St Mary the Virgin
Maldon, Essex
Looking out over the River Blackwater, St Mary's is a very attractive church in an attractive setting, and is Maldon's most distinctive landmark.
St Mary is mainly known for its weather boarded timber-framed tower and its outstanding 16th century north porch with carved wooden spandrels. However it also retains a complete set of 18th century box pews and an 18th century brick chancel with distinctive wooden tracery to its north and east windows. On the east wall is a nave mural showing tassels and bunched curtains being drawn aside from the window in a rare rural attempt at trompe l’oeil. The tower is unusual in having aisles to three sides. Recent conservation work set out to conserve and stabilise the 18th century painted ovals with biblical sayings but has also uncovered very faint medieval murals, which appear to show a king and a devil.
When the Friends took the building into care in 1975 it was in a sorry state and much work has been carried out to ensure its survival. The work here, as in so many of our churches, is ongoing and there are currently problems with ground movement, which are being tackled, but the church is much loved and a well-attended annual service is held there.