Facts about Chipping Ongar

History

Ongar was an important market town in the Medieval era, at the centre of a hundred and has the remains of a Norman castle. The Church of England parish church, St Martin’s dates from the 11th century and shows signs of Norman work. A small window in the chancel is believed to indicate the existence of an anchorite’s cell in medieval times. The civil parish of Chipping Ongar was abolished in 1965 and a new parish of Ongar was created which also incorporated the former area of the Greensted and Shelley civil parishes. The parish was part of Epping and Ongar Rural District until 1974 when it became part of the Epping Forest District.

St. Andrew’s Parish Church in Greensted is 2 miles west of Ongar. It is believed to be the oldest wooden church in the world. Several of the small private-sector businesses that operated through to the closing decades of the 20th century have closed down or relocated as the economic focus of the region has been redirected, especially since the opening of the M11 motorway in the 1970s, to larger towns in west Essex, especially Harlow and Brentwood. Local planning policies have focused increasingly on residential development, and Ongar, like very many of the smaller towns in the green belt round London, can be viewed primarily as a dormitory town for commuters to London, Brentwood, Harlow and Chelmsford.

Ongar Castle

Ongar Castle is a good example of a late 11th- or early 12th-century Motte and Bailey, although only the earthworks survive. The motte or mound is around 70 metres in diameter at the base and is surrounded by a wet ditch up to 15 metres wide. A kidney-shaped inner bailey is to the west of the motte and there is a second bailey to the east and the remains of a town enclosure embankment extend to the west. Ongar castle may have been built by Eustace II, Count of Boulogne who obtained the manor of Ongar in 1086. It was visited by King Henry II in 1157, when it was held by Richard de Lucy. A stone keep was built on top of the motte, but this was pulled down in the 16th century and replaced by a brick building, but was destroyed in the 18th century. The motte itself is now covered with trees and is in private ownership, but can be seen from a public footpath that starts at the north end of the High Street.