The central bay, which was taller and slightly recessed, contained a tetrastyle portico formed by four Ionic order columns supporting an entablature and a cornice.

[6] The use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century,[7] and, from about 1900, it was used as a venue for public entertainment.

[8] In the early 1960s, Tending Rural District Council considered proposals for demolition of the building, but the Manningtree Society successfully campaigned for its retention.

[9] Instead, it was converted for use as a church for the trustees of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood, to a design by Raymond Erith, between 1966 and 1967.

[11] The Manningtree and District Museum Local History Group secured a room in the building to display its collection to the public at that time.