St Mary's Church High Road, Chigwell, Essex  Est. 1160 A.D.   May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him  so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Romans 15:13 The first Roman settlers came to Chigwell in the year 300AD. William the Conquerer came to Chigwell and took over the Manor of Woolston in 1066. There has been a Church on the site of St Mary's since 1160 AD., when the first Norman church was built by Ralph Britto. The original Norman doorway still remains. The Parish has a varied and interesting history, and the Church carries some of the finest examples of art and furnishings in the Country. For example, the Hatchments (funeral escutcheons) in the South Aisle are some of the finest in the UK, with many other examples of unique decoration throughout the Church. Being a listed building, it requires attention to detail when preserving or renewing, to enable us to be proud of our heritage.St Mary's has been a place of worship and love ever since those early days, with many families of the area contributing to it's upkeep and preservation since then.

The Millennium Banner that hangs in the Church depicts some of the notable events, which have taken place over the last 800 years. Many visitors come to see our Church, both from the locality and abroad and never cease to be impressed at it's beauty. The Church relies on voluntary contributions to maintain this exquisite place of worship and has been the centre of the village's spiritual and social structure for many years. All visitors are made welcome and we are very happy to see new young families joining us. We would love you to join us for our services at 9.15 am and 10.45 am every Sunday or our Fellowship lunch on the first Sunday of every month.
If you would like more information contact us on stmaryschigwell@btopenworld.com 

This year sees the launch of our Millennium Appeal which will allow us to raise the funds required to undertake essential repairs to this beautiful building and enhance the Church as a place of worship, service and ministry. Please print off a copy of our Appeals brochure to read more of our fascinating history and why St Mary's is so important.

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