Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

St. Marys Church (Maldon)

St. Mary the Virgin is one of the old churches in the ancient Essex maritime town of Maldon.

It was the parish church of The Hythe, now the attractive waterfront area of Maldon, but originally a separate settlement in its own right.

St. Mary's is the church which features in countless photographs and picture postcards of Maldon, looking towards the town from the sublime Promenade Park.

The East end of the church is not far from the River Blackwater, indeed it is almost on the quayside.

It has a big tower, whose top is made of brick, and this is surmounted by a shingled spire on a weatherboarded base.

There are elements of the church which show it to date back to the Saxon period.

The font is from about 1700, but with an earlier base. The communion rail also dates back to about 1700. The porch is 14th century, and six bells date from the 17th century.

Unusually, the rood loft stairway in the North wall, and its two doorways, still exist, having been uncovered during restoration work.

There is a bright modern window known as the Britnoth window, commemorating the Ealdorman of Essex who fought nobly at the Battle of Maldon in 991.