traditional Saxon way of building. The nave is mostly original, and dendrochronological research in the 1960s dated it to 845. In 1995, however, this date was revised to 1053 +10–55 years (some time between 1063 and 1108). This range of dates is based on the dendrochronological date of the youngest timber (1053), plus a standard allowance of 10–55 years for sapwood rings which are assumed to have been weathered away. An interesting detail of the nave is the so-called "leper's squint" or hagioscope on the north side. This small aperture through the oak wall was formerly thought to have been a place where lepers who, not allowed inside the church with the general populace, were allowed to receive a blessing from the priest. Its position next to the original doorway has led researchers to conclude that it was a window used to see who was approaching the church. In the chancel, the flint footings of the wall and the pillar piscina inside the sanctuary are all that is left of any Norman work. Near the porch, a large, coped stone marks the resting place of an unknown knight. 16th century The original chancel was small and built of timber, but the current brick-built chancel dates from this period of construction. 17th to 19th century The white weatherboarded tower was added in the Stuart period (17th century), and is what initially draws the eye. One of the bells is inscribed "William Land made me 1618". There are a number of mediaeval wooden towers in the district. Around this time the three dormer windows were added to the nave for the first time, and the south porch was added. A fragment of 15th-century glass can be seen in the centre of the quatrefoil window at the west end, but it was set there during the Victorian restoration. The earliest wall memorial is dedicated to Jone Wood, 1585. Victorian restoration Reconstruction work by the Victorians in the 19th century added some detailed brickwork to the building along with, most probably, some of the more ornate decoration to the outside. It replaced the three dormer windows with six, and the porch was reconstructed, along with other minor alterations and stone coping. References External links British Archaeology, no 10, December 1995: News Greensted Church on Essex Churches website Everything2 article: St Andrew's, Greensted-juxta-Ongar MSN Encarta: Anglo-Saxon Art and Architecture (Archived 2009-10-31) Virtual Photography: St. Andrew's