Clergy House

I am sure many of you, especially those who are members of National Trust will have heard of the Alfriston Clergy House, which incidentally was the first property to be purchased by the National Trust for £10 in 1896. However I am sure that many of you did not realize that there stood a Clergy House in the churchyard at Theydon Garnon.

It stood a few yards west of the church, and was known as the Priests' House. It was of two stories, the upper projecting on the east front with exposed joists and curved brackets. It was apparently built in the late 15th century. It is believed that the cottage was for the use of a non-resident priest in pre-Reformation days. Services at All Saints were conducted with the help of the monastic clergy at Waltham Abbey, and the visiting priest used to sleep in the cottage.

The Essex Review described the cottage as formerly a one storied building with particularly low ceilings, and probably had a thatched roof. A second storey being added later, the front of which was corbelled out and carried on to the ends of the beams and joists. The cottage front, facing the churchyard retained its old plaster covering, with diaper pattern and was in fair preservation. The ends and back were covered with tarred deal weather boarding. The roof was of steep pitch and covered with hand-made tiles, hung with pegs on rent oak laths, and was ceiled with plaster under the level of the beams. The casement windows were glazed with leaded lights but most of the glass was broken. At the back of the building was an aperture through which the monks doled out bread to pilgrims. The general fabric of the building was described as 'sound' and until a few years before ..... was occupied as a dwelling house

However at the time of the visit the house was descried as 'sadly needs renovation.' Unfortunately it was demolished at a later date and nothing remains of this piece of ecclesiastical history.