Description
Still set in rural surroundings, the medieval church of St Mary Magdalene serves North Ockendon, one of the parishes of the Chafford Hundred. Largely flint, the building has elements of various periods from the C12th on. The Benyon family were local benefactors and funded its C19th restoration and building of the parish school and reading room. Local dignitaries commemorated in the church include the Poyntz family of North Ockendon Hall and the Russell family of Stubbers. Another owner of Stubbers, well-known botanist William Coys, (d.1627) was buried near the present chancel. The churchyard is entered through a gate, with a path flanked by a fine avenue of lime trees leading to another gate looking out onto open fields. Adjacent to the churchyard is Hall Farm on the site of the C16th moated North Ockendon Hall, destroyed during WWII.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | North Ockendon Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Lane, North Ockendon, Essex |
| Postcode | RM14 3QH |
| What3Words | ///logs.ropes.overnight |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Events | Has opened for Open House |
| Public Transport | Rail: Upminster/Ockendon. Tube: Upminster (District) then bus. Bus: 370 |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The medieval parish church of St Mary Magdalene in North Ockendon still stands in the middle of a rural farming area. North Ockendon was one of the parishes of the Chafford Hundred, the manor once held by Westminster Abbey. In 1935 the parish was divided between two urban districts, the south-west corner became part of Thurrock, the remainder joined to Hornchurch, now within LB Havering despite being outside the M25. Largely flint, the church has elements from various periods, with a C12th doorway, C13th arcade, C14th chancel and C17th pulpit. The chancel and main body of the church date from c.1170, the north aisle was added c.1240, the north chapel and arcade in 1300 and the tower in 1500 when the chancel was rebuilt. On a pillar between the chancel and chapel is carving of oak and vine leaves that is 700 years old. Further restoration work was carried out in the mid C19th and the early C20th and the latest restoration took place in 2003. In the C19th local benefactors, the Benyon family of Cranham Hall (q.v.), funded the restoration of the church by architect Richard Armstrong and also the building of the parish school and reading room in North Ockendon. The church houses some fine monuments such as that of the Russell family who lived at Stubbers (q.v.) from the 1690s to the 1940s. A prior owner of Stubbers, the botanist William Coys (d.1627) who developed Stubbers' garden in the early C17th, is buried near the present chancel although there is no gravestone. The Poyntz chapel with its monuments and brasses, including eight marble tombs with kneeling effigies, presents an interesting portrait of this family of North Ockendon Hall who held the manor from the time of Edward III to 1714.
The churchyard is tranquil and well kept, entered from the roadway through a gate. A path flanked by a fine avenue of lime trees leads down to a gate looking out onto open fields. Through here and adjacent to the churchyard is Hall Farm, on the site of the C16th North Ockendon Hall, destroyed during World War II. Part of the C16th red brick garden walls and a portion of the moat can still be seen, comprised of 3 areas of water, the smallest northern pond surrounded by planted trees and shrubs, the central pond is used for angling as is the southern lake. An interesting shrine near the church is also visible, St Cedd's Well, now housed in a small grotto created by schoolchildren. St Cedd was a famous East Saxon bishop, his brother was St Chad, the patron saint of springs.
The churchyard is tranquil and well kept, entered from the roadway through a gate. A path flanked by a fine avenue of lime trees leads down to a gate looking out onto open fields. Through here and adjacent to the churchyard is Hall Farm, on the site of the C16th North Ockendon Hall, destroyed during World War II. Part of the C16th red brick garden walls and a portion of the moat can still be seen, comprised of 3 areas of water, the smallest northern pond surrounded by planted trees and shrubs, the central pond is used for angling as is the southern lake. An interesting shrine near the church is also visible, St Cedd's Well, now housed in a small grotto created by schoolchildren. St Cedd was a famous East Saxon bishop, his brother was St Chad, the patron saint of springs.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ587847 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Church of England, Diocese of Chelmsford |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | Church: C12th; retored 1858 and C20th |
| Listed Structures | LBI: St Mary Magdalene Church. LBII Garden walls of former North Ockendon Hall; Rectory |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Havering |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | North Ockendon |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II (with Moat and Paddock |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes Thames Chase Community Forest |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Stubbers Adventure Centre is on a site whose history is documented from 1334, and is named after C15th owner William Stubbers. It is famous as the home of botanist William Coys from 1580-1627, where he cultivated many species in his walled gardens and established one of the earliest plant collections recorded in England. In 1689 the estate was acquired by Sir William Russell, whose family held it until 1947. He enlarged the C16th house and developed the estate; the grounds later re-landscaped by Humphry Repton. In 1947 Essex Education Committee bought the estate initially for a youth campsite; it later transferred to the GLC then LB Havering. A C16th lime walk was felled in c.1954, the house demolished in 1960, and the Fish Pond enlarged in 1970 as a canoeing lake. Excavation in the 1970s revealed foundation walls of Repton's garden and pavilion. One of the walled gardens survives, with remnants of C18th walls, entrance gates and brick piers, together with adjoining crinkle crankle south wall.
Now a nature reserve managed by Essex Wildlife Trust, Cranham Marsh is all that remains of a much larger area of marshland in Essex. The site today has woodland, ponds, marshland and old pastures, with remains of old hedgerows. A river, a tributary of the Mardyke in Thurrock, runs through Cranham Marsh. Some of the largest ash trees in Essex are found in Spring Wood, and to the east is a smaller woodland with oak and ash, Middle Wood. Parts of the woods are coppiced on a 12-year cycle.
There was a house on this site in c.1600 but the manor of Cranham dates back at least to the C11th when it was held by the Bishop of London; an earlier manor house may have been located in the north of the parish. From 1765 until his death the estate was the home and farm of General James Oglethorpe (1696-1785), famous as the colonist of Georgia, USA. Cranham Hall today is an early C19th house built on the site of the C16th house, demolished in 1789. The estate remained intact until 1867 when 812 acres of farmland were sold to Richard Benyon, and it was largely built over. C16th garden walls survive almost intact, on the south side of which is a gateway, and many mature trees remain although the private gardens are now much reduced in size. The main entrance was formerly by the church, overlooking the fields and not The Chase, which was the back entrance.