Brawling and Benefactors Around Great Bardfield

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, while a brick-built bridge across the River Pant links Great Bardfield with Finchingfield to the north.

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 almhouses near the High Street; the Cottage Museum is another almshouse, inhabited until 1958, but now owned by the Bendlowes Trust and run by the local historical society. There's even a Bendlowes Road on a modern housing estate. 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, still retains many of its 16th-century features.

Great Bardfield didn't feature 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.

Where to eat and drink

The Vine public house in Great Bardfield has lots of character and dates back to the 16th century. It is a great place for traditional meals and specialities such as Spanish lamb, chicken cacciatore and trout. You could also try the Bell, next door to the Town Hall, for bar snacks and full meals in a friendly atmosphere.

While you're there

Call in at Great Bardfield's local museum housed in a 16th-century cottage. It features an interesting display of 19th- and 20th-century domestic and agricultural implements along with local crafts. Don't miss The Cage which, as its name implies, was the local lock up for drunks and other miscreants.

What to look for

See the fine timber-framed 12th-century barn in the middle of the Bardfield Business Centre, which used to be part of Bardfield Hall estate. The oldest house in the village is Gobions, next to the post office in the High Street, which dates back to the 15th century.