St James
West Tilbury, Essex
© Nigel Anderson - St James Trust
19th Century
Church Restoration (1879 - 83)
A complete reconstruction of the church was carried out during 1879
which was funded by public subscription. The new building afforded
150 seats (Ref 25).
The reconstruction was carried out in two stages with the building of
a new stone tower at the west end not being completed until 1883.
From the time of the English Reformation onwards, apart from necessary repairs so that buildings might remain in use and the
addition of occasional internal commemorative adornments, English churches underwent little building work and only piecemeal
restoration. This situation lasted for about 250 years with the fabric of many churches and cathedrals suffering from neglect.
St James was no different and even the rebuilding work of 1712 appeared to have been
“….. accomplished in the meanest and most parsimonious manner”
On visiting the church in 1857, Henry King is scathing as to the state of the church building and the restoration work that had been
carried out (Ref 18) :
“What a mean and contemptible edifice do we behold. Utterly unworthy to
occupy the spot where stood the church of Cedd, Saint and Bishop”
In 1871 Reverend William Palin adds a similar description (Ref 19) :
“But a more dismal and unmeaning church it is hard to conceive….”
The Victorian Era (marked by increased prosperity and wealth created by the industrial revolution and the growth of the British
Empire) saw a widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches during the nineteenth
century.
St James also benefited over this period, as the Orsett Deanery rebuilt the edifices of almost every parish church during the late
part of the nineteenth century. The work and raising of the funds were left to the Rector James Bonamy Dobree (1871 – 1918).
On 1 March 1879, the Church Committee (made up of the Rector – Dobree and two church wardens – Joseph James and
Henry Cole) petitioned the Bishop of St Albans (Ref 22) for a faculty to complete the following works:
•
Strip the Roof
•
Remove the gallery (erected for the use of soldiers at West Tilbury Fort)
•
Remove all present internal fittings
•
New pitch pine (or deal) benches in the nave
•
New oak benches in the chancel
•
New pulpit, reading desk, communion table and rails
•
Remove present porch and wall to the west
•
Rebuild wall in line with north wall
•
Replaster the walls within
•
Repoint the exterior
The cost of the work was estimated at £1,000 of which £900 had already been paid by subscriptions. The remainder was to be
raised in the same manner or from Diocese grants.
The Faculty was granted a week later on 7 March 1879 (Ref 22).
William Benton (14 York Buildings, Adelphi, London) was appointed as the architect and a letter from him dated April 1879 gave
a detailed brief as to the works to be carried out.
In addition to the works detailed in the Faculty it was also intended to:
•
Build a new chancel arch
•
Present windows will be removed and reinstated with new Bath Stone jambs and mullions. Windows to be glassed
with Cathedral Glass
•
New buttresses (as shown on plans)
•
New flooring under the seats and new tile paving to the whole of the church
•
Tower to be repaired and strengthened with the external parts above the roof covered with new oak feather
edged weather boarding
•
Lightening conductor will be provided to the tower
•
Stove heating system and chimney installed.
The chancel plans above show the new works (coloured red), with two new buttresses to support the new chancel arch and the
replacement of the window openings with new Bath Stone.
Of interest is the fact that the current south east window (next to the piscine) remains blocked and is shown in the plans as a
Sedilia (three seats to the south of the chancel used by the priests). Plans drawn up (see below) before the construction of the
tower show the window in place, and this must have been a change made during the refurbishment.
Architect William Benton’s Plans for the Nave (1879)
The plans for the nave show the new north wall, built in line with the existing nave wall. This change appears not to have
been made as the later plans again show the wall remaining in line with the porch creating the vestry space.
The plans do show the new pulpit, font, and organ. The new heating system (stove) is now shown positioned at the back of
the nave.
The first stage of the refurbishment was completed by the contractor Mr Middleton (of Gravesend) in early 1880 and the
church was re-opened at a service held on Thursday 15 April 1880. The work had cost slightly above £1,200 (of which £1,129
had already been subscribed much of it by the Burgess family).
There was also a change to the chancel arch (the arch dividing the chancel at the east end
of the church, from the nave) at this stage of the refurbishment. The simple rounded arch (as
seen in the water colour picture – see page xxx) being replaced by a more elaborately
moulded affair supported by two new stone columns and in a more traditionally Gothic
(pointed) style, which was common during the Victorian restoration period.
The introduction of the two supporting columns had the effect of reducing the width of the
chance arch by some 4 feet.