"A circular stroll combines gentle hills, a windmill called 'Gibraltar', and a stronghold of a royal solicitor."
Walk directions
From the war memorial opposite The Vine pub walk down the hill, passing the Quaker Meeting House, to the village green. Turn left at the public footpath sign, follow the path by the gardens of houses on your right. After 200yds (183m), at the field, take the left fork, still following the stream. Look over your right shoulder for a very good view of Gibraltar Windmill.
Cross the stile through the hedge, turn right and continue along this enclosed path. When the path reaches the T-junction at Watermill Cottages, turn left past Great Bardfield Watermill. Turn right at the fingerpost. Keep the mill pond and the River Pant on your left, and continue along the left edge of the field. Pass to the left of a pumping station, go over a stile and then take the cross-field path keeping the river, Champions Farm and Robjohns Farm on your left. Cross an earth bridge and stay on the grassy path through arable farmland, keeping the river on your left hand side and crossing another earth bridge (by a waymark post and a stile). Cross a footbridge, bear right and look out for where you bear left to go through a gate, and later cross a stile to reach a lane.
Turn right uphill, passing Whinbush Farm. When you reach the junction of the Bardfield–Wethersfield road, bear right following a public footpath sign along an enclosed path. Maintain your direction along the path, which skirts the edge of Lodge Wood. Look out for where you turn right at a waymark. Keeping the wood on your left, continue to another waymark, bear left and then turn right at the hedgerow.
Follow the path by the hedge under the row of poplar and larch trees and, as the outline of Great Bardfield and the windmill come into view, turn left at a fingerpost. Follow the track, with hedgerows on your left, for about 300yds (274m) and turn right into the green lane.
Walk past the recreation ground on your right, cross the residential street and follow the footpath into Braintree Road, where you turn right. On your left is the Church of St Mary the Virgin, with its Norman tower and 14th-century nave. Local benefactors, the Bendlowes family, are buried inside the church.
Next to the church is the 16th-century manor house of Bardfield Hall, and for a further taste of Great Bardfield's history follow the road left through Brook Street, passing the starting point of the walk into the High Street. In quick succession you can see Gobions, one of the oldest houses in the village, Place House, the Cottage Museum and the Town Hall. After some refreshment, retrace your steps to the green.
Every so often you come across a delightful Essex village which begs to be explored. Great Bardfield is one such village, but there is nothing large about it. Quite the contrary – it is tiny, but what it lacks in size is compensated by the sheer loveliness of the village itself and the surrounding... countryside. The village is sited on a wide, gently sloping High Street, with an attractive green overlooked by St Mary's Church, noted for its rare 14th-century stone rood screen. A brick-built bridge across the River Pant links Great Bardfield with Finchingfield to the north. A generous benefactor Great Bardfield owes much of its heritage to William Bendlowes. He was born in the village in 1516 and went on to become Sergeant-at-Law to Mary Tudor and Queen Elizabeth I. He lived at Place House, one of the most historically important houses in the village, and died there in 1564. At Place House, it is said, Queen Elizabeth sought sanctuary from the persecution of her sister. Whether this is a story which got better with each telling is difficult to know, but what is indisputable is that Bendlowes left much of his wealth to the village. Bendlowes was buried alongside his wife, Alienor, in St Mary's Church, where his family later donated the chancel roof in 1618. He left a charitable trust, and as you walk around the village you will see his legacy everywhere. There are cottage almshouses near the High Street, and the Cottage Museum is another almshouse, inhabited until 1958, but now owned by the Bendlowes Trust and run by the local historical society. Bendlowes and his wife would have admired the countryside hereabouts with its gentle hills, but would not have seen the windmill, incongruously named 'Gibraltar'. Built in 1660, it last saw service as a mill in the 1930s, and is now a private residence overlooking pleasant Essex fields. Farmworkers and farmers alike from Champions, Robjohns and Whinbush farms would have trudged along footpaths to get to church, while the occupants of Bardfield Hall would have only needed to walk next door. These farms today have been modernised, while Bardfield Hall, now a picturesque private residence, retains many of its 16th-century features. Great Bardfield didn't appear on the itinerary of long-haul carriages from Newmarket to London, but that is not to say that the village was devoid of pubs. In the early 19th century, when a brawl took place in one of the village's three inns and the miscreants needed a place to cool off, the village lock-up in Bridge Street would have provided spartan accommodation for a handful of prisoners in its two tiny cells.
Essex is full of pleasant surprises. It has the largest coastline of any county in England, with its fair share of castles, royal connections and scenic valleys.
"A circular stroll combines gentle hills, a windmill called 'Gibraltar', and a stronghold of a royal solicitor."
Walk details
1hr 30min
Difficulty:
Easy
Gradient:
Gentle
Distance:
3.75 miles (6kms)
Ascent:
100ft (30m)
Walk directions
From the war memorial opposite The Vine pub walk down the hill, passing the Quaker Meeting House, to the village green. Turn left at the public footpath sign, follow the path by the gardens of houses on your right. After 200yds (183m), at the field, take the left fork, still following the stream. Look over your right shoulder for a very good view of Gibraltar Windmill.
1 of 6
Cross the stile through the hedge, turn right and continue along this enclosed path. When the path reaches the T-junction at Watermill Cottages, turn left past Great Bardfield Watermill. Turn right at the fingerpost. Keep the mill pond and the River Pant on your left, and continue along the left edge of the field. Pass to the left of a pumping station, go over a stile and then take the cross-field path keeping the river, Champions Farm and Robjohns Farm on your left. Cross an earth bridge and stay on the grassy path through arable farmland, keeping the river on your left hand side and crossing another earth bridge (by a waymark post and a stile). Cross a footbridge, bear right and look out for where you bear left to go through a gate, and later cross a stile to reach a lane.
2 of 6
Turn right uphill, passing Whinbush Farm. When you reach the junction of the Bardfield–Wethersfield road, bear right following a public footpath sign along an enclosed path. Maintain your direction along the path, which skirts the edge of Lodge Wood. Look out for where you turn right at a waymark. Keeping the wood on your left, continue to another waymark, bear left and then turn right at the hedgerow.
3 of 6
Follow the path by the hedge under the row of poplar and larch trees and, as the outline of Great Bardfield and the windmill come into view, turn left at a fingerpost. Follow the track, with hedgerows on your left, for about 300yds (274m) and turn right into the green lane.
4 of 6
Walk past the recreation ground on your right, cross the residential street and follow the footpath into Braintree Road, where you turn right. On your left is the Church of St Mary the Virgin, with its Norman tower and 14th-century nave. Local benefactors, the Bendlowes family, are buried inside the church.
5 of 6
Next to the church is the 16th-century manor house of Bardfield Hall, and for a further taste of Great Bardfield's history follow the road left through Brook Street, passing the starting point of the walk into the High Street. In quick succession you can see Gobions, one of the oldest houses in the village, Place House, the Cottage Museum and the Town Hall. After some refreshment, retrace your steps to the green.
Every so often you come across a delightful Essex village which begs to be explored. Great Bardfield is one such village, but there is nothing large about it. Quite the contrary – it is tiny, but what it lacks in size is compensated by the sheer loveliness of the village itself and the surrounding... countryside. The village is sited on a wide, gently sloping High Street, with an attractive green overlooked by St Mary's Church, noted for its rare 14th-century stone rood screen. A brick-built bridge across the River Pant links Great Bardfield with Finchingfield to the north. A generous benefactor Great Bardfield owes much of its heritage to William Bendlowes. He was born in the village in 1516 and went on to become Sergeant-at-Law to Mary Tudor and Queen Elizabeth I. He lived at Place House, one of the most historically important houses in the village, and died there in 1564. At Place House, it is said, Queen Elizabeth sought sanctuary from the persecution of her sister. Whether this is a story which got better with each telling is difficult to know, but what is indisputable is that Bendlowes left much of his wealth to the village. Bendlowes was buried alongside his wife, Alienor, in St Mary's Church, where his family later donated the chancel roof in 1618. He left a charitable trust, and as you walk around the village you will see his legacy everywhere. There are cottage almshouses near the High Street, and the Cottage Museum is another almshouse, inhabited until 1958, but now owned by the Bendlowes Trust and run by the local historical society. Bendlowes and his wife would have admired the countryside hereabouts with its gentle hills, but would not have seen the windmill, incongruously named 'Gibraltar'. Built in 1660, it last saw service as a mill in the 1930s, and is now a private residence overlooking pleasant Essex fields. Farmworkers and farmers alike from Champions, Robjohns and Whinbush farms would have trudged along footpaths to get to church, while the occupants of Bardfield Hall would have only needed to walk next door. These farms today have been modernised, while Bardfield Hall, now a picturesque private residence, retains many of its 16th-century features. Great Bardfield didn't appear on the itinerary of long-haul carriages from Newmarket to London, but that is not to say that the village was devoid of pubs. In the early 19th century, when a brawl took place in one of the village's three inns and the miscreants needed a place to cool off, the village lock-up in Bridge Street would have provided spartan accommodation for a handful of prisoners in its two tiny cells.
Essex is full of pleasant surprises. It has the largest coastline of any county in England, with its fair share of castles, royal connections and scenic valleys.
