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On Thursday the 8th March 2018 I left home for walk before a late shift at work. I drove to Hatfield Heath. I park on the green opposite The Thatchers Arms Pub at CM22 7DU.
The neighbouring Hatfield Broad Oak was a market town
which shrank to a large village. As it declined Hatfield Heath, then in
the parish of Hatfield Broad Oak, grew because of its proximity to main
roads through the parish. In 1660 the fair at Hatfield Broad Oak was
moved to Hatfield Heath. By the third quarter of the 18th-century the
heath (today's village green), had cottages around its edge, and by the
19th century two schools, a church and a brewery.
I walk down the road to Mill Lane passing an old mill dating from 1853.
I walk down Mill Lane where I pass Prisioner Of War Camp 116. This is on Private Land, which involved me climbing over a locked gate to have a look around.
Prisoner of War Camp 116 was set up in 1941 to house
Italian prisoners of war, and from 1943-1944 it mainly held German and
Austrian prisoners.
The POW's were allowed out to work on the nearby farms and one local has this memory of it......
"The Austrian and German prisoners of war were kept in a camp at Hatfield Heath and sent out daily to 'help on the land'.
Our first batch were Austrian and they were hard workers and Mum was so sorry for them she looked at their ration for the day and promptly invited them to share our food - they even ate with us.
The next lot were German and all but one of those were also polite, hard workers and they too shared our food and ate in the kitchen with us.
My biggest impression was the way they stood whenever Mum got up and would never sit until she too sat down.
Dad corresponded for some time with one of them, a Walter Scheile from Beilefeld in Germany."
Camp 116 conforms to the so-called ‘Standard’ layout, with the guards’ compound consisting of MoWP huts, while the living huts are all timber Laing huts.
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| A Vauxhall PA Cresta rotting away |
Camp 116 was built at Mill Lane, Hatfield Heath in 1941, large enough to hold up to 750 prisoners. The prisoners were allowed to 'live in' on farms, and farmers had to pay the County War Agricultural Executive Committee for their services: 40 shillings (£2) a week for the first 3 months and 48 shillings (£2.40) a week thereafter. From this they could deduct 21 shillings (£1.05) a week for a prisoner’s board and lodging. With most Italian POWs housed on local farms, the Hatfield Heath camp was then used mainly for German and Austrian prisoners. The camp was non-Nazi, so it was classed low-risk.
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| A Hillman Minx? |
There are more POW buildings across the road occupied by Greenway Eggs, not sure I could wander about there.
I left the POW Camp by climbing back over the gate and passing the cottage opposite complete with fake sheep.
I take the path alongside the cottage and over farmland passing Camp Farm.
I reach Little Hallingbury Park, and a few lovely houses.
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| A large 4 bed, 5 recepts. attractive thatched cottage in an idylic position in Little Hallingbury Park |
I walk over more muddy fields , with huge clumps of mud sticking to my shoes.
I pass Hallingbury Hall Equestrian Centre, just before leaving out onto a road and under abridge under the noisy M11 motorway you can hear thundering above.
On the other side of the bridge I take a footpath on my left and over more farmland.
I cross a road passing some more beautiful homes before taking a path alongside them.
I take a footpath over a muddy ploughed field, if it wasn't for my GPS showing me the path was here, I'd had no idea!
I cross back over the M11 but by bridge this time.
I follow the path alongside the M11 for a bit before turning left with Sheering over to my right.
I take a path that leads me out onto The Street B183, here are more stunning cottages, the path continues straight across the road but I walk up a short way up the road to take a picture of the village sign.
I walk back and take the path again.
I now approach St Mary The Virgin Church at Sheering.
St Mary the Virgin's Church is the Grade I listed parish church of Sheering, Essex, England, and is Early English Gothic dating to the late 13th century. The church was badly damaged by fire in 2011 and has subsequently been restored.
The church stands on a site which goes back to Saxon times.
The clock was installed as a First World War memorial.
Back on the path I cross more farmland passing a farm called Shrubbs.
The path now squeezes alongside some fences, glad Ive been dieting! I assume they've moved their fences overtime stealing a bit of land. This then stops at a gate, I press the handle thankfully it wasn't locked and I walk out onto someones driveway.
I am now back in Hatfield Heath and across the road I see a pond overlooked by The Holy Trinity Church.
Holy Trinity Church was built in 1859 when Hatfield Heath parish was formed in its own right instead of belonging to Hatfield Broad Oak.
I pass Reynolds Seafood Bar , I would have liked to pay a visit but time was pressing.
Next door was Heavenly Treats Tearoom, again I'd would have loved a cuppa right now, but I had to get back to the car and onto work!
I walk down the road and then I take a path that backs up the way I came before crossing over a field.
I pass through a farm before popping back out at the start by The Thathers Arms once more. This looks like a lovely pub, another perhaps!
Back at the car, a 7 mile walk in biting cold and strong wind but a great walk all the same!
