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Essex

May 2020 - April 2024
An open-ended adventure by Andrew's Travels Read more
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  • TravelerEssex

    Thaxted

    May 5, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Driving south from Saffron Walden further into Uttlesford via the Debden Road, we reach the town of Thaxted. There is a classic view of the town's church and windmill on this route.

    Thaxted's status as a town is due to its prominent late medieval Guildhall on the main high street - during the Middle Ages, Thaxted prospered as a centre for the production of cutlery. There are many beautiful old houses here, as well as a large and fine English Perpendicular parish church dedicated to St John the Baptist with Our Lady and St Laurence; it is one of the largest in Essex. Just South of the church we see the Grade II listed five-storey tower mill, John Webb's Mill, which has been restored to working order and is open to the public at certain times.

    On the cultural side, Thaxted is also known for its association with Gustav Holst, who lived here from 1917 to 1925, and for its link with Morris Dancing; in 1934, the year that Holst died, the Cambridge Morris Men invited five other teams (Letchworth, Thaxted, East Surrey, Greensleeves and Oxford) to join them in the formation of a national organisation - The Morris Ring - and there is a plaque on the house where this happened. The Thaxted Morris Weekend is a major event on the Morris Dancing calendar and many sides, or teams, visit here each year; it is also a major local tourist attraction.    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    Saffron Walden - Castle and Town Centre

    August 2, 2020 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Just a few miles south of Duxford, you cross the border into the Uttlesford area of of northwest Essex and reach the beautiful market town of Saffron Walden. Originally called Chipping Walden and then just Walden, the Saffron part comes from the valuable saffron crop which was cultivated here between the 15th and 18th centuries and was used as a dye, flavouring and medicine.

    The remains of the 12th century Walden Castle can still be visited; it was destroyed by Henry II. Originally a motte and bailey, the current market square, a short walk away, is located just external to what would have been the outer bailey (markets are still held every Tuesday and Saturday). A half timbered Guildhall is one side of the market cross and the Corn Exchange - now the library - is on the other.

    Walking down from the castle along Castle Street, we see some of the many timber framed historic buildings in the town; many are brighly coloured and others, such as the 14th century Old Sun Inn - once used as Oliver Cromwell's HQ - feature an external display of decorative moulded plasterwork, known as pargeting; in this case, there are two figures which are said to represent a local hero who killed the Wisbech Giant!

    Saffron Walden is a lovely town - more in a separate post.    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    Audley End - Grounds

    December 6, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    Having joined English Heritage when we visited Stonehenge in October, Helen and I decided to visit our local EH site having secured a booking; the weather did not go to plan though, as it was freezing all the time we were there.

    Audley End was the site of Walden Abbey, it developed over several rebuilds into one of the finest Jacobean country houses in England; now one-third of its original size, but still very large, there is much to see here - both internally and externally.

    Much of the the Gardens and Grounds were laid out by the landscape gardener Lancelot "Capability" Brown and they are divided by the River Cam (or Granta) which can be crossed here by several bridges. Behind the house is the parterre garden, an ornamental garden with paths between the beds; we explore this and then walk up to the Temple of Concord, a folly in the Eastern part of the grounds.

    Walking back we pass the Place Pond and then proceed to the Victorian Stable Block and Yard, through the Organic Kitchen Garden and via the Vine House and Pond Garden to the Elysian Garden, with its beautiful Tea House Bridge over the River Cam, its cascade and huge London plane tree. On the way back to the house we stop and see the Polish Special Operations Executive (SOE) War Memorial, unveiled in June 1983.

    A lovely day and we will be back in the Spring for sure....    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    Saffron Walden - Town and Gardens

    January 22, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    What is now Saffron Walden had a Medieval Town Ditch surrounding it originally; this was an early 13th century earthwork possibly marking the settlement boundary (it was later called the Repell or Battle Ditch), and all that is visible today is a short section on the south-west of the town close to the edge of the Audley End Estate.

    Nearby are the King Edward VI Almshouses; as a result of one of his acts, the Almshouse lands and estate were devolved to the King but he agreed to return them to the town in his name - and so they have continued (and other units have been added since).

    Further into the town - from the top of Gold Street - there is an excellent view of the parish church of St Mary The Virgin; this is the largest church in Essex and has the saffron crocus as its emblem.

    On the other side of the small town centre are the lovely Bridge End Gardens; these comprise seven interlinked ornamental gardens and a hedge maze (there is also a turf maze on Saffron Walden Common). The Dutch Garden is considered the most important of the seven and is entered via a gate with two eagles sitting on it; there is a lovely fountain at the centre of this garden. The Bridge End Gardens are a really pleasant diversion whenever one visits Saffron Walden.    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    Audley End - round the outside

    February 12, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ -1 °C

    We start from the end of Abbey Lane in Saffron Walden (where the Almhouses and Repell Ditch can be seen; see Saffron Walden - Town and Gardens), walk by the banks of The Slade, a tributary of the River Cam, and then along the perimeter of the Saffron Walden golf club course. Our footpath route cuts across the Audley End Grounds and joins a farm road passing behind the Tea House Bridge (see Audley End - Grounds) to the B1383 Littlebury to Newport road. We go down here and enjoy excellent views of both Audley End House and its stable block / exhibition centre. On the other side of the road we see the Ring Hill Temple, a circular stuccoed building with a leaded dome and a colonnade of 12 Ionic columns.

    We then walk along the front of Audley End seeing the arch of the Lion Gate - this is the main entrance to the estate - and divert through tiny Audley End village itself; this was once the medieval village of Brookwalden and housed the workers at Walden Abbey and is literally a short row of small houses. We see Saint Mark's College - this was built on the site of almshouses that were attached to a hospital (part of Walden Abbey), but is now a residential youth and conference centre.

    We double back and then continue uphill outside the boundary walls before turning to cross the estate back to where we started earlier; as we descend we see an obelisk in the distance. This is a commemorative column dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth, Countess of Portsmouth; she left the estate to the first Lord Braybrooke back in the 18th century and it was he who had the garden and grounds laid out by Capability Brown.    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    Newport

    March 16, 2021 in England ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Newport is a large village south of Saffron Walden and was on the major toll road (turnpike) between London and Cambridge / Newmarket and it still has many attractive old buildings dating from that time of horse-drawn carriages. This post describes a short walk in the surrounding countryside together with an exploration of the village.

    We start off at the Railway Station and follow the footpath that climbs out of the valley of the River Cam; at the top there is a lovely view of the village and the prominent tower of the Church of St Mary the Virgin. As we turn, we see the Newport Chalk Pit, the only working chalk quarry in Essex. We follow the path over the Debden Road and descend a slippery slope to the flood plain of Debden Water, a small tributary of the River Cam, before crossing it and following the path back towards Newport. A bridge takes us over the River Cam and we reach Belmont Hill (aka Newport High Street).

    We see a sign on an old house which shows where the old toll bridge used to be and another sign on the building opposite shows that it was a "house of correction" back in the day. Further along Belmont Hill we pass The White Horse Inn, now a local community owned pub, and The Old Vicarage which is probably the oldest timber-framed building in the village. We walk by Monks Barn, a 15th century house with ancient carved figures below one of the windows. We turn left towards the station and note the example of Hertfordshire puddingstone close to the road.

    It has been another lovely local walk.    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    Littlebury Green Circular

    May 2, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Littlebury Green is a small village in the Uttlesford District of north-west Essex and 3 miles from Saffron Walden. It has a chapel of ease since the main parish church is in Littlebury itself; a chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently - it is not every day you see a church with corrugated sides and roof!

    From here, our walk takes us south west across fields to reach the B1309 where we cross and head to the outskirts of Rockell's Wood, one of several in the area with beautiful carpets of bluebells between the trees. From here we walk to Duddenhoe End and walk north and pass The Hamlet Church - it is not every day you see a church with a thatched roof!

    We cross the B1309 again and head towards Elmdon; we have a view of Lofts Hall Stud which has bred several winners at the Newmarket race course over the years. The original hall was in the former parish of Wenden Lofts; this in now abandoned, but the ruins of the old parish church (St Dunstan's) are still visible in the adjoining house gardens - it is not every day you see a church that has been left to become a shell!

    We turn off before Elmdon and have a good view of St Nicholas' Church there as we follow part of the Icknield Way along the northern outskirts of Free Wood (more bluebells) towards Catmere End and head south back to Littlebury Green.

    A good walk with few expectations (other than bluebells), but it turned out to be rather "churchy" and interesting.    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    The Chesterfords

    June 12, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Great Chesterford is an ancient village with many listed buildings and is situated on the banks of the River Cam just over the Cambridgeshire border in the Uttlesford district of Essex. The All Saints Church dates from the 13th century and the primary school there was licensed in 1514.

    Little Chesterford is a short walk away along a footpath running parallel to the River Cam. Basically two rows of (nice) houses along the a road which bends up to the B184 (which links Sawston and Saffron Walden), the heart of the village is a grouping of the church of St Mary (early 13th century), the tiny village hall and a manor house.

    The footpath that runs south from the church takes us along the Cam again before turning up to the B184 and the tiny hamlet of Springwell, literally a few houses and a large nursery now.    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    Ashdon and Bartlow Circular

    November 9, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    This walk starts in Ashdon in the district of Uttlesford, Essex; it is situated approx. 4 miles northeast of Saffron Walden and is very close to the Essex / Cambs border (Bartlow is in Cambridgeshire).  Our route takes us out of Ashdon via Newnham Hall Farm and doglegs left and right before we reach the bridleway, where there are good views of the surrounding area; this takes us to the small village of Bartlow, the southern border of which divides it from Essex.

    The path takes us through the churchyard of Bartlow St Mary's, one of only two existing round-tower churches in Cambridgeshire; it is also known for its 15th-century wall-paintings whose fragments include depictions of St Christopher, St Michael weighing souls, and St. George's Dragon.  Bartlow Hills, a Roman tumuli cemetery with four remaining mounds, is nearby and we visit these; the tallest is 15 metres tall, thankfully with a walkway to the top, and is the largest barrow north of the Alps.  

    We are back in Essex and the route takes us through Waltons Park and Steventon End; the Hall is is next to Ashdon Place and both are beautiful private residences.  There are good views back to these as we reach Ashdon Windmill (aka Bragg's Mill, William Bragg's Mill, Bartlow Hamlet Mill or Stevington End Mill); this is a grade II listed post mill, where the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind - subsequently, the more familiar tower mill took its place.

    It is then back to Ashdon; it has been an interesting 7 mile walk and the weather was beautiful today.    Read more

  • TravelerEssex

    Little Walden Circular

    January 28, 2022 in England ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Little Walden is a small village in North Essex and lies about 3 miles north of Saffron Walden, along the B1052 road that goes up to Hadstock and Linton (in South Cambs); a USAAF airfield was operational from 1942-45 - this has long since gone back to agriculture, although it is commemorated on the village sign.  Little Walden is well known locally for the 18th century Crown Inn, a free house, and we have a quick look round the hamlet to see this as well as the small St John's Church, opposite Hall Farm, and the large village pond before walking north up Petts Lane.

    We pass through Home Farm and on to the Grade II listed timber framed Burntwood End before following the path east towards Park Farm and then south down through Ravenstock Green Farm (it is very agricultural here); there are views over to Chesterford Research Park (biotechnology, pharmaceutical and technology R&D companies have offices and bases here).

    We cross the B1052 to walk through Mitchells Farm and then east along a farm track; there are views of a windmill in the distance - Braggs Mill, near Ashdon (see Ashdon and Bartlow Circular FP entry; click on Trip - Essex).  We head south now and reach Puddle Wharf Lane before heading west along the Harcamlow Way, turning off at Butler's Farm - where there is some fancy farm machinery on view - and back in the general direction of Little Walden.

    It's been over 7 miles and a pleasant 3 hours walk.    Read more

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