East Horndon, All Saints Church

East Horndon, All Saints Church

A fabulous historic church in an isolated location looking out towards the River Thames. There was a Norman church here, but that was rebuilt by the Tyrell family of nearby Heron Hall in the 15th century to create a lovely building of golden brick.

The Tyrell Memorials

The highlight of All Saints is the tomb slab of Lady Alice Tyrell, who died in 1422. This beautifully crafted memorial has been described as the finest in England. The tomb was stolen from All Saints in 1970 but returned six years later.

Another excellent Tyrell tomb is that of Sir Thomas Tyrell III (d. 1476), the man responsible for the 15th-century rebuilding of the church. The tomb stands within a small chantry chapel for Tyrell and his wife Alice.

The transepts feature unusual upper rooms, originally joined by a gallery across the nave. One of these upper chambers has a Tudor fireplace. One possible explanation for this oddity is that the priests who tended the chantry used the transept rooms as living quarters.

The church was declared redundant in 1970 and eventually passed into the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.