Essex boasts a large number of important religious buildings, yet many are little known despite the county containing churches of Saxon origin, the oldest timber-framed church in the country and one of the best Arts and Crafts churches in Europe.

In Churches of Essex historian John E. Vigar shares the wealth of religious architecture to be found in the county, from the plain and simple to huge, impressive buildings displaying medieval wealth.

Several parish churches were originally home to a monastic community, and Waltham Abbey can boast of the tomb of a king of England.

Flint and timber are the usual building materials encountered, together with brick.

The furnishings of Essex churches can be in a league of their own, with a huge range of monumental brasses and magnificent monuments to families with London connections.

In the nineteenth century few Essex churches escaped wholesale improvements by the Victorians, and in the twentieth century many churches were beautified by the gift of stained-glass windows.

Here, readers will find churches both small and large, simple and quirky, each one representing the tastes, finances and lives of generations of Essex residents.

This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Essex over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.