Behind you, in the north wall of the porch, you may be able to spot a stained glass window. This is the sole remaining piece of stained glass to survive the 1874 explosion that almost destroyed the church.
Turning around to look beyond the post, there is a large brick building visible over the wall. This was once the National School. Built in 1840, by 1861 the school took boys, girls and mixed infants, and even had a boys’ hat and girls’ bonnet room! They closed in 1938 when Moulsham Junior School opened.
We hope you have enjoyed our Green Space Heritage Trail. If you have taken pictures on you way around, we’d love you to share them with us on social media!
Family Fun
Explosion!
Just as the Victorian church builders were finishing their work on the building on 22nd May 1874, a workman lit a match to test the gas lights and…. BANG! There was a huge explosion which destroyed the main part of the building, exploded the roof, and shattered almost all of the windows!
Luckily nobody was hurt, but only 1 small piece of stained glass survived. (It’s in the porch wall behind you.)
Crowds gathered, the local policeman was called to make sure they behaved, and the churchwardens charged 6d to view the ruins (about £1 in today’s money!)
Activity
When you get home (or perhaps go inside to have a slice of cake in our café!) you might like to try drawing a picture of the exploding church or even writing an acrostic poem using the letters from the word EXPLOSION to start each line. Here’s an example:
Explosion heard for miles around!
X-ray vision would be needed to see through the smoke.
People gathered to see what had happened.
Luckily there was a policeman to make them behave.
Of course it’s a shame that the stained glass was
SHATTERED!!
It’s crazy to think it was all caused by
One. Tiny. Match…
Nobody was hurt (which was really quite lucky!)
Discover the stories woven into the green heart of our community. As you wander around the church yard, explore the history, nature and shared memories with friends and family.