Coggeshall Walk & Historic Buildings 🚶‍♀️🌿

 

Last month, Gill and I enjoyed a lovely 4-mile circular walk around the historic village of Coggeshall in Essex. We started the day with breakfast in the town centre opposite the Chapel Inn before setting off to explore the surrounding countryside and soak up some of the area’s rich history. The Inn building had once been attacked by rioters during the 1381 Peasant Revolt and was where local Magistrates met to issue arrest warrants for members of the violent Coggeshall criminal gang in the 19th century. Check out wiki.

Coggeshall is a fascinating place, with beautiful timber-framed buildings and plenty of reminders of its medieval past. Two highlights that are well worth a visit are the Coggeshall Museum, which provides an insight into the village’s history, and Paycocke’s House, a stunning National Trust property renowned for its fine craftsmanship and impressive woodwork. 

One unexpected coincidence of the day was meeting a fellow Newham resident who happened to be visiting the house at the same time. I don’t think we have ever met properly but aware of a number of political differences over the years. She was particularly excited by the famous Red Vicar of Thaxted, who lived here for a time, as I was.

The combination of beautiful scenery, local history and excellent weather made for a thoroughly enjoyable day out. Coggeshall is a gem of a village and this circular walk is one I’d happily recommend to anyone looking for a rewarding mix of countryside and heritage. 

Photos from the day are included in the collage. 📸 walk in OS app and Country Walking mag

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