Stondon Massey, SS Peter and Paul
SS Peter and Paul, Stondon Massey: the church from the south-west, c.1086 Illustration by Daniel Secker
The church occupies a hilltop site 3km south-east of Chipping Ongar. Though Stondon Massey is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, it may have been an appurtenance of Serlo de Marci's manor of Margaret Roding (VCH 1956, 242-5). As at /great-easton-st-john.htmlGreat Easton, the -stan element of the place-name suggests the presence of a former Roman building, and like Great Easton, there is re-used Roman brick in the church. On the west front, this has been arranged in a decorative zigzag pattern. Another notable feature is the triple round openings in the west gable of the nave, perhaps sounding holes for a bell. An analogy formerly existed at the great German monastic church of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael's_Church,_HildesheimSt Michael, Hildesheim , datable to 1001-31. The German-influenced work of this small church is a reminder that Romanesque should not be conflated with 'Norman'. It has been suggested that /chipping-ongar-st-martin.htmlSt Martin, Chipping Ongar was the work of the German priest Ingelric. Perhaps he had a hand in the design of Stondon Massey too
The church is usually locked
Reference
Victoria County History, 1956, Essex, Volume 4
The church occupies a hilltop site 3km south-east of Chipping Ongar. Though Stondon Massey is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, it may have been an appurtenance of Serlo de Marci's manor of Margaret Roding (VCH 1956, 242-5). As at /great-easton-st-john.htmlGreat Easton, the -stan element of the place-name suggests the presence of a former Roman building, and like Great Easton, there is re-used Roman brick in the church. On the west front, this has been arranged in a decorative zigzag pattern. Another notable feature is the triple round openings in the west gable of the nave, perhaps sounding holes for a bell. An analogy formerly existed at the great German monastic church of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael's_Church,_HildesheimSt Michael, Hildesheim , datable to 1001-31. The German-influenced work of this small church is a reminder that Romanesque should not be conflated with 'Norman'. It has been suggested that /chipping-ongar-st-martin.htmlSt Martin, Chipping Ongar was the work of the German priest Ingelric. Perhaps he had a hand in the design of Stondon Massey too
The church is usually locked
Reference
Victoria County History, 1956, Essex, Volume 4