The History of the Forward in Faith Parish of St Andrew, North Weald, Essex

		Lady Chapel Exterior Lady Chapel Altar, Piscina and Sedelia The statue of the Our Lady and Child is modern, but the corbel is original.	The History of the Church
			Our church is at the heart of a large country parish comprising of three villages: North Weald, Hastingwood and Thornwood. As such the church is detached from North Weald in open countryside and is about half a mile north of the present village which is relatively modern and built along the main road from Epping to Ongar. The present church building was constructed in about 1330 AD, but is believed to be the site on an earlier building. The main walls of this 14th Century church are of flint rubble with some Roman brick. The tower is early 16th Century and is constructed of Tudor brick. It has a peel of six bells. The Lady Chapel is the most ancient part of the church. The faces of a king and queen carved into the window stop that completes the stone label above the Lady Chapel window. These we defaced, probably during the Cromwellian period, and have had to be replaced. The remains of the original 14th Century glass from the East window of the Lay chapel are now preserved in the in the central nave window. The Piscina and Sedelia are original, as it the stone corbel on which the present statue of Our Lady and Child stands. The original statue would have been destroyed during the reformation or Cromwellian period. In 1964 a fire damaged the interior of the church, the subsequent restoration is described on the page “Fire and Restoration”.