiled light of the 14th century, modern externally; between the two western windows is the early 12th-century S doorway with jambs and semi-circular arch of Roman brick; the tympanum has been filled in with rubble supported by a moulded and embattled beam of late 14th or 15th-century date; immediately W. of the doorway are the Roman brick jambs of an early 12th-century window, now blocked. In the W. wall is a 15th-century window of two cinque-foiled lights under a four-centred head with a moulded label.

The South Porch (Plate p. 186) is of late 14th-century timber construction and has a two-centred outer archway and cusped barge-boards to the gable, much weathered. The E. and W. sides have each four open bays with trefoiled ogee heads and tracery, modern mullions and restored close lower panels.

The Roof of the chancel is of early 16th-century date and has moulded wall-plates carved with running foliage, three moulded hammer-beam trusses and trussed rafters forming four-centred arches. The roof of the nave has a 15th-century king-post truss with moulded tie-beam, curved braces, straining-beam and moulded wall-posts; the king-post has moulded capital and base and four-way struts and supports a central purlin. The late 14th-century roof of the porch has a cambered tie-beam with curved braces.

Fittings—Bells: three; 1st, uninscribed but probably of the 14th century; 2nd, by William Wightman, 1683; 3rd, by William Wodeward, inscribed. "Eternis Annis Resonet Campana Johannis," 15th-century. Coffin-lids: In front of S. porch—(1) tapering slab, date uncertain. N. of chancel—(2) part of tapering slab with double hollow-chamfered edges, date uncertain. Door: In S. doorway—framed and braced with four cinquefoil-headed panels, externally with carved spandrels, early 15th-century. Niche: In nave— in S. wall, with moulded shelf, and spread trefoiled head with a horizontal moulding above it, probably early 16th-century. Piscina: In chancel—with stopped and moulded jambs and trefoiled head, 13th-century.

Condition—Good, much restored.

Secular

^b(2). Romans, house and moat, ½ m. E.S.E. of the church. The House is of two storeys, timber-framed and weather-boarded; the roofs are tiled. It was built in the 17th century on a rectangular plan. Inside the building are exposed ceiling-beams.

The Moat is incomplete.

Condition—Of house, fairly good.

Monuments (3–15).

The following monuments, unless otherwise described are all of two storeys and of the 17th century.; The walls are timber-framed and plastered the roofs are tiled or thatched. Many of the buildings have wide fireplaces, exposed ceiling-beams and original chimney-stacks.

Condition—Good, or fairly good, unless noted.

^a(3). House, Barn and Maltings, N.W. of the church. The House was built probably in the 16th century on a rectangular plan with a gable at each end of the S.E. and N.W. elevations; at the back is a modern addition.

The Barn, N. of the house, is weather-boarded and of three bays with a porch at the S. side.

The Maltings, E. of the house, is of brick and of L-shaped plan with the wings extending towards the N.E. and S.W.

Condition—Of the three buildings, good.

^a(4). Cottage, 75 yards W. of the church.

^a(5). Cottage, 400 yards N.W. of the church.

^a(6). Cottage, N.W. of (5).

^a(7). Cottage, 300 yards W.S.W. of the church.

^b(8). Cottage, 650 yards S.W. of the church.

^b(9). Little Bustards, house, 1,100 yards S.S.W. of the church, with modern addition at the back.

^b(10). House, Barn and Stables, at Wright's Green, 450 yards S.E. of the church. The House has a modern addition at the E. end.

The Barn and Stables, S. of the house, were built probably in the 16th century. They have queen-post roof-trusses.

^b(11). Cottage, at Mott's Green, ½ m. S.E. of the church.

^b(12). Cottage, 100 yards N.E. of (11), has a gable at the E. end of the N. and S. elevations. The original central chimney-stack has diagonal pilaster-strips.

^b(13). Cottage, at Smithy (Plate p. 97), 150 yards S.W. of (11), was built in the 16th century on a T-shaped plan with the cross-wing at the N. end. On the W. front the upper storey of the cross-wing projects on exposed joists and curved brackets.

^b(14). Sutton Arms Inn, 1,500 yards S.S.E. of the church, with modern additions at the N. end.

^a(15). House, about 1¼ m. E.N.E. of the church, at N.W. corner of Monk's Wood, with modern addition at the back. The original central chimney stack has diagonal pilaster-strips and a sunk panel bearing the initials T.C.