Hotel Rayfont South Bund Shanghai (Shanghai, China)

About Rayfont South Bund Shanghai

The Parish Church of the village is located on a hill right in its centre and can be found easily as its 181ft high spire can be seen for miles. The church is regarded as one of the most beautiful in Essex and is also known by its nickname "Cathedral of Essex". The building works on the church started in 1340 and continued until 1510. St John the Baptist has been designed in the shape of a Cathedral and is flanked by chapels to each side, one in honour of the mother of Christ, Mary and his grandmother Ann and the other one in honour of St Thomas of Canterbury. Another chapel can be found in the north transept of the church, it is dedicated to St Laurence but is also known as Trinity Aisle. Remarkable are the ancient stained glass windows, some of which date back as far as 1341. The oldest one can be viewed in the South Transept and shows a knight. This is a living church and services are being held regularly during the week. It is also often home to concerts and other events.