Hazeleigh

Hazeleigh's original timber-framed Church, St. Nicholas's, was located in an isolated part of the village, next to the Old Hall, however, by 1900 it had fallen into disuse. Due to its size and lack of windows it was known locally as "the meanest church in England". It was pulled down around 1922, although the last service had been held several years earlier, in 1906. One of the reasons why it fell into disuse was that an iron church was built in a more populous part of the village by the late-Victorian vicar, Rev. William Stuart (brother of Robert Stuart and father of William Horwood Stuart, both diplomats). This iron church was later demolished as well.

In 1921 the ecclesiastical parishes of Woodham Mortimer and Hazeleigh were united into a single ecclesiastical parish called "Woodham Mortimer with Hazeleigh".^[3][4] They remain separate civil parishes, although they share a parish council.^[5]

• Photo of St. Nicholas's Church before demolition
• History of Hazeleigh including the story of Hazeleigh Church Archived 7 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
• Information of Hazeleigh and contact for the Parish Council

The collection of short stories The Night Chicago Died, ISBN 978-1-4389-0011-7, contains a story entitled The Meanest Church in England which references Hazeleigh.