Church of St Laurence, Blackmore

St Laurence’s Church stands in the quiet village of Blackmore in Essex. It began as a priory church in the late 12th century and became an Anglican parish church after the priory was dissolved in the 16th century. The nave survives from the priory, though the eastern part was taken down in the 1540s. The church is famous for its wooden bell tower, one of the few left in Essex. The building has been altered little since 1600, apart from 19th-century work on the north porch and 19th- and early 20th-century restorations. The church is worth visiting for its long history and unusual features. Richard, Bishop of London, authorised the priory in the 1150s, and Cardinal Wolsey later closed it in 1527 to fund schools. The Smyth family owned the site from 1540 and left memorials inside, including an altar-tomb for Thomas Smyth who died in 1594. The bell tower was once thought to date from the late 15th century, but radiocarbon and tree-ring tests now place its timber between 1397 and 1402. Inside, the nave and aisles form a single high-roofed space under Tudor-style rafters. The chancel and nave floors hold worn slabs marking 17th- and 18th-century burials. The south aisle contains the Smyth tomb, while the north aisle leads to a 19th-century porch. The three-stage bell tower rises above the west end, holding five bells, two cast by Miles Graye in the 17th century. The church sits among Blackmore’s cottages and lanes, a calm reminder of eight centuries of worship and change.