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Coggeshall
has over
200 listed buildings which includes two
important National Trust properties – Grange Barn and Paycocke House.
The remains of a 12th century Cistercian Abbey lie on
the outskirts of the village and on Church Green stands the church
of St Peter-ad-Vincula, an Essex 'wool' church. Just a mile or so
outside of Coggeshall is Marks Hall
Gardens & Arboretum. The River
Blackwater, named by the Roman soldiers during their occupation of
the area, flows through the water meadows and willow plantations in
the south part of the village. |
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The former
Friends Meeting House (Quakers), now Coggeshall's library |
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The 15th century
Parish Church of
St Peter-ad-Vincula is one of the largest churches in Essex and
stands opposite the carved oak village sign which
was erected to celebrate the millennium. There are two other
churches in Coggeshall - the church of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, in
Stoneham Street which serves the Roman Catholic community and
Christ Church, formerly the Congregational church. Christ Church
is a large impressive building which stands opposite Coggeshall's
library, the former Friends Meeting House (Quakers), and is made
up of Congregational, Baptist and Methodist traditions. In the
not-too-distant past these were all separate with their own
buildings.
In 1989 Christ Church was formed by the union of the Baptist,
Methodist and United Reformed congregations and seeks to serve all
who wish to worship in the Free Church tradition.
Churches in Coggeshall come together at regular intervals for
worship and there are several church groups who welcome members of
any faith. St Peter's church has a choir who perform at various
chorale events as well as leading the singing at services. |
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Just a few years ago Coggeshall was famous for
the number of shops selling antiques but the antique trade has declined. Now
Coggeshall is fast acquiring a reputation for good food with a top-class
restaurant, a starred 16th century hotel and an Indian
restaurant. There are four ancient public houses, all serving food, and an "olde
worlde" teashop which is situated underneath Coggeshall's very distinctive
Victorian clock.
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Paycocke
house and garden |
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Two views
of the heart of the village |
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Although the older inhabitants call Coggeshall
a town (the local football team is called Coggeshall Town) and there is a weekly
market, Coggeshall has a
Parish Council and has won Essex's "Best Kept
Village" in its category for three out of the last five years, and in 2003 was the
winner of the "The Village of the Year" for the East of
England and Home Counties as well as Essex. Coggeshall has plenty of open
spaces including a very pretty public garden that was constructed to commemorate
the Millennium and planted entirely with plants and shrubs donated by local
people. |
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In 2002 the public
garden at the Gravel was restored by the Parish Council and re-named
"The Tebbutt Garden" in memory of Brian Tebbutt
who did so much for Coggeshall and its people. Various organizations to which
Brian had belonged contributed picnic benches and seats, and the people of
Coggeshall gathered to see the local MP unveil the name plaque. There is another
public garden - the Doubleday garden, named for the famous Quaker family who
were an influence in the town for well over 150 years. A picnic area by the
river provides a spot to feed the ducks and watch the world go by over
Stephen's Bridge, which contains some of the bricks made by the monks of Coggeshall's
Cistercian abbey nearly 800 years ago.
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Left: The River Blackwater in Summer and Winter |
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There are two
well-equipped children's playgrounds and allotments on three
sites. In East street is a large Recreation Ground on which there
is an all-weather court for basketball and
other sports, along with goal posts for football. Coggeshall's granite war memorial, topped by a bronze figure of
Victory stands here, and on it are the names of the Coggeshall men who never
returned to their homes from the two World Wars. But the gratitude to those men doesn't end with the
granite obelisk. The whole of the Recreation Ground was bought by public
subscription after the Great War to be an open space in perpetuity for the
enjoyment of the people of Coggeshall - a fitting tribute to those young men who
paid the ultimate price for our freedom. |
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Brian McErney,
presenter from Anglia TV in the museum during the making of a programme about
Coggeshall. |
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The museum, run
entirely by volunteers, attracts around 3,500 visitors a year and is open from
April to October on Sundays and Bank Holidays. It gives an insight into Coggeshall's long and interesting history and guided walks around the town can
be arranged for groups. The Museum also operates a tourist information point on
behalf of the Parish Council, and the volunteer curator answers
queries by letter, telephone and Email about Coggeshall and its
history. Grange
Barn and Paycocke House are in the care of the National Trust and open from
April to October. |
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L - R:
The Cricketers pub, Coggeshall celebrates the Golden
Jubilee, Sheltered housing
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Volunteers organize monthly footpath walks
as well as helping to
maintain the public gardens, both under the auspices of the Parish Council.
Societies in the village include the Coggeshall Heritage Society, the
Horticultural Society, the Coggeshall Art Group and the Conservative Club. There is a thriving branch of the Women's Institute and the Royal
British Legion has a branch and Women's Section branch, both of whom provide
welfare for ex-service people and their dependants.
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Village Profile