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West End Reordering [Extract
from All Saints Writtle by Stuart Platt, pub 1992]
 A scheme for reordering the West End of the church
was first proposed by Revd Richard Lane in 1997. The scheme comprised
two phases. Phase one involved the provision of a toilet and improved
kitchen facilities in the Choir vestry and phase two involved the
removal of some pews at the West End of the nave to provide a flexible,
multifunction area. Fundraising started in 1997, detailed drawings were
prepared
Estimates were obtained and an application for a
Faculty from the Chelmsford Diocese was applied for. On receipt of the
Faculty, work on Phase one started at the end of January 2000 and was
completed by the end of May 2000. Work on Phase two started mid January
2002 and was completed by the end of February 2002. Eight of the pews
were removed; some were sold to individuals within the village and
others have been moved to other locations in the church. The open area
created by this reordering has proved to be most beneficial; it allows
space for people to mingle after a service, it provides a place ~or
people to meet and discuss and, with the new chairs, it enables variety
of seating arrangements to be configured.
In January 2002 before the re-flooring of the West
End of the nave the Heritage Section of the Essex County Council did a
small excavation. Signs of two Tudor graves were found both on the North
and South sides of the nave with a curious alignment to the rest of the
arcade. These would have been table tombs but had been emptied of their
contents and largely dismantled when the tower was rebuilt in 1801/02.
Features from three other graves dating from the 17th or 18th centuries
were also found. On one of the stones at the base of the western,
northernmost respond is the following inscription which can still be
seen:
J BORLEY
Ast 14 1801
As part of the Writtle celebrations
for the new Millennium a Time Capsule was buried at the Patronal Service
on Sunday Nov 5th 2000. [Link]
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