In the reign of Henry Beauchamp there was a great burst of building of churches in the area. So Lord Magnaville decided his manor should have a solid building for God and he recruited experienced builders from Birch to take on the task.

Serfs and even freemen were obliged to join in as labourers under the direction of the overseers. Like elsewhere the ruins of a Roman building were chosen giving a source of building material. Men collected up purple pebbly rocks that had impeded the ploughs. From rafts on the small river coastal mud stones were brought up for the rubble walls.

The walls took more than one season to build and included narrow slit openings but were covered with cow hides to keep out the wind and rain as glass was rare and too expensive. The outside was plastered and painted white. A rounded end faced east towards Jerusalem. Trees from the manor were felled and used for the roof. Will the thatcher covered the roof with straw and reed.

More than 100 years later in the reign of another Henry — Henry Tudor — The Lord of the Manor thought it was time to complete the tower. He engaged some men from the Tilkey at Coggeshall. They found suitable clay by the pond the Romans had dug and made bricks in clamps. The work was slow and expensive so our impatient Lord, looking at some of the great manorial tithe barns, decided to complete the task in timber.

Oak was again felled from the manor's lands. Experienced carpenters were recruited. The timber was laid on the ground, joints cut and fitted together, timbers marked.

The following year a great framework was built around the base of the tower and extended upwards. Bullocks were brought in to help lift the heavy oak pieces up off the ground using ropes and wheels. It was a mammoth effort. Positioning the central post of the spire was particularly difficult. The master craftsmen carving delicate unseen details for the Glory of God.