This post features: Chelmsford, Thaxted, Saffron Walden, Southend on Sea, Finchingfield, Hartford End, Braintree, Hadstock, Ashingdon, Coggleshall, Colchester and Brentwood
Chelmsford
Chelmsford was granted city status in 2012 as part of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Chelmsford railway station hasn’t changed much since I lived and worked here in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The old Quaker Meeting House – the Railway Tavern on the right is a Gray & Sons pub – they ceased brewing in 1974…The Baptist ChurchSt Mary’s Cathedral – the second smallest in England after Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The earliest record of a church on this site dates back to 1223. 15th Century, the church was rebuilt to include the tower, parapets and magnificent South porch. In 1800 workmen digging to open a vault, undermined the building and the whole roof, north and south aisles collapsed, requiring extensive rebuilding. It became a cathedral in 1914 although Chelmsford didn’t become a city until 2012…There are three rivers in Chelmsford forming a little hub: the Ter; the Can and the ChelmerThe old Gray & Sons breweryA view of Chelmsford in the 1880’s
Thaxted
Thaxted Church was begun in 1340 – the medieval Guildhall is photogenic – a pretty town even on a grey day like today…Thaxted Guidhall
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden: a lovely medieval market town – there has been a market here since the 1140’s – St Mary’s Church dominates the skyline – the town has lots of lovely old buildings…This building dates from 1569…Historic drinking fountain in the market squareThe Sun – a former Ridley’s pub (1842 – 2005)…
Southend on Sea
Southend was granted city status in 2022 as a tribute to the late Sir David Amess MP, who championed for city status throughout his career and who was tragically murdered on October 15th 2021 while undertaking his constituency surgery…
Southend on Sea pier is the longest pleasure pier in the world at 2.1km. The first pier, built in 1830, was only 180m long. By 1848 it had been lengthened to nearly 3.4km. An iron pier was built in 1887 to replace the wooden one. In 1976 a fire destroyed much of the pier head and it took 10 years before the damage was repaired. More fires followed in 1995 and 2005 since when there has been significant investment in upgrading facilities and infrastructure. The end of the pierLooking back towards SouthendLooking up river towards LondonSouthend’s famous ice cream familyPie, mash and liquor – an old East End favourite I came here lots of times in the late 1970’s to see bands like Curved Air, Budgie and the legendary Dr Feelgood, who hailed from Canvey Island There was a little classic car show on, which was a bit of a treat. This is an NSU Sport Prinz. My first car was an NSU 1200 – a more useless, unreliable car you’d struggle to find… A Tatra 600. Tatra made amazing & quite advanced cars from the 1890’s until the last model – the Tatra 700 introduced in 1996. They ceased car production in 1998. Today they just make trucks…
Finchingfield
FinchingfieldFinchingfieldFinchingfieldFinchingfieldFinchingfield1956 Duple coach on a Bedford chassisFine tree in the graveyard of St John’s Church, Finchingfield – a chap walking his dog told us it was a Tulip tree – but the leaves and bark looked to us like Hornbeam…
Hartford End
The old Ridley’s brewery in Hartford End, near Chelmsford, established in 1842 by Thomas Dixon Ridley on the banks of the River Chelmer. Greene King acquired Ridley’s in 2005 and closed the brewery in 2006…The site was abandoned and derelict since the closure but is now being developed…..I visited the Ridley’s brewery in 1989 – their beers were terrific
Braintree
I haven’t been to Braintree for about 100 years – despite going there regularly and working there often – I remember virtually nothing of it – apart from the Tesco supermarket, obviously. As is often the way in towns across the country, pubs are some of the oldest and nicest buildings…Sweet that they still have the Ridley’s sign up – Ridley’s were bought by Greene King in 2005 and closed the brewery in 2006. Ridley’s re-born: Nelion Ridley established the Bishop Nick brewery in 2011, in Felsted, Essex. He then expanded and moved the brewery to Braintree in 2013 https://bishopnick.com/The Tesco store where I often worked…Another pub retaining the Ridley’s branding – this one is in Great Sampford
Hadstock
HadstockSt Botolph’s in Hadstock has a Saxon door on its original hinges – the oldest door in the countrySt Botolph’s was closed for repairs at the time of my visit…It is believed that the church was built in 1016 by King Canute…Is this the Saxon door?Hadstock
Ashingdon
St Andrew’s Minster, Ashingdon, Essex – the church was allegedly built by Canute in 1020 after the battle here…Unfortunately but not surprisingly, the church was locked so I couldn’t go in – there are lovely views from the churchyard St Andrew’s Minster, Ashingdon An angel casting out devils in the churchyard at St Andrew’s Minster, Ashingdon…
Coggleshall
Coggleshall is a small town on the A120 between Braintree and Colchester. It is a pretty town with almost 200 listed buildings. Like many towns and villages in Essex and Suffolk, its wealth came from the wool trade. But it also has another claim to fame…
Coggleshall Abbey was founded around 1140 by King Stephen and Queen Maud. It was one of 13 belonging to the Savignacs before they joined the Cistercians in 1147. This former gatehouse is now St Nicholas’ Chapel and one of the few remnants of the abbey…The abbey was closed in 1538 during the Dissolution and now only a few buildings remain. So, not really worth visiting – except: it is apparently the oldest brick building in the country. The brick bits date from around 1190 (www.isurv.com)… The Manor House is Tudor – see: www.colnetour.orgThe Abbey Mill dates from the 18th century…The Great Barn, built to house the tithes of the abbey, dates from the 13th century and is the largest and oldest of its kind in EuropeThe old brewery dates from the 18th century. From 1827 it was known as Gardners Brewery – it closed in 1941Paycocke’s House dates from 1509 and was built for a wealthy wool merchant www.nationaltrust.org.ukFormerly “The Fleece”, which closed in 2013. The building appears to be early 19th centuryThe clocktower was built in 1787to replace a clock on the Corn Market House, which formerly stood in the middle of Market Hill, and which was demolished in that year. It was restored in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee.
Colchester
Britain’s oldest town and former capital of Roman Britain, Colchester gained city status in 2022, as part Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, making it the third city in Essex.
There’s a friendly rivalry between Colchester and Ipswich that I wasn’t aware of. Colchester claims to be the oldest town in England while Ipswich claims to be the oldest English town in the country. It’s a subtle distinction but a relevant one in that, when the Romans invaded, the country was known as Britannia and the people were mostly Britons. The name England comes from the Angles who settled here from the 5th century onwards – although the country wasn’t known as England until the 10th century…
The Castle and Priory:
Colchester was the first of the great keeps and the largest built by the Normans in Europe. It was constructed on the foundations of the Temple of Claudius, built when Colchester was the first Roman capital of Britain. Construction of the castle began in 1076, probably under the supervision of Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester who built the White Tower at London. Due to a lack of local quality stone, the Norman builders plundered Roman Colchester to build their keep. Colchester saw little action at first; it was attacked by John in 1216 as it had been taken by the French, but it remained Crown property in the care of a succession of stewards or constables throughout medieval times. By the 13th century Colchester Castle was in use as a prison and at times many hundreds of prisoners of war were confined here in appalling conditions. Much of the castle was a ruin by the 16th century although it continued in use as a county gaol until 1668 and was a prison until 1835.At the end of the 17th Century, the castle was bought by a private owner who wanted to demolish it. However in 1727 it was given as a wedding present to Charles Gray, a lawyer and antiquarian. Gray was responsible for the restoration of Colchester Castle, although at the time he believed it to be a Roman constructionSubsequently, the Castle took on its current role as a Museum for archaeological treasures, beginning life as a museum over 150 years ago in 1860.Founded between 1093 and 1100, the priory of St Julian and St Botolph was one of the first religious houses in England to adopt Augustinian rule. This initially gave it authority over other houses of that order in the country to correct abuses, inflict punishments and prescribe regulations. Despite these privileges, St Botolph’s remained a small foundation and fund-raising must have been hampered by the existence of the more powerful St John’s Abbey a few hundred yards away. Its relative poverty means construction would have been a slow process, and the details of the west front indicate a completion date of around 1150. When St Botolph’s was dissolved in 1536 its possessions were granted to Sir Thomas Audley, the Lord Chancellor. Even in its ruined state the priory church is an impressive example of early Norman architecture, and the elaborate west front is one of the best surviving examples from this period. It had flanking towers to the north and south, unusually placed outside the nave aisles, and three doorways. The decoration on these – their mouldings and chevron ornament – are carried out in good quality limestone, but the individual stones are small and were evidently used with great economy.Part of the church remained in use as a parish church until the siege of Colchester in 1648, when the Royalist town was attacked by General Fairfax. During the siege the church was largely destroyed by cannon fire and has never been repaired. The nave was used for burials during the 18th and 19th centuries and south of the church the cloister was at one stage laid out as a garden.
Landmarks:
John Belcher designed the present Town Hall, which was chosen after a competition in 1897. Building work began in 1898 and the building was opened by the Earl of Rosebery in May 1902. The building design is Baroque and the 162ft Victorian tower was presented by industrialist James Paxman with a statue at the top of St Helena, Colchester’s patron saint. The Town Hall site has been the focus of civic duties for more than 800 years. Colchester’s first Town Hall, called the Moot Hall was built in 1160. The second Town Hall was built in 1844 and was a three-storey structure with a stone faced front.The Jumbo Water Tower was built in 1883 and once provided clean water to Colchester Town Centre. Today it stands empty and is no longer open to the public, but it still a great source of civic pride to local residents. Named after London Zoo’s Jumbo the elephant the name was initially a term of derision, but soon stuck and is now used rather fondly. It is the largest remaining Victorian water tower in Britain, and an increasingly rare example of one in an original condition.
Churches:
The church of St James and St Paul dates from the 12th century – the lower stages of the tower are late 12th or early 13th century, and the upper stage is 14th century. The church underwent a major reconstruction in the late 15th century but by 1870 was so dilapidated that services were no longer being held there. Restoration work was carried out in 1871-2. St Paul’s church merged with St James’ in 1995 The former All Saints church is now home to the sweet little Natural History Museum. The church had become redundant in 1956 and was turned into a museum in 1958.The United Reformed Church, in Lion Walk, was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1884. The tower is all that’s left of the former Victorian Gothic church, construction of which began in 1862 and was built of Caen stone. By the 1940s the Caen stone had begun to deteriorate and in 1972 the church was demolished, leaving just the tower. The church still exists within the Lion Walk shopping centre…Holy Trinity Church is Colchester’s oldest standing building, it is the only surviving Saxon building which has an arrowhead (triangle arches) doorway in the tower and features re-used Roman bricks. The churchyard contains the burial place of William Gilberd, discoverer of electro-magnetism and Physician to Queen Elizabeth I. Like most of the churches here, Holy Trinity Church is not currently open to the public…Holy Trinity’s square Saxon tower is believed to have been built in 1020, though there was probably a church on the site before that. Noticeable in the walls are the Roman bricks interspersed in the stones. Also worth noting is a small doorway in the tower that has a triangular arch above it. This was typical Saxon design for windows, but unusual for doorways. Sections of the main building date back to Saxon times but much is 14th and 15th century. The church was renovated in the late 19th century.St Martin’s lies southeast of Colchester Town Hall, a medieval survivor with a truncated tower. Many reused Roman bricks may be seen in its exterior, especially in its tower. Although there is evidence of 11th-century work, most of the present building grew during the 14th-century. It is now part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland, which is under the Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East… The first Baptist Church in Colchester was established in 1690. The Church moved to Eld Lane, on part of its present site in 1711. The current building dates from 1834
Pubs and Hotels:
The core of the current building dates to the 15th century and it has been progressively extended and modified since then. The first reference to the George is, apparently, in a document of 1494 and, in the 18th century, it was one of the town’s major coaching inns. The Roman remains at the George consist of layers of archaeology which have been exposed in section by the excavation of the cellar. See: https://www.thecolchesterarchaeologist.co.uk/Built in 1481 by the first Duke of Norfolk, Red Lion Hotel was the Duke’s town-house in Colchester. The building was turned into an inn early in the 16th century when it seems to have been known as The White Lion. Its present title dates from the time of James I, largely on account of the red lion on the King’s crest. The Red Lion is supposedly haunted by several ghosts including a monk, a young boy and Alice Catherine Miller who was “foully done to death” by her lover in 1632… The Marquis of Granby dates from around 1520 with extensive renovation in 1914This pub was established in around 1860 and was originally tied to the Colchester Brewing Company, before that brewery was taken over by Ind Coope in the 1930s. This seventeenth century building that was saved from demolition in the redevelopments of the 1970s.
The City Streets:
Built in 1802, this Grade II listed building was originally the home of the Essex Fire and Insurance Office, which existed in the days before the municipal fire service. It was originally built with the colonnades at the bottom, housing the corn market. The building was important in that it was the first fire office outside of London. The Georgian building has undergone a number of changes, including being significantly rebuilt in 1820. An unusual feature of the building is that its pillars and walls were made of cast iron, created in the nearby Wallis foundry. This proved to be vital when fire ravaged the High Street in 1835, burning down a line of properties at the top of the High Street but leaving the fire office unscathed.Tymperleys was built around the 1490s for John Tymperleys (d. 1505) who served as a councillor and steward for the Duke of Norfolk’s holdings in Colchester and the surrounding area. Built as a smart town house, reflecting it owner’s importance and then was expanded considerably in the late 16th century. It was added to and expanded considerably in the late 16th century, around the time that William Gilberd lived at Tymperleys. William Gilberd was a physician to Elizabeth I and the scientist who coined the term ‘electricity’. He wrote the famous thesis ‘De Magnete’ in 1600. Now the offices of Sparlings Solicitors, this is a late 15th century half-timbered house with tiled roofs. Front part of No. 6 is earliest in date and was the original hall with a two storey wing at the back. No.3 is a double-gabled building. It is said to have formed part of the Angel Inn. Dendrochronological assessment was undertaken in 2016 and four timbers from this building were found to have come from trees felled in the winter of 1429/30 – making construction most likely in 1430, or within a year or two after this date… This house is in the Dutch Quarter – just north of the High Street – it was home to Flemish Protestant refugees fleeing religious persecution in the 16th century. The houses pre-date the Dutch arrival and were formerly inhabited by the Jewish community and other immigrants. The Dutch Quarter fell into a state of decay during the early 20th century and received a Civic Trust Building award after being regenerated during the 1970s.The Dutch QuarterThe River Colne
Brentwood
Brentwood is no longer served by Greater Anglia but is now a station on the Elizabeth Line, that terminates at Shenfield. The benefit is that it now has frequent services into London but misses out on services to Chelmsford, Colchester and on to Norwich…
The Catholic Cathedral of St Mary and St Helen consists of a surviving section of a Gothic church, built 1860-61, to the designs of Gilbert R Blount and a dominant classical addition, built 1989-1991, to the designs of Quinlan Terry. The first Roman Catholic church on the site opened in 1837 but was soon outgrown by an expanding congregation. In 1861, a second church (dedicated to St Helen) was built. In 1917, the church was made the cathedral of the newly created diocese of Brentwood and was refurbished to reflect its new status. In the late 1980s, a major donation allowed for the possibility of rebuilding the cathedral, which was opened in May 1991.The cathedral and Brentwood SchoolIn 1557 Sir Antony Browne, the Lord Chief Justice, acquired the land on which Brentwood School was first built. Queen Mary granted a charter in 1558 and George Otway, the first headmaster, was appointed in the same year. The old “big school” was built in 1568. In 1765 the school accepted borders for the first time, however the lack of pupils forced the school to close in 1793. The school re-opened in 1801 and has remained open since then…The building on the left is known as the Old House and dates from the 16th century with 18th and 19th century alterations. It was once part of Brentwood School but is now a community centre.A new church was built in 1835 to replace the 13th century chapel (see next picture) but, despite modifications in 1855, it was apparent that a new church needed to be built. In 1873, the parish of Brentwood was created. Construction of the current church began in 1881 and consecrated in 1883.The remains of the original church. In 1184 the monks of the priory of St. Osyth were given leave to clear forty acres of woodland in the Manor of Costed for agricultural purposes. Granted by William of Wokendone, during the reign of Henry II. Within the bounds of the manor was the hamlet of Brentwood, in the parish of South Weald. In the year 1221 St Osyth’s priory, the owner of Costed manor was licenced to build a church in Brentwood, dedicated to St. Thomas Becket, for the use of its tenants there. The foundation was on the understanding the Vicar of South Weald retained his rights over the whole parish.
