There is a wealth of history on our doorstep in Upminster and Cranham, from the Tithe Barn in Hall Lane to All Saints Church at the top of The Chase.

We shall be looking at a number of these sites and, to start off with, we visit the church of St Laurence which lies on the crossroads of Corbets Tey Road and St Mary’s Lane.

It is a historic minster, founded by St Cedd in the 7th century, from which Upminster gets its name. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the place appears as ‘Upmunstra’.

Alice Perrers, mistress of King Edward III, was buried in the church or churchyard in 1400, but there is no memorial to mark her grave. Similarly, William Derham, who was famous for recording the speed of sound from the church tower, is also buried in the church.

Inside the Church, the stained glass window above the high altar depicts some of the saints of the Church. Among them are St Cedd and St Laurence (the Patron of the church). St Cedd is seen holding a model of the original church made of wood and thatch. St Laurence holds a model of the church much as it is today.

There is a enormous amount of history attached to St Laurence Church and much more can be discovered by visiting upminsterparish.co.uk

By Editor UCRA on 31st August 2015   /   News   /   Leave a comment