A church existed on this site from at least 1254, and its early remains exist as the north wall of St Mary's. The interior was rebuilt, the north arcade dating from c.1340 and the south from c.1350. Prior to the rebuild, the chancel arch was described as "low, with massive piers", suggesting a Norman origin. A chantry Chapel was dedicated in 1413. The tower was added in the 15th century with diagonal buttresses and a foundation of Roman brick. By 1734 the building had large windows in the Georgian Gothic style and internal galleries with box pews below. After a fire in 1850 it was decided to rebuild and enlarge the church according to the designs of the architect E C Hakewill. Further restoration was required after the tower, and a pillar in the north isle, were damaged by the most destructive earthquake in recorded British history: the 1884 Colchester Earthquake.