St. Michael's Church, Pitsea - Beyond the Point

Overlooking the surrounding marshes, St Michael’s Church has been stood on Pitsea Mount for centuries having been build around the 16th century, with extensive rebuilding taking place in 1871. Although once the whole church would have stood on this spot, today just the tower and alter remains with the perimeter marked out. It was during the mid-20th century that the future of the building was potentially jeopardised as structural defects were starting to show. It was thought that nearby housing developments would prolong the life of the church, although this had no effect and the final wedding service took place in May 1975. Mobile network company ‘Orange’ saw a usage of the site and built a phone mast on the roof of the tower. This came at a cost as it was decided that the rest of the church should be demolished as it was deemed dangerous – the church was actually listed in the 1950’s although not properly until later on where it’s thought that only the tower gained Grade II listed status. Apparently, much of the church was actually saved when dismantling took place and is possibly kept in storage by the council.