Coggeshall and the River Blackwater

The walk starts in the town centre, beneath the blue and white weather boarded Victorian clock tower, which was restored for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. From here it proceeds along Church Street, with its striking collection of rendered and timber-framed houses dating from medieval to Georgian times. On the edge of Coggeshall is the church of St Peter and Vincula, built in the 15th century and partly destroyed in 1940 by a bomb.

The Monk House, a sprawling old farmhouse, is part of the remains of Coggeshall Abbey, founded here in 1140. Nearby, St Nicholas's church, a modest chapel that stands - seemingly isolated - in the middle of fields, is another remnant of the monastery. While only small, it is remarkable as it is partly built of brick, almost the earliest known use of this building material since Roman times.

Grange Barn was probably the first building to be put up for the abbey. It is the earliest timber-framed barn in Britain and one of the oldest agricultural buildings in Europe. It has been much studied, especially in the design of the joints holding the timbers together.

A short diversion up the road from Grange Barn leads to a bridge which is known by three names; ‘Stephen’s Bridge’, ‘The Long Bridge’ and by Coggeshall natives as the ‘Horse River Bridge’. On the bridge there used to be an inscription above the centre arch which showed 'the arms or badge of King Stephen and a sagittarius, a creature half man and half horse'.

After Grange Barn, the walk continues through open countryside along the Essex Way and into a plantation. Here an interesting arched wrought-iron footbridge takes you over the River Blackwater.

While walking the stretch of the walk along the River Blackwater look out for a weather boarded water mill which is now privately owned.

Perhaps Coggeshall's finest timber-framed building is Paycocke's. Built in 1505 for Thomas Paycocke, a wealthy clothier, it is now owned by the National Trust. The close spacing of the timber uprights is one of its most impressive aspects and was purely a display of the wealth of the owner. There is interesting carving on the front of the house and in the carriage doors. Next door, the Fleece Inn was also built by the Paycocke's. While Paycocke's has exposed timbers, the Fleece displays the decorated plasterwork or pargetting for which East Anglia is famous.

When the walk is finished, or better still before you set off, it is well worth visiting Coggeshall Museum on Stoneham Street. There is much to learn about the history of the town and of the historic landmarks visited during the walk.