St Mary Magdalen. Laver. Ongar. Essex. CM5 0EG.

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The parish church of St Mary Magdalen consists of a nave, chancel, west tower, and south porch, with walls of flint rubble and Roman brick and a wooden tower. The nave was built early in the 12th century. The flints are set in herring-bone courses in the lower part of the walls, with Roman brick was arranged in decorative bands above. It is possible that the west doorway is also original. The thirteenth century chancel is slightly narrower than the nave but there is no chancel arch. The roof of the nave is 15th century and may at some time have incorporated a bell turret. The timber bell tower beyond the west wall of the nave was added in the middle of the sixteenth century. The exterior of the bellfry is weather-boarded. By 1709 these boards were clearly wearing out (should have used more Ronseal - it does what it says on the tin) and in April 1709 it was decided that 'the north side of the belfry shall be new boarded with oak boards'. The old boards were to be used for patching the other sides.There are two bells, one is probably early 14th century and the other is dated 1567. Outside the church immediately west of the south porch is an ornate marble altar tomb of William Cole, lord of the manor, who died on 1 February 1730. Cole had the tomb built before his death. The inscription is on a central panel, flanked by the figures of cherubs. The tomb is enclosed by a heavy iron railing, also ordered by Cole, and there is an achievement of arms on the wall above.

Inside the church there is a 14th-century oak rood-screen consisting of a central doorway with four bays flanking it on each side. The screen was reconstructed in the 17th century; part of the base panelling is of this date. The doors and several of the shafts are replacements. Most of the windows in the church as well as the two south doorways appear to have been inserted at different times during the 14th century. In the two easternmost windows of the nave there is some 14th or 15th-century glass. Similar glass in one of the chancel windows has been reset. However the east window of the chancel is largely modern (although in 14th century style) but with original carved head-stops. The south doorway to the nave and the door itself may be late-14th century. A damaged 15th-century octagonal font, which stood for a time in the rectory garden, was restored to the church early in the 20th century. In the latter half of the 19th century extensive restoration work was carried out internally and in 1912 a second-hand pipe organ from Christ Church, Albany Street, London was installed. The chancel roof, which has been restored, has two original tie-beams. On one of the ties is a nearly illegible inscription 'IT ANNO DOM. 1615 H. L.