Little Hallingbury Walk

Off message but Gill and I went on a perfect little walk today around Little Hallingbury, which is near Harlow, courtesy of Essexwalks.com. The bright winter sunshine and blue skies helped make it special.

The start of the walk is in the hamlet of Gaston Green. Walk down a lane to the restored Little Hallingbury Water Mill.  Then turn right along the towpath of the Stort Navigation river. Apart from being very muddy the walk along the Stort was a pleasure. There was little wind so the reflections of the trees in the water was stunning.

After we left the Stort the walk back was through rolling Essex fields and hills. We hardly saw anyone during the walk apart from the occasional fisherman and families out with their children for a Sunday stroll.

When walking in North Wales and the Peak district over the recent holiday, some routes were jam packed with people. Just outside London there is stacks of beautiful, empty countryside.  The only thing that spoilt the tranquillity were jets flying over on route to Stanstead airport.

Due to a mix up with the SavNav we actually started the walk in Little Hallingbury and on route to Gaston Green, we passed a brick built arch memorial (top of college) to "Alice Eugenia Barclay. Who was kind to man and beast" dated 1923. I can't find anymore information on this apart from her probable connection with the Barclay (Bank?) family who at one time owned nearby Gaston House. Intriguing. 

After the walk we went to 17th century George public house. Essexwalks.com tells a sad tale about how 2 local youths were caught breaking into the pub during the 1840s and sentenced to 10 years transportation to Australia.

The Sunday roast dinner looked good but we had eaten sandwiches for lunch and were anyway too late (last serving 3pm). Next time. I was more than happy with my pint of best. 

Downham Essex Walk, the Peasants Revolt and the 1826 General election

Off message-ish but today (Sunday) went for a beautiful 7.5 mile walk in the empty and big sky Essex countryside.

This free EssexWalks.Com circular route started near the 15th Century St Margret's Church in Downham. It took less than 50 minutes to get there by car from Newham.

It was relatively hilly (by Essex standards) and mainly along ancient fields, green lanes and tracks.

I have never walked through so many glorious fields full of wild flowers and golden buttercups.  The bird song for nearly the entire route was constant and at times deafening.  In places there were fluttering butterflies and tiny fast moving blue dragonflies.

At the magnificent Hanningfield Reservoir we stopped off at the Essex Wild Life Trust and saw Mr Toad and his friends.

Had (very unusually) a couple of encounters with snotty landowners, who don't know how privileged  they are compared to the rest of us living in such a quiet and gorgeous part of the world. This is the only walk I can remember in recent times to have seen no other walkers on footpaths and green lanes.

On the downside, there was about half a mile of walking along a road and a number of footpaths with greedy horses who looked upon us as providing their dinner and who needed to be persuaded otherwise.

As always, I love finding out about the history of an area where I go walking. Essex Walks mentioned that "Just over a mile to the west of the village (Ramsden) lies Norsey Woods, one of the gathering points for marchers who joined the Peasant's Revolt. The revolt was a reaction to a tripling of the poll tax from one groat in 1377 to three groats in 1381.

This was widely seen as unfair, and after some isolated rebellions in Fobbing and in Brentwood, a mass uprising occurred resulting in thousands of armed men marching from the Kent and Essex countryside to London, to demand fairer treatment.

It is not known whether men of Ramsden took part in this revolt; but we do know that 4 men from Ramsden and Downham went to the local fees office and destroyed the manorial roles, which were used to collect the hated tax".

Also another site names all the local Downham workers who voted in the 1826 General Election. Surprisingly the right to vote in this area was given to (male only) farm labourers unlike most of the rest of the Country. However there was widespread bribery and corruption with the candidates who spent the most on brides, free drinks and travelling expenses ending up winning.

This is now one of my favourite Essex walks. Recommended. Check out other photos on Facebook

100th Anniversary of Essex Agricultural Workers Strike 1914

The weekend before last I went by chance for a  country walk in the Essex /Cambridgeshire boarders. It was only afterwards that I realised the significance of its starting and finishing point, the beautiful but historic village of Ashdon.

100 years ago Ashdon, was the centre of a desperate struggle between poorly paid farm labourers and farm owners.

Check out this post at Country Standard for a full account of the dispute.  The Essex Standard had  described how farm workers felt at the time.

"The condition of the agricultural labourer is as bad as can be, he toils like a slave, lives like a pig and often dies like a dog, with no pleasure but an occasional debauch at the ale house, no prospect but that of the Workhouse for an old age of rheumatism and misery'

Support for the strike

Speakers included George Lansbury MP , John Scurr (later MP for Mile End) and Rev Edward Maxted the "Socialist" vicar of Tiltly. But the largest meeting was to hear Sylvia Pankhurst speak and it was her who led a procession through the village of Helions Bumpstead at which over 2,0000 were present on Sunday 26th July 1914

Arguable the "Militant" strike centre of the dispute was at Ashdon, Essex, Where over 70 police officers had to be stationed to keep order, being billeted in Rose & Crown

Many strikers were fined and even imprisoned.
 
The police were now patrolling the villages night and day, this not stop the attacks on imported "blacklegs", their lodging houses, unsympathetic shop owners premises and of course the local Conservative club or indeed the firing of hay stacks, which lite up the rural night sky, in what must have seemed a throw back to the "Swing" Riots of the 1830's

The strike was far from being settled, when the impending outbreak of World War One, forced the protagonists to resolve the situation.

Agreement was finally reached on 3rd August 1914, just one day before war was declared and the men returned to work 5th August at a rate of 15 shillings a week and £8 for harvest, most men re-employed and the Union had secured a limited but significant victory.

As for the men of Ashdon imprisoned, they were given a choice between imprisonment or volunteering for the army", of the eight only one opted for the army, Walter Marsh who survived nineteen years in the army, eventually dying in 1971 aged 89

Roy Brazier - The Empty Fields 1989

Picture of strikers in 1914 in front of the "Rose and Crown" pub in 1914 and of now.   Where I had a drink in the beer garden unaware of its role 100 years before.

The 7 mile 3/4 walk itself is highly recommended (check out Essex Walks for route). Lovely rolling hills and countryside. Also visit the astonishing Roman/Ancient Britain remains at Bartlow Hill (bottom left of photo) 

Ulting Walk along the River Chelmer then Boreham hills

Off message but before it gets too wet, cold, dark and miserable I thought I would post on a wonderful 8 mile walk last month.

The walk started near the 12th pilgrimage church, All Saints in Ulting.  Walk along farmland then alongside the River Chelmer and back through the village of Nousley. Stopping off at the "Sportsman Arms" for a little light refreshment.

Walk from the free site Essex Walks. I've posted more pictures on Facebook here. Click on picture to bring up detail.

East Tilbury, Coalhouse Fort and Bata Factory walk

Off message but went on marvellous walk today along the Thames Estuary. Weather was hot and sunny but there was also a perfect breeze. This is not an entirely "pretty" country walk. There is a constant contrast between the industrial heritage and natural marsh land beauty. It is also very quiet and isolated despite being opposite to Gravesend and so close to London.

Stopped off for a visit and a guided tour of the 19th Century Coalhouse Fort.  One of the so called "Palmerston Follies" built to defend the UK against the French but never fired a shot in anger until being used by anti-aircraft batteries during the first and second world war.

Towards the end of the walk was the abandoned British Bata Shoe Company striking modernist building which was the basis of a model town built in the 1930's by Czech entrepreneur, Tomas Bata.

Hat tip to Essexwalks.com for the walk itself. This is a fantastic free site for downloading walks and maps. This walk was overgrown in parts due to the recent rain, sunshine and selfish farmers and in the "growing season" for fear of red and scratched legs I would not suggest shorts and open walking sandals (which of course I was wearing today).