St Catherine

There has been a Christian place of worship in East Tilbury, or Great Tilbury as it was originally known, for over 1300 years although it is probable that the original chapel of St Cedd, built about 654 AD, was below the present high tide level.

The present church is however of considerable age with parts of it having been built as early as the 12th century. The church is built mainly of flint, with some Kentish ragstone and some Roman material. Dressed Reigate stone has been used for important parts such as window and door frames and arches.

The stump of a tower, which contains the vestries, was built by the First World War garrison of Coalhouse Fort, No 2 Company, London Electrical Engineers. Originally they had planned to build a complete tower in memory of their fallen comrades but were stopped by higher authorities as the correct procedures had not been followed. There is an inscription tablet in the stump recording the original intentions rather than what actually happened!

At the west end of the church is a large blocked up arch which was probably a tower arch. What appears at first sight to be a buttress is in fact the remains of a 14th century wall. The fate of the original tower is uncertain and for many years writers have stated that it was destroyed by the Dutch under De Ruyter when they sailed up the Thames in 1667. However it is apparent from ecclesiastical records that the church was in a considerable state of disrepair around this time and it is quite likely that the tower simply fell down!

The only entrance to the church is by the north porch which was added in 1704 and leads into a simple well lit interior. The lightness is due to the large number of south windows and the exceptionally wide chancel arch from around 1350.