On Monday 6th October the Church group visited
All Saints Church Ulting and St peters Church Wickham Bishops
St Peter's Church was recorded as belonging to the Bishops of London in the Domesday Survey of 1086 and it's possible that it was constructed as a private chapel for the Bishops. Built of flint rubble, boulder clay and pudding stone it dates from the 12th century. By the 19th century it was in poor condition and was replaced by a new building built in 1850. Although it remained a chapel St peter's again fell into decline and was threatened with demolition and after 120years was declared redundant in 1970. Since 1994 it has been used as a studio by stained glass artist Ben Finn who in 2022 created a new award winning east window depicting Jacobs ladder and four single light windows.
Our next stop was All saints church Ulting. Believed to date back to the 12th century with earliest hand written record of the church 1299 when Lord Robert Fitzwalter a powerful baron and lord of the manor of Ulting gave the church to Beeleigh Abbey. In the 15th century a chapel was erected and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and became a place of pilgrimage. Little changed over the next three centuries until in 1872 the church required extensive restoration and the west wall had to be rebuilt and completed in 1873. Inside the font dates from the 13th century, the organ installed 1872 along with the bell made in 1636 by Miles Graye of Colchester.
