The Parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin is the largest in Essex, with an overall length of 183 feet, whilst the height of the tower and spire is 193 feet. There is believed to have been a Saxon church on this site, then a large Norman church was built here. This was in turn rebuilt and enlarged around 1250, before the current spectacular church was built in 'Perpendicular' style starting in about 1430. The later stages of this rebuilding were carried out under the supervision of John Wastell, a Master Mason who also built King's College Chapel in Cambridge. The exterior turrets which stand above the east end of the nave are typical of his work. The spire is more modern being built in 1832.