St James
West Tilbury, Essex
© Nigel Anderson - St James Trust
The Tower
The Early Tower
St James, with its prominent position on the edge of an escarpment affording
excellent views to the south of the Thames and the channel, certainly had a stone
tower as early as the sixteenth century.
The Walker survey of 1585 shows the church with a stone tower and pointed
spire, and is described as being an important navigational feature for mariners
upon the river (it is thought that such alignment marks – another was at
Hawksbury hilltop in Fobbing – were used to steer vessels through the various
shoals and mudbanks in the channel) (Ref 24).
The original tower collapsed in June 1711 (see Historic Events)
and was replaced with a wooden framed tower and spire in 1712.
The new “Flimsy Carpenters Gothic” was timber framed with the
“Bell-cote” on the Nave ridge where the original “Ring of Five”
bells (see Antiquities) were re-hung and was topped by a simple
wooden spire.
The wooden framework was plastered externally and crenellated
(see picture left).
Henry King (Ref 18) on his visit of 1758 states that:
“the carpentry seems durable and good with upright timbers
at the angles and curved braces and cross pieces.”
It certainly had to be as this simple construction was to remain in
place for the next 170 years and by the time of the Victorian
replacement (1883) was obviously in a poor state of repair.
The tower originally had a west door which was to disappear on
the remodelling.
The Modern West Tower
The wooden church tower and spire was replaced in 1883 by a new
55 feet high stone tower, built with a brick core and faced in flint to
match the older parts of the church.
The roof parapet is topped by distinctive double stepped merlons,
with some simple flushwork decoration
A Gargoyle drainage water pipe is positioned on the south of the
tower, to allow drainage from the towers flat roof.
Funding for the church tower was supplied by George R. Burness, the main land owner in West Tilbury at that time and was
thought to have cost in the region of £1,000. At the base of the tower, below the west window, is a plaque dedicating the
building of the tower to George’s father, James Burness
The new tower consists of three main stages, the lower
stage having a three light west window, in place of the
original west door (see page xx) with an additional narrow
lancet window on the north wall.
The middle stage has similar small lancet windows (two on
the north wall with one each to the west and south) and
contains the new turret clock mechanism (made by John
Moore & Sons - see page xxx) with a the clock face to the
North.
The uppermost stage is slightly set back from the second stage
and creates an internal bell room 12 feet square. The towers
angled buttresses terminate below the 3rd stage, which has
distinctive octagonal turrets at the angles.
The four bell openings (one on each face of the tower) are made
up of paired ogee-headed lights, with glass louvres, and are
embellished with a single pointed quatrefoil for tracery.
The original “ring-of-five” bells (see page xxx) having been re-
hung in this new brick-lined belfry
A semi-octagonal spiral staircase leads from the base of the tower
up 39 stone steps to the clock room with access to the bell room and
leaded roof by means of a series of ladders and trap doors.
Lighting for the staircase is supplied by three lancet windows, similar
in design to those found in the towers second stage.