The Church of St Lawrence at Corringham. The tower is of late Saxon date, whilst the main part of the church is Norman and later. {1}{2}{3} The tall, square, unbuttressed tower is of the Lincolnshire late-Saxon type and the western part of the nave is probably of the same date, with later (Norman and 13th century work) arcades cut through its walls. The tower, of two stages separated only by a pronounced off-set, is of coursed rubble throughout, with side-alternate quoins. The lower stage is without openings to north and south, to the west is an inserted Early English window; the first floor has a square-headed window, possibly original, with a semi-circular stone tympanum beneath a rough, rubble-arched, round head. Distinct traces may be seen of an earlier west doorway, which must have been blocked and partially destroyed for the insertion of the Early English window. The upper stage has four tall, round-headed, double belfry windows with the usual late-Saxon mid-wall shafts supporting through-stone slabs, the shafts with well-formed bases and cushion capitals, but the stonework is so new that it would appear they were renewed during Bodley's restoration in 1883. The quoins of the original nave survive, indicating that it was 17ft wide and c.30ft long, with walls 2ft 6" thick and c.23ft high. The tall tower-arch is of two recessed orders beneath a hood-moulding of plain square section, the two orders are of plain square section except on their eastern faces, and rest on plain chamfered rectangular imposts carried on plain rectangular jambs. High above the tower-arch, a square-headed doorway, now blocked, originally gave access to the upper chamber. {4}{5} Pevsner and Harris suggest that the tower bell-openings are wholly of Bodley and Garner's restoration: the Nattes drawing shows a plain, quite different bell-opening. The tower arch is described as 'very strange - it may be pre-conquest, but the arch with its four roll-mouldings must be Transitional or even later.' Pevsner spells the name of the saint to which the church is dedicated as 'Laurence'. {6} Inside the church, the two-bay north arcade is Norman. It has circular piers with square abacus and round arches with a slight chamfer. The capitals are flat and uncommonly fine, of the leaf-crocket kind, but with many pretty details. The south arcade is taller and belongs to the early 13th century. It has octagonal piers with simple single stiff-leaves, and double-chamfered pointed arches. There is a small lancet window in the aisle west wall, and also in the north aisle west wall. The arcades were soon lengthened to the east – the new bays were perhaps a transept. The details of the responds differ, the south side are keeled. A new chancel was built, with lancet windows perhaps in the 13th century: in its north wall a pretty, small doorway, and to its east a tomb-recess with a segmental arch with deep Early English mouldings. After that came a new north transept in the late 13th century; see the naturalistic leaves of the arch from the south, and incidentally the way it cuts into a lancet of the chancel. The arch from the west into the transept has chamfers dying into the imposts. The north window is large, of three lights with pointed trefoiled heads and a big pointed trefoil over, it dates to about 1300. But the transept east window is of a very nice Perpendicular variety, generously cusped and with an embattled transom above the middle light. The aisle windows and the clerestory are also Perpendicular. In 1882-84, Bodley and Garner renewed the aisle and north transept roofs and redecorated much of the interior. Their work is pleasant to behold, especially the painted ceilings, but also the amply decorated organ case and the screen with coving and rood, of which only a few lower parts (and the choir seats against its back) were original. The reredos is also by Bodley. The communion rail is 17th century. In the north transept the stained glass in two windows, of 1852 and 1862, are both probably by Wailes. The glass in the south transept east window – a tree of jesse, is typical early work of Kempe, of 1884. The glass in the chancel east window of 1873 and the two south windows is also by Kempe, as is that in the south aisle east window and the tower lancet window. Monuments in the churchyard include several tablets to Becketts of Leeds and Somerby Park. The pretty lychgate may be by Bodley and Garner (see MLI96711). {7}{8} The building is listed. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {9}