Layer Church – View of Abberton Reservoir loop from Colchester

00:42

16.3km

90m

Road cycling

Easy road ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: July 10, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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4.12 km

Layer Church

Highlight • Religious Site

Not much to be seen from the road but continue just south of the church and there are good views across Abberton Reservoir.

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4.16 km

St John the Baptist Church, Layer de la Haye

Highlight • Religious Site

Info taken from layerchurches.org.uk/churches.htm

The first record of the church's existence is found in a charter of 1128, although the oldest parts of the present walls were built some time before. At this time the church belonged to the Abbey of St John in Colchester, but within sixty years it had passed to the Priors of St Botolph. It was from these two great religious houses that the priests who ministered to the needs of the parish were drawn for over four hundred years.

The written records of the church are few. We know that after the Black Death the monks of St Botolph set to work to rebuild the nave and tower, both of which date from about 1350. A hundred years later they raised the chancel arch and gave the church its oldest bell (1459).

Layer de la Haye interiorDuring the 17th and 18th centuries the church suffered from neglect while it was held in plurality with Berechurch and other places. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that steps were taken to repair the fabric of the church and make it fully fit for worship. This was during the incumbency of the first resident vicar. The church was also enlarged by the building of the south aisle because the population had more than doubled since the turn of the century.

The registers of the church date only from 1752, fire having destroyed the earlier ones which probably dated from the sixteenth century.

The bells are of particular interest and below is a link to a page giving fuller details. Early in 2001 we completed a major restoration project involving the installation of a new bell frame and ringing chamber in the tower, a new bell, and refurbishment of the other bells, the oldest of which dates back to circa 1459.

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