The Tower of Sheering Church was built in 1160 and its majesty is something special. It holds a clock - a memorial clock, put in at a much later date. As I understand it, the rest of the Church was built in the 14th Century, with the North wing be added in the nineteenth.
I remember going to the Church, with former Conservative Leader Michael Howard, so it was a bit of a shock seeing smoke from the rooftops.
The Fire Officers fortunately saved the Church from further damage and managed to preserve ancient medieval artefacts from ruin. Going inside the Church with a Fire Officer, it was tragic to see that a section had been gutted by the fire.
I felt deeply for the acting Church Vicar, church wardens and local residents, watching and waiting to see how much damage their would be to this special place of worship.
From what I was told, it was luck, that a lady walking her dog by the church, saw the fire and called emergency services. Had she not been there at that time, the whole church could have been destroyed.
As always, we have to give our thanks the emergency services - the Fire Officers - who did all they could to keep the Church from the flames.
A sad time for Sheering villagers nevertheless.
You can see more pictures of the fire at Everything Epping Forest.com
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I'm saddened to learn of the fire at Sheering church. This was one of the churches I chose to visit when I took part in the Ride & Stride in aid of Essex churches and I was bowled over to see the interior of this beautiful little church. As it's one of the few local churches which New Labour, in their frenetic quest to destroy England's heritage, indeed, let's be honest, to practically wipe England off the map, haven't yet managed to bribe and bully into horribly destructive modernisation masquerading as regeneration. I hope not too much damage has been done.
ReplyDeleteWilliam the Conqueror, one of the earliest of the European dictators to pillage England, settled some of his family in Sheering. Their descendants may have been the Normans began to build Sheering's church tower in 1160 - on the remains of the Saxon church of 'Shere's people (or army people) which is what the name Sheering is said to mean.
The Lord of Sheering Hall was entitled to appoint a rector from 1100 to 1635. Then Christ's Church, Oxford acquired the patronage (1712) and still remains associated with Sheering, so let's hope the people of Oxford will support the repair fund.
Here's how Arthur Mee described Sheering church in his lovely little book 'The King's England: Essex' written during the 1940s.
ReplyDelete"Sheering. It's cottages line the road from Harlow to Hatfield's broad common, butt he church stands down a lane behind three huge chestnuts which shade the remains of the whipping post.
It is 14th century, famed fro its rare and beautiful glass, and has been lovingly restored and its ancient treasures safeguarded. The tower is 650 years old [so not the Norman one] and on each side of its arched indoors on a smaller arch forming an arcade at the end of the nave. There is a priest's room over the porch, and in the vestry a window through which he would watch the altar. He must have been proud of the lovely door and doorway into he chancel, both remaining in all their beauty after 5 or 6 centuries. The door has a narrow border of quatrefoils and beads, the ironwork is shaped like fleur de lys for hinges.
The window over the altar was long ago a treasury of glass and much of it remains. The figures in the tracery are where they were when the chancel was built, revealing to us the eight orders of the Heavenly Host, whose names every monk knew... Above them is the Madonna, having just received her crown from the enthroned Christ, two attendant angels swinging enormous censers. With their glowing colour and simple dignity these portraits are among the best in any window in Essex.
Behind a glass frame is another example of medieval colour, a consecration cross with flowered ends, drawn in a red circle on the wall. Still here are fragments of the Norman font, and a stall on which were carved 500 years ago the heads of a king and queen and two knights in their helmets. Lost for centuries and found under the straw in a neighbouring barn, this stall is now back in the chancel."
I was greatly saddened to hear of the fire this morning, I married in this church back in 1976 and lived in the village for a few years. My in-laws were villagers for many many years and I have a fond regard for the place. Are there any details of the repair fund known?
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