Also known as Greensted church, this unassuming spot is both rustic and charming - you might almost…read moreexpect Hansel and Gretel to walk in at any moment - but is also historically very important. The nave walls are built of upright, halved wooden logs - for here is Europe's oldest wooden building still standing, and the oldest wooden church in the world. History The history of the site dates back around 1300 years: the land of the East Saxons - now Essex - was evangelised By Saint Cedd in 654AD, who was based at nearby Bradwell on the Essex coast. Remains have been found under the present church of a wooden building dating from the late sixth or seventh century, which may have been a sanctuary used by the early missionaries. The dedication to St Andrew also suggests a Celtic foundation. The present nave was erected around 1060AD; the logs have been dated by dendrochronology (ie by tree-rings) to around this period. It was originally dated to some 200 years earlier, but even with this date its status as Europe's oldest standing wooden building and the world's oldest wooden church remains. The original church was probably thatched, and without windows. The Normans built a chancel, although all that remains now are the footings and a pillar piscina. The present brick chancel was erected around 1500, and at the same time the handsome chancel arch inserted and roofs rebuilt and tiled. The date of the tower is uncertain, but it may have been added in the 17th century - one of the bells is dated 1618. The east wall of the chancel was rebuilt in the Victorian period and the roof and walls also repaired. An interesting piece of history is that some of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, after they were pardoned, were settled in Greensted on their return, and one of them, James Brine, was married here in 1839. The church The church now is about as picturesque as it is possible to get: the porch leads straight into the Saxon nave, passing a 12th century Crusader tomb just outside on your right. It is the UK's only log church. Inside, the nave is incredibly dark, despite the insertion of dormer windows. The nave still has its box pews. The chancel is somewhat brighter, and whitewashed. The church has some interesting fittings: the pulpit was donated in 1698 by Alexander Cleeve, and in the chancel are the Norman piscina and a memorial to Jone Wood, dated 1585. The eagle lectern is an impressive bit of Victoriana. Most of the glass is also Victorian, save a small but well preserved piece of 15th century glass in the quatrefoil window in the west wall. The rear of the church has all sorts of items for sale to help fundraising, from the usual postcards and guides to a wide selection of country jams and other sweet treats. Practicalities The directions given the the review by 'the xyone' are spot on - the walk should take 15-20 minutes from Chipping Ongar. If you drive there, there is parking for a dozen cars, including a space for disabled visitors, although the narrowness of the aisle in the church will probably make it difficult to use a wheelchair.

Known as the Log Church this is the oldest wooden church in Britain. Don't try and find it by it's…read morepostcode, get the Explorer 183 OS map, OS grid reference TL537030. The best way to get to it is drive to Chipping Ongar and park in Sainsbury's car park, parking is free on Sundays. Take the Essex Way from behind there, it's less than a mile walk. The church cute and little and nice to be in on a winters day, and for somewhere that was built in the mid 9th century is a marvelous bit of history. Now I'm not a big church fan but this place is lovely and I think you should put some money in the collection box. Either go back the way you came or continue on the Essex Way till just before Widow's Farm and make it a circular walk of 3-4 miles.

Lively, young, relevant.read more

Very large and well cared for church. The vicar here is a friendly understanding man.read more

Watford Community church, Wellspring centre opened last year and has a reception, cafe with…read morecomputers and outdoor seating ,an auditorium and several other rooms. I liked the scripture on which was written on the staircase in the reception very modern. Its a beautiful building and you still smell the newness of the place. The service was okay, it was pretty formal, not as lively and spontaneous as I would of liked, even if everyone around me was formal I still have a great time with God no matter the atmosphere. This church has not discovered God on a supernatural level, yet, and I cant wait when they get a revelation on who they are in Christ and the finished works of the cross, because when they do they will fly and really impact Watford. The pastor seemed very genuine. I also heard the church was very generous, you can tell by just looking at the building, plus they are looking to build an extension. Their is a sense of real community, family spirit here which I love. Me and my friends were blessed by the Easter feast that we had after the service while enjoying the sun, in their garden while eating, very lovely. They also do various activities for all the age groups as well. They have a 9:00am service and a 11:30am service. For me personally and where I'm at with God, I need something more deeper than what WCC is giving me.

when i go inside they are very nice and at the end of church there is a cafe where you can drink…read moretea, coffee, juice and whatever biscuit you want!

When you think of this part of the Lea Valley, you might think of the Reservoirs, the Country Park…read moreor the delightful Lea and Stort Navigation Canals. Or you might think M25, industrial estates and some of outer London's more dreary suburbs. Or, if you've visited Waltham Abbey, you'll think of one of Essex's most interesting churches; a Norman architectural gem, steeped in history from the time of the Saxons, the site of one of England's greatest monasteries, and the burial place of King Harold, after the Battle of Hastings. History The site has a very ancient history: There have been five churches on the site, and what we see now is - oddly - the fourth. (More on that later.) The story starts around 610AD, with the construction of a simple Saxon church. This was rebuilt by the 8th century, and would still have been standing when the local landowner, Tofig, standard bearer to King Cnut, brought to it a miraculous Holy Cross. This was actually a black crucifix unearthed at his estate at Montacute in Somerset, but it quickly became associated with miracles of healing. The third church was built by the local Lord, Harold, Earl of Essex, who later became King Harold II. Injured in a skirmish in Wales, he attributed his healing to prayers said over the Holy Cross. In recognition, he had a much larger church built with wide transepts, endowed with lands and established as a college of Canons. It was consecrated in the presence of King Edward the Confessor in 1060. Alas, it was not enough to save Harold at the battle of Hastings in 1066, but afterwards his body was brought here for burial from the battlefield, having been identified by his mistress, Edith Swan-neck. Harold's church did not last long: it was rebuilt by the Normans between 1090 and 1150 in the Romanesque style, and it is essentially this church that we see today. The church had links to Peterborough and Durham, and the distinctive architectural style of both of those is evident in its interior. In 1177, the church was re-established as an Augustinian Priory by Henry II as part of his penance for the murder of Thomas a Becket. The Norman chancel was pulled down to extend the Nave, and a completely new Chancel built. This huge church - over treble its current length and with two sets of transepts and crossing towers - became one of the wealthiest foundations in England, and enjoyed Royal patronage from Kings visiting the nearby hunting grounds of Epping Forest. Even Henry VIII endowed it with fine glass, and it was the last monastery to be dissolved, in 1540. Being last did not save it, however: The monastery church of Henry II was completely pulled down except for a small chapel, leaving just the nave and the original crossing tower, and even this fell down a few years later. The nave then began to lean, and a tower was built in Queen Mary's reign at the west end to act as a buttress. A major restoration by William Burgess in 1860 gave the church a sumptuous new East End, and also a painted roof - a copy of that in Peterborough. The Lady Chapel - originally a funeral guild chapel built in the 14 century - was also restored, unveiling a complete 15th century Doom wall painting on its east wall. The undercroft - then a prison - has since become a shop and visitor centre. The church The Tudor west tower makes an impressive sight on the approach from Waltham Cross, but the exterior - apart from the fine decorated Gothic windows of the Lady Chapel - is something of a patchwork of later repairs. A Victorian statue of King Harold adorns the west end of the south aisle, and to the east and north the remains of the monastery - extensive, but hard to decipher - now sit in the extensive Abbey Gardens. The best preserved are a small section of vaulted cloister passage and the Abbey Gate. Behind the church is a grave marker, identifying the supposed burial place of King Harold, on the site of the apse. The entrance under the tower reveals original West Door, rebuilt in the 13th century in the Gothic style. Entering through this is a moment of high drama: the Norman nave makes an immediate impact, with its piers decorated with spiral and chevron patterns, as at Durham. This leads to Burgess's sumptuous East End, all under the astonishing painted roof. Closer inspection reveals that the first bay of the nave was rebuilt in the late 13th century in the Gothic style, removing the gallery: this work was abandoned when the changes were found to be damaging the structure. The work left a single pointed arch but with the gallery intact in the second bay of the north arcade. Otherwise, the arcades are robustly Norman, with arches of vigorous zig-zag and dogtooth decoration. The new sanctuary was formed between the sixth bay at the east end. For the new East wall, Burgess placed a rose 'wheel' above three lancets: the glass is by Edward Burne-Jones and depicts prophets and a Tree of Jesse. Below the window is a frieze of Aesop's

MKCC is a modern lively Church. Recent extention work makes it an ideal location close to all…read moretransport facilities, for conferences with a brand new coffee bar which boasts full internet access(free).

Bible centred church seeking to love God and love people by making disciples of Jesus.read more

ABUSIVE, 80% BORING, AND NOT CARING ABOUT CHILDREN'S SAFETY:…read more THEY ARE FILTHY CROOKS. And the sermons delivered by their pastors (not their guests I have seen so far this year) at the Central London branch are SO boring!!! I have not heard such boring messages since I became a born again Christian and I think we have not since the world began. What is going on? They are SO pathetic!!! God sees. God agrees. Of course. On Sunday 23/11/2025 at Hillsong Church Central London at Dominion Theatre there was a serious incident. *A female church volunteer deliberately* endangered my precious sons Jeremiah and Ethan who are 10 and 8 years old by providing us with wrong information at the start of the service. As I raised concerns about this potentially dangerous misinformation, do you know what their response was? Three security staff and a Hillsong church female staff member attempted to terrorize and threaten me, and they vigorously defended the hypocrite female volunteer who deliberately gave me the wrong information endangering two young children, how evil! The female church staff member's behavior stemmed from jealousy (it was 100% jealousy getting her to attempt to terrorize and threaten me like that, the confidence she tried to exhibit after the church service was extremely fake, she wanted to give the impression that I am the one in the wrong and she has finally done the right thing mistreating me the way she did at the start of the church service, cock and bull story, her jealousy is monstrous) and honestly I don't care because I have other important *GOOD* things to do in this world. I passed kindergarten and I am very focused. After the church service, three of the security staff at Dominion Theatre continued their harassment. I was forcibly escorted out with Jeremiah and Ethan by two of the security staff (without having caused a scene during the church service, no) while my precious son Ty who is 16 had gone to the restroom. The two security staff refused to let me re-enter the hall to get my precious son Ty after forcibly escorting Jeremiah, Ethan and I out. Only one man who attended the church service intervened, asking the abusive two security staff to allow me back inside to get my third child, but they still denied me that. I very much thanked that man who intervened. I then spotted my son Ty, who, noticing my absence in the hall, was calling my phone to find out where I was; I had to shout his name for him to come to me. They wouldn't let me go back inside to get my own child? It highlights how fitting the term "FILTHY CROOKS" is for them. A third security staff mocked us, laughing at me, Jeremiah and Ethan. I contacted news outlets like SKY News to expose the way I was mistreated. Yesterday 30/11/2025, as we went to church my precious children and I for God, I was told by one of the abusive security staff from the previous Sunday that Hillsong Church Central London has refused that I continue to attend their church. Someone called Steve, a church representative I believe, spoke to me and confirmed this. They mentioned an email was sent to me about it. I told them I had not received that email which is true. THEIR JEALOUSY IS DISGUSTING AND MONSTROUS! And ugly. What they don't know is that the night before God, who is always on my side, revealed a secret to me and instructed me not to disclose it until after I attended church yesterday and witnessed their actions. God clearly stated: "NOT THIS TIME", in a very strong and powerful manner. I wonder what God meant. God spoke that against those at Hillsong who support my mistreatment, showing me, assuring me, that he is on my side. He is definitely infinity percent not with them when it comes to the way they treated me the previous Sunday and yesterday. THANK YOU SO MUCH, LORD! YES!!! Please FIRE and BAN the three abusive security staff, the abusive jealous female church staff and that female volunteer who deliberately gave me wrong information. Shut down their evil. For good. Now. THANK YOU. Patricia Wagner

It's always great to visit this church here in Bloomsbury, the community are friendly and you feel…read morelike you're home around your family!