South Weald Circular Walk 19th September 2017

I set off from home to walk a short local dog walk. I parked up outside St Peters Church in South Weald, Brentwood, Essex.

The church is large for such a small village and stands proudly on the top of the hill at South Weald, two miles from Brentwood in the English county of Essex. The Saxons settled here and the place is mentioned in the Domesday Book. St Peter’s is the mother church of the neighbourhood and until the middle of the 19th century, Brentwood, with its chapel, came under the jurisdiction of South Weald. The present church dates from about 1150, although the South Door with its chevron ornamentation is the sole remaining Norman feature. The present Memorial Chapel at the end of the south aisle was originally Weald Hall Chapel. Within it are commemorated former holders of the manor of South Weald. Sir Anthony Browne, the founder of Brentwood School, Erasmus Smith and the Tower family are all represented. The latter were the local squires from 1752 onward.

I walk a short way alongside Weald Road before entering South Weald Country Park.

Weald Country Park is a 700-year-old, 500 acre (2 km²) country park. 

Weald manor, parts of which dated to the 16th century, was bought by Sir Anthony Browne in 1547 and he died at Weald Hall in 1567. In 1685, Erasmus Smith bought it from Sir William Scroggs. The current layout is largely the result of landscaping carried out in the naturalistic manner of Capability Brown for Hugh Smith, lord of the manor from 1732 to 1745.  In 1752, the estate was sold to Thomas Tower of Iver in Buckinghamshire, a lawyer and MP for Wareham in Dorset. Christopher Tower succeeded as the owner in 1778 and immediately commissioned Robert Adam to design a new dining room. On his death in 1810, his son, Christopher Thomas Tower, succeeded until 1867; he enlarged the estate and enclosed some commons as "waste".

The park is now managed by Essex County Council.

At Weald Country Park, enjoy over 500 acres of woodland, lakes, hay and wildflower meadows, deer park, open grassland and spectacular views. The park is famous for its wildlife, including fallow deer, cattle, herons, mallard ducks and other water birds. Feed the deer with deer food from the shop or bring your own vegetable cuttings, or enjoy the new Stick Man play trail.

Giant Redwood Trees

As Ben and I exit South Weald Country Park, we pass some large greenhouses before walking out onto Coxtie Green Road.

We cross Coxtie Green Road and take a path almost directly opposite. 

Here the grass was long and wet, and the path muddy in places. But worst of all this path isn't dog friendly. There are several stiles, two of which had no place a dog could get through and the gates padlocked. I had no choice but to lift a heavy Labrador over, Ben wasn't keen and splayed his legs out making it difficult t say the least!

We exit out onto Pilgrims Lane and walk up a short way to St Paul Church in Mores Lane, Bentley.

An attractive building, the centennial kneelers in the chancel dated 1880 to 1980 imply it was a Victorian 'new build' on a greenfield site during that great period of Victorian church building. All existing memorials are later than 1880 and there is no sign of 18th century tabletombs, etc, in the churchyard.

We walk back the way we came and back down Pilgrims Lane and into a footpath/Bridlepath down the end.

Coming out onto Pilgrims Lane again and past  a lovely house near to Pilgrims Hall.

 

We turn onto BellHouse Lane, walk up a short way and cross back over Coxtie Green Road. We go straight over opposite into the road that leads down to the Refuse tip and Benchmark and other units. So this road was a little busy, but it was only after a short way we re-enter South Weald Country Park again.

Here we went a little wrong turning off the path too early that lead us up over a common looking down onto South Weald Park.

We tried to get back to the park and its path but were met with barbed wired fences, so through a muddy ditch and under barbed wire fence we went. Only to be met by a woman and a horse who rudely told me that I was on private ground and was to go back the way I came!

Well I wasn't go back through that mud, so I let here walk off and I walk down the path from where she came. More mud and loads of it, created it would seem by the numerous deer I saw here. The mud was covered in their hoof marks.

we eventually came to a gate where again I had to pick Ben up and lift him over, but we were back in the park and on a path.

After following the path and slip sliding around in the mud,we arrive back at the car after 6 miles.

If I do this walk again I'll know where I went wrong, I'd do it in the summer when there is little chance of mud and Id walk up Coxtie Green Road to Mores Lane and up to the church avoiding those stiles!