There has been a settlement in Finchingfield since historical records of the area began. There also is archaeological evidence for a Roman villa 400 metres south-south-west of the village church. Finchingfield was recorded in the Domesday Book as Phincingfelda, a name that probably means 'the land cleared by Finc's people'. The village was an official stop for horse-drawn coaches travelling from London to Norwich.
I had a look about the village first as I know I'd be too tired after the 16 mile walk.
I walk up the hill to St John The Baptist in Finchingfield. You need to walk through the archway of the Guildhall to enter.
The church largely dates from the 14th century, though the lower two stages of the tower were built in the 12th and the third in the 15th.
Perhaps, given the dominant location of the building, the tower was used for both defensive purposes and for worship. There was once a spire but it was blown down during a gale in 1658 and never rebuilt. All that survives of it is the 15th century angelus bell, which is now in the cupola built in place of the spire atop the tower.
The South Porch, built in 1865 in early Perpendicular style, probably replaces an earlier porch of similar size.
The ring of eight bells was installed in 1781, though one of them is older, dated 1766, but recast in 1952. The clock, of 1902, marks the coronation of King Edward VII.
The Rood Screen dates from the early 15th century. Another screeen, leading into the Berners Chapel on the south side of the church, is earlier, c.1350.
I leave the church and look back at the Guildhall.
The Guildhall, Grade I listed, dates from the late 15th century. After the Reformation the building fell into disrepair until it was bought and repaired by Robert Kempe in the 1620s. In 1630, he sold it to the village for £50 to be used as a school or almshouses. It has remained in village ownership ever since.
The Guildhall was built around 1470 by the Guild of the Holy Trinity to house a Guild of priests and to provide a schoolroom for the boys of the village. The Guildroom has been used for a place of learning for more than five centuries. Free entry, guided tours available, price on application.
The Building fell into disrepair and following the second world war attempts were made to restore the site. Unfortunately inappropriate materials were used, and architectural details were covered up. In 2008 the Finchingfield Guildhall trust was formed to save the site from dereliction. After several years bidding for funding, the build started in earnest in 2011. Expert craftsmen were employed using ancient techniques, and local materials were sourced.
I walk along a path that takes me behind the windmill and eventually back past the front of it.
There were once eight or nine of them in the parish of Finchingfield. This post mill is the only one to survive. It can be traced back to 1756. It was originally built as an open trestle mill, the roundhouse being added in 1840. The tapered chimney just to the right of the prominent cottage belonged to a steam powered mill.
I walk back across the green passing The Fox PH and an old water pump.
I walk on a short way before turning right into Winsey Chase and quickly onto a footpath behind some houses.
I am out and now walking across farmland.
I leave the fields behind as I pass Beslyns Farm and along Beslyns Road.
A short way down I hop over a stile and into a field and following a footpath once more.
I reach a bridge that crosses the River Pant and I watch a chub dancing in the current for a while before walking on.
I leave the fields and onto Bell Lane.
I now enter Little Bardfield after some road walking.
I walk down a lane with new builds to my right to St Katherine Church.
Parish Church of St. Katherine stands in the middle of the parish. The walls are of flint and pebble rubble, with dressings partly of clunch; some tiles in the older walls are possibly Roman; the roofs are tiled. The Nave and West Tower are of pre-Conquest date, and were built probably in the 11th century. The Chancel was rebuilt at some uncertain date, and has only modern details of 14th-century type. In the 15th century the chancel-arch and tower-arch were rebuilt, and the South Porch was added. The church was restored in the 19th century, the North Vestry and South Organ-chamber are modern, and the South Porch has been largely rebuilt.
The large W. tower is a striking example of pre-Conquest work.
I walk along a path onto The Hydes Farm.
EW Davies Farms is a progressive farming business based in Essex. Focused on farm reared beef and lamb.
I leave Hydes Farm and turn onto Bardfield Road.
I turn right onto a footpath across more farmland on my way into Thaxted.
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| Thaxted coming into sight. |
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| A Yellowhammer |
Below is a pic of one of many planes bound for Stansted Airport.
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| A Buzzard |
I am now walking into Thaxted.
The early medieval village was granted a Charter in 1205 and by the 14th Century had become a rapidly expanding town complete with guildhall and market. Prosperity originally was the result of the establishment of a cutlery industry and guild. The town was granted borough status by Philip and Mary in a Charter dated 1556 which lasted until 1686. The magnificent church of cathedral proportions and the guildhall fronting a large market place are ample evidence of the town's former standing. Today Thaxted is one of Britain's most attractive and well preserved small towns. Its superb medieval buildings and quaint streets, many of which still bear ancient descriptive names such as Fishmarket Street, Town Street, Orange Street, Weaverhead Lane, The Tanyard and Stoney Lane, are unique.
I walk up Copthall Lane into the Tanyard.
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| Moosh Cottage |
I walk out onto Town street and up to the Guildhall.
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| Recorders House |
On Town Street is Recorder's House, a three-storey 15th century building with a pair of jettied windows on the second storey.The house was originally a hunting lodge for Edward IV, and the timber supporting the windows is carved with Edward's coat of arms.
Holst's village of song
As well as creating some of the 20th century's most rousing classical compositions, Gustav Holst was also a influential figure in creating an 'orgy of song' in the Essex village of Thaxted.
Gustav Holst is one of Britain's most celebrated composers, responsible for amongst many works, The Planet Suites.
Holst wrote his Choral Symhony at The Steps
Of Latvian descent, Gustav von Holst (he dropped the 'von' around the time of World War One) was born in Cheltenham in 1874 and trained at the Royal College of Music, alongside the likes of Ralph Vaughan Williams and went on to compose many symphonies and choral arrangements that are revered to this day.
But one of his most celebrated works, The Planet Suite, has its roots planted firmly in picturesque, rural Essex.
"Holst came here on a walking holiday in 1913 and stayed one night," explains Thaxted resident Sybil King.
I reach The Guildhall, shame it had some scaffolding on it.
Current thinking believes that theGuildhall was built by the townsfolk sometime between 1462 and 1475. This dating is based on tree ring dating as being the prime evidence. It is not really a Guildhall as the design is more of a moote or mote hall. That is a civic meeting place. Many guide books mention the Cutler's Guild but there is little evidence that the building was associated with this guild, in fact, there is no evidence of such a guild in the Middle Ages and it is very unlikely that there was one. What is fact is that there was a thriving cutlery industry in Thaxted at this time. Therefore it is most likely they contributed financially to its construction.
The building has an open-paved ground floor which was used as a market and meeting place, and the first floor as an open gallery, with window openings which could be screened when necessary, also a market area. The top floor was used for meetings and probably the Warden's living quarters.
There was a cutlery industry in Thaxted, at one time it is known that over a third of the working population were involved in the trade in some way, but the other trades in the town would have been associated with farming and the land. When the cutlery trade began to decline, and to foster and regulate trade a formal Charter of Incorporation was granted by Philip and Mary, and Thaxted became a Borough. This allowed the appointment of a Mayor, two Bailiffs and twenty-four Burgesses to form a Court of Common Council, to manage the civic life of the town. In 1686, the Charter was extinguished owing to the persecution of James II, and during the years that followed the Guildhall fell into disrepair.
Yardleys Charity, one of the town's existing Charities, took over the Guildhall at the end of the 17th century, carrying out a major restoration, enclosing and panelling much of the first floor and equipping it for use as a school, which was also Yardleys Charity's responsibility. Thaxted Grammar School operated in the Guildhall until 1878, providing free education for 30 boys, adding education for 20 girls after 1830. In those days, children started school at 8 years and finished at 14, and learned reading, writing and arithmetic - samples of their excellent handwriting are on display in the Guildhall.
The settlement of Thaxted dates back to at least the Saxon era and it was already a thriving community long before the Normans arrived in England, and there was a church here as early as 981AD. In 1205 a market charter was granted, though it seems likely there was already a market long before this. From the 13th century Thaxted became a centre for the cutlery industry, in part because of cheap rents charged by local landowners!
The cutlery trade was at the centre of Thaxted's prosperity until well into the 16th century, and it was money from the trade that helped rebuild the parish church in the 14th and 15th centuries. When the cutlery market declined there was a brief flourishing of weaving in Thaxted and a short-lived Guild of Clothiers was founded in 1583. It seems that the medieval market place extended up Town Street and took in much of what is now the churchyard, but by the late 14th century the layout of the town achieved its present look, and it has changed very little since then.
Now I walk into Stoney Lane, where is a fabulous Medieval building , one being Dick Turpins Cottage.
Turpin lived in the pretty house in Hempstead, Essex, for years and ran a legitimate butcher's business from the outbuilding behind it.
He was born across the road at the Bluebell Inn and staged cockfights in a grassed area opposite the house, surrounded by a ring of trees with a chain around them known as Turpin's ring.
He later fled to London where he joined a gang of deer thieves, becoming a poacher, burglar, horse thief and murderer by the early 1730s.
When his fellow gang members were arrested, he made his way to Yorkshire, using the alias John Palmer.
But soon, the authorities became suspicious of how he financed his lifestyle.
He was imprisoned at York Castle for horse stealing, and while there wrote a letter to his brother in law asking for money.
The man who handled the letter at Hempstead was the man who taught him to write. He recognised Turpin's handwriting, and informed the court.
The daring highwayman was brought to justice and executed on April 7, 1739 and his exploits were later romanticised in stories by Victorian novelist William Harrison.
He is also known for a fictional 200-mile overnight ride from London to York on his horse Black Bess, recounted in one of these tales.
There is no doubt this is a stunning "chocolate box" cottage with all the character you could possibly want, set in beautiful gardens.
The house has two large reception rooms, kitchen, downstairs bathroom and lean-to conservatory.
It has many period features, including two fireplaces and a wealth of exposed beams.
On the first floor there are two large bedrooms with a third inter-connecting bedroom/study and scope to install a shower room.
Across the road is Ducketts Butchers where Turpin once worked.
I walk up the picturesque Stoney Lane to the church.
Thaxted Church is one of the grandest in the county of Essex, 183 feet long and 87 feet wide, and so beautiful that it may well claim to be the Cathedral of Essex. The Church stands on a hill and dominates the town. From whichever direction the visitor approaches, the splendid spire can be seen many miles away. It has been described as the finest parish church in the country, and has both beauty and grandeur. There is an excellent 'walk around' guide in the church available to visitors.
The building began in 1340, and its growth continued through our great building centuries till the Reformation, and the result is a proud example of English architecture. It was completed in 1510. Perfect balance is achieved with the aisles and transepts, chapels and the two porches, the King's and the Duke's, for Edward the Fourth gave the one with his arms on it (North porch), and Lionel, Duke of Clarence gave the other marked with his coronet (South porch). Both porches are vaulted, and both have a spiral stair leading to a room above and ending in a turret. The Church was built in the form of a cathedral, with a fine crossing between the main body and the chancel. The hexagonal pulpit, with canopy and ogee-shaped base, dates from c.1680. The roof is early 16th century and comprises six bays.
The chancel is flanked by two side chapels. The left or North side is dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury, and is generally called 'the Becket chapel'. The right or South side is dedicated to Jesus' mother, Mary, and his maternal grandmother, Ann. Formally known as the chapel of 'Our Lady and Our Lady Anne, it is generally called 'the Lady chapel'.
The chapel in the south transept is dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, who was condemned to death in 800AD nailed to a cart wheel. This area is now used as the Vestry but the statue to St Catherine can still be seen above the screen.
The chapel in the north transept is dedicated to St Laurence, deacon of Rome, but has also been known as Trinity Aisle, and the Singers' Chapel. Since 1858 the chapel has been the home of the Lincoln Organ.
The Stellar, the great star-shaped candelabra which hangs in the cross-aisle, was designed by the architect, Randall Wells. It was originally designed for St Mary's Church, Primrose Hill, London NW3, but was never erected there. It has been in Thaxted Church since 1910 and tells the Christmas story, Matthew 1. 1-17. There are 42 lights made up of 3 x 14. There were 14 generations from Abraham to King David, 14 generations from King David to the Flight into Egypt, and 14 generations from the Flight into Egypt to the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. The ball below the 42 lights symbolises the world; therefore, Jesus, the Light of the World.
There are three organs: the largest was built by Henry Lincoln in 1820 and came here from St John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London, in 1858. The smallest 'Conrad Noel Memorial Organ' beneath the tower arch was built in 1952 by Cedric Arnold with money raised on the death of the late Fr Conrad Noel, vicar of Thaxted 1910-42. The Thaxted Music Festival has a Makin electronic organ which is located in front of the Tower and is used by the church for most of its music.
The organ built by Henry Lincoln around 1820 was rarely played due to its failing condition and its need of restoration. It was originally built for St. John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London but moved to Thaxted in 1858, and was in active use here until the 1960s. Over the 150 years in Thaxted, the instrument was not repaired or altered. The Organ was finally restored fully in 2013/2014 and returned to its place in the church during 2014. It will become an important musical resource for scholars around the country.
The pews were removed in 1879 and supplanted by chairs during the incumbency of the late Fr George Symonds. To mark the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II a new set of chairs was placed in the church, some dedicated to families who subscribed to their purchase.
Eight bells hang in the 15th Century West Tower: the treble bell weighs 3.75 cwt, and the tenor weighs 15 cwt. They are housed in the upper part of the tower which is 80 feet high. If the wind is in a certain direction, the bells have been heard as far as Great Dunmow - 7 miles away! The stone spire, said to be the only mediaeval stone spire in Essex, originally rose to a height of 183 feet, but now rises to a height of 181 feet (the loss of two feet occurred due to an error when it was rebuilt in 1822) and can be seen for many miles around. It is similar to many built in Northamptonshire. It has twice been destroyed by lightning and each time has been built up again to the original design.
There is much ancient stained glass in the church. The oldest is a picture of a knight in the South Transept and dated about 1341. It is reputed to be Edmund, Earl of March, who owned a part of the Manor at that time. The chancel and Becket chapel east windows date from 1900 and are by C.E.Kempe, a noted Victorian glazier.
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| I lit a candle for loved ones past. |
I leave the church and walk up a path behind to the almshouses and to the windmill.
The long low thatched building, still known as the Chantry, was built as a Priest's House and later became an almshouse providing four dwellings under one roof. At some time during the 17th and 18th century, the administration of this building passed to the Manor of Horham, but by the 1920s its condition had deteriorated so much that it was unsuitable for its original purpose. The Rev. Conrad Noel, the Vicar at that time, then purchased it and turned it into a single dwelling now belonging to the church.
The adjacent tiled almshouse building, built around 1714 probably on the site of an earlier chantry house, used to comprise eight tenements under one roof, and in 1830 was occupied by sixteen aged persons: "13 widows, a man, a wife and a maid". The building was maintained partly by the parish and partly from church funds.
Under the administration of Hunt's Charity, these almshouses were in good use for 160 years, and in 1975, European Architectural Heritage Year, they were renovated to provide accommodation for three elderly couples. The Trustees, the Architect and the Builder were each awarded a Heritage Year Certificate of Merit for this undertaking.
I now reach John Webbs Windmill.
Built in 1804, John Webb's Windmill is a tower mill and is the only remaining windmill in Thaxted. This windmill is the largest and most advanced of all the Thaxted mills and it worked for a hundred years. Built to satisfy a growing demand for flour at a time of agricultural expansion, it was constructed from local materials, with the bricks being made and fired half a mile away in the Chelmer valley. John Webb owned the farmland on which the mill was built.
A gallery at first floor level surrounded the mill and was used for easy loading and unloading from carts and waggons, but when the mill was first built it was from this gallery that the sweeps, i.e. the sails, were individually adjusted to suit the wind. This was when spring sails were fitted. Later these were replaced with patent sails and thereafter all four sails could be adjusted at one time by the use of an invention known as a 'spider', which is a centrally controlled system of levers.
By 1907 the mill was uneconomic to work and when offered for auction it failed to sell. For years it was a playground for local children until in the 1930s some repairs were carried out so that it could be used as a scout and youth centre. By the late 1950s it was again derelict and in need of repair, and so it remained until 1970 when a Trust was formed to restore the building and open it to the public as a rural museum. Restoration work has been carried out in stages, and in 1991 the sails were re-erected and turned for the first time in almost 85 years. In 1996 one set of stones were restored and once again it can claim to be a working mill capable of grinding grain into flour. Since the work started, well over £100,000.00 has been spend on the restoration, of which some 70% has been raised by open days and fund raising with the balance coming from various grants. The museum has developed greatly and covers a wide range of exhibits and is an added attraction for visitors to the mill.
I walk on pass and look back to the windmill and church, a beautiful view indeed.
I walk on down onto Park Street and pass more delightful houses, I could easily live here!
I take a road off Park Street and down pass Peggys Cottage.
Now I take a path pass Thaxted Bowling Club and eventually Thaxted Tennis club.
I cross The Roamn Road.
I now pass Claypits Farm.
I pass a trigpoint at the top of a hill enroute to Holly Oak Farm.
After much farmland walking I am heading towards The Lodge.
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| The Lodge |
I pass a pond by The Lodge, I stop just after for a drink break and rest my tired legs.
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| Duck End Farm |
I walk past Duck End Farm and onto Bustard Green Lane.
After I leave Bustard Green Lane I head across more farmland,a little monotonous now.
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| Path a little overgrown here! |
From a distance I thought this was a man in the field, it wasn't until I used the zoom lens I realised it was a scarecrow!
I now walk out onto the Dunmow Road for more road walking towards Great Bardfield.
Just before Charity Farm I saw a car driving towards me, I was thinking its gonna move soon, anytime now, then at the last moment the little old lady saw me and swerved violently out of the way! I was all ready to dive into the hedgerow!
Henry VIII is said to have given Bardfield to Anne of Cleves as part of his divorce settlement and a number of buildings in the village are associated with Anne of Cleves, including the Grade II-listed Great Lodge and its associated Grade I-listed barn, now named after her. The 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) grounds include a Grade I-listed barn and a vineyard. Great Bardfield is home to the Bardfield Cage, a 19th-century village lock-up, and the Gibraltar Mill, a windmill which has been converted to a house.
Great Bardfield played an important role in the history of the oxlip which, in the UK, is a rare plant only found where Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire meet. Originally it was thought that oxlips were cowslip-primrose hybrids but in 1842 Henry Doubleday and Charles Darwin conducted tests on plants collected from Great Bardfield and concluded that this was not so. For a while the plant was known as the Bardfield Oxlip. The common cowslip-primrose hybrid is known as the False Oxlip.
A real ale festival is held each August Bank Holiday in the village pub garden of the Vine.
I take a footpath behind The Vine PH and walk across some fields.
I cross back over The River Pant and I am now following the path I took on the way out back towards Finchingfield.
I arrive back in Finchingfield after a very hot 16 miles, I am now out of drink and the pub is beckoning me.
I stop in The Fox PH for a pint of Woodfordes Red Admiral, it didnt even touch the sides!! A nice drop of ale.
I jump back in the car for the drive home! A great walk!
