Rochford Church, which is dedicated to St. Andrew, has a fine brick tower, which dates back to the reign of Henry VII., and which was probably built by Thomas Boteler Earl of Ormonde. Tradition has attributed this tower to Lord Rich, but the arms of Boteler are carved into the stone above the west door. The church inside is not very striking and there is little of interest either in carving, brasses, tombs or glass. However one doorway, leading into the vestry or sacristy, is quite lovely and there are the relics of an architectural squint or hagioscope. The sacristy itself is a strange building, when seen from the outside, it being double roofed and with two projecting gable ends at right angles to the chancel. It is dated the same as the tower but, although it is curious, it is not considered to be a model of ecclesiastical style. At one time a long and interesting list of the heraldic glass formerly in Rochford Church existed but was lost some years ago and, out of a total of forty, not one escutcheon remains. It’s interesting to note that, back in the old days, Rochford Church was often used for the storing of smuggled goods! The tower was a favourite hiding place, but a secret hollow beneath the pulpit was known only to a few and was used for hiding especially valuable portions of the cargo!

Essex

c1900 Rochford Church