Little Wigborough

66. LITTLE WIGBOROUGH. (D.d.)

(O.S. 6 in. xlvi. N.E.)

Little Wigborough is a small parish 7 m. S. of Colchester.

Ecclesiastical

(1). Parish Church of St. Nicholas stands on the W. side of the parish. The walls are of stone-rubble roughly coursed and with dressings of limestone; the roofs are tiled. The whole building consisting of Chancel, Nave, and West Tower was built or rebuilt late in the 15th century. The church was restored in the 19th century when the walls of the nave were heightened and the upper part of the tower rebuilt.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (16¾ ft. by 17½ ft.) is of late 15th-century date and has an E. window partly restored, of three cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery in a two-centred head with a moulded label and defaced angel-stops. In the N. wall is a much restored window of two cinquefoiled lights in a square head. In the S. wall is a window uniform with that in the N. wall; further E. is a doorway with double hollow-chamfered jambs and four-centred arch with a modern square head and label. There is no chancel-arch.

The Nave (28¼ ft. by 17½ ft.) is of late 15th-century date and has in the N. wall a window similar to that in the N. wall of the chancel but almost entirely modern externally; further W. is the partly restored N. doorway with moulded jambs, two-centred arch, and label with stops carved with angels. In the S. wall is a window similar to that in the N. wall; further W. is the S. doorway with moulded jambs, two-centred arch and label, all much restored. Flanking the doorway are the broken ends of the side walls of a former S. porch, now destroyed.

The West Tower (7½ ft. by 6 ft.) is of three stages, the lowest of late 15th-century date and the two upper rebuilt in the 19th century. The tower-arch is two-centred and of two hollow-chamfered orders, the outer continuous and the inner dying on to the side walls. The W. window is modern except the splays and rear-arch.

The Roof of the nave is of the 15th century and of three bays with moulded tie-beams and curved and moulded braces.

Fittings—Floor-slab: In nave—to Isaac Mazengarb, 1698, and Mary, his wife, 1714. Painting: In nave—on splay of N. window, traces of red colour.

Condition—Fairly good, but some cracks in walls.

Secular

(2). Grove Farm, house about ½ m. N. of the church, is of two storeys, timber-framed and plastered; the roofs are tiled. It was built early in the 17th century with cross-wings at the N. and S. ends. Inside the building some original ceiling-beams and joists are exposed.

Condition—Good.

Unclassified

(3). Red Hills, several along the line of the old high-water mark W. of Sampson's Creek and about ½ m. S.E. of the church.