About this Event
St Michael and All Angels Church, Copford
Heritage Open Day: A church has stood on the present site since around 1130 and its rare Norman wall paintings have been described by the writer Simon Jenkins as 'amongst the best in England'. St Michael and All Angels Church is of exceptional architectural interest because of the evidence of vaulting in the nave and the chancel, an exceedingly rare feature in English parish churches. The wall paintings were probably commissioned by the bishop of London, who owned the church before the Norman Conquest. Although heavily restored by the Victorians, the paintings do give a very real sense of the colour and magnificence of the interior of a Norman church. The subjects include Christ surrounded by angels and the apostles in the chancel and the Raising of Jairus's daughter in the nave.