St Thomas, Hullbridge

Rawreth: St Nicholas

We are a small rural Church of England church between Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend-on-Sea.

If you are in the area why not call in for a time of quiet and reflection in a beautiful setting? We keep the church open as much as we can during daylight hours but if you are making a special visit and want to be sure, please get in touch to check.

We would love to see you at any of our services. Our main weekly worship is a service of Holy Communion at 10.00am on Sundays. This usually lasts for just over an hour and is followed by Tea, Coffee or Squash and Biscuits, or on special occasions cake!

Our main service on a Sunday is usually a Holy Communion service (sometimes called the Eucharist or Mass) but once a month, on the 1st Sunday, it is a simpler Service of the Word (Morning Prayer)

We also have short services of Morning Prayer on Monday to Friday at 7:45 am. You would be really welcome to join us but if you do plan to come along it may be worth getting in touch first, there are only a few who attend and it may just be that diary clashes coincide so that none of the regulars can attend.

St Nicholas is also a great place for Weddings, Christenings (sometimes called Baptisms) and even Funerals. More information is on our Christenings, Weddings and Funerals page, but if you have any questions at all please do get in touch

All Saints, Rettendon

All Saints Church, Rettendon has a friendly congregation and you are very welcome to our events.

Our most important activity is our main act of worship on Sundays at 11:15am.

This is most often a service of Holy Communion at which we remember Jesus’ last supper with his friends and disciples before his arrest, trial and execution. This service remembers the immense love of God for us that we have seen in the life and death of Jesus and we look forward to the coming of God’s Kingdom of love, peace and justice.

We have recently started Family Services (roughly once a month – please see ‘What’s on at All Saints‘ for details). These too are at 11:15am on Sundays. They are simpler services and the activities, music and prayers are all planned to be fun and accessible to people of all ages, children are very welcome! If you want to find out more about the church or our faith this would be a great place to start.

All Saints is also a great place for your very special events, Christenings (sometimes called Baptisms), your Wedding or even the Funeral of a loved one.

HISTORY

The village of Rettendon is mentioned in the Doomsday Book (1086), and the earliest part of the church is the Norman south doorway and dates back to about 1200. The Nave and Chancel are from about the same period and with most of the rest of the church being build in the 15th Century. Some of the carving in the Chancel also dates back to this time but most of the furniture as we now have them was put in place when the church was restored in 1898. The tower was refurbished twice in the 20th Century. More recently, a kitchen was added in the Nave and disabled toilet at the base of the tower.

A couple of distinctive features about the church are the Humphrey memorial and the two story vestry.

The marble Humphrey memorial completely fills the east wall of the north aisle and dates back to 1727. Edmund Humphrey also left and endowment which founded Rettendon Primary School.

The vestry is a 15th addition to the church and the upper story may well, at some time have been occupied by and Anchorite or similar religious.

There is also a memorial to Richard Cannon (1605) who founded a trust which still support those in need in the parish.