Windmills – Travels with Ali

Time for a look at another picturesque Essex village. Finchingfield is situated in the North West of Essex. The name Finchingfield dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086. The village is picture postcard perfect and the village green is surrounded by Georgian and medieval cottages.

**Thatched roofs and colourful cottages**

We visited on a Saturday and like most villages, there is not much parking to be found. As it was nearing lunchtime when we arrived we pulled into The Red Lion, a very quaint looking pub. On opening the door we were greeted by a crackling fire and a table right by the window, perfect. The bar was seven stools wide and fully occupied with thigh to thigh patrons. With no access available I had to ask one of the ladies to move her stool. I realised then that it was a very locally local! Everyone knew each other and I felt quite the interloper. Once I had ordered drinks I found out that they only served pizza. As my mum and I don’t eat pizza this called for a rethink. I was told there was another pub just two minutes walk away that served amazing food. So after guzzling back our drinks, we set out on our way again.

As there was so much to photograph two minutes turned out to be a tad longer for me.

The detailed wall of the Guildhall is called pargetting. This is the technique of moulding designs into the external plastering of a wall. It is very characteristic of the area. Source: Finchingfield.org.uk

**Looking at the Village Green from Church Hill**

We easily found The Fox on the Green and were told by a notice to knock on the door and someone would answer. After waiting a polite few minutes freezing by now and no answer, I opened the door and was greeted by a waiter who took us to a table right by the fire! It was just too perfect. The smells were delicious and I saw delectable plates of food go by.

My Dad enjoying a homemade Steak and Ale Pie and my Haddock and Chunky Chips. All so scrumptious. This was just the perfect country pub that seem to be very difficult to find in England nowadays. So many seem to be chains, Greene King or Wetherspoons, I was beginning to despair of finding one that served good homemade meals.

I also find it strange that each pub differs as to the rules of where to stand. Some pubs no-one is allowed to stand at the bar and others you can’t even find a space to ease in! They seem to make up the rules day to day.

I had a quick wander around whilst everyone else waited in the car as it was getting extremely cold by this time.

The Old Schoolhouse, left and above. The Village pond and 200 year old bridge, bottom left. Houses surrounding The Village Green, right.

I wanted to make one more stop before we drove home and that was to look at the Finchingfield Windmill.

This is a Grade ll listed building, dating back to approximately 1756. The largest windmill in Essex and the last one of seven in this area.

A village well worth visiting if you are in the area and I saw that it had not gone down the tourist route as so many of these villages have been seen to do.

For more information about this village click here

Finchingfield

Thanks for joining me on these village visits. Until the next one – Cheerio!

After leaving Eaglehawk Neck we drove onto Richmond for the night, staying at Hatcher’s Manor. It sounds very glorious and also looked fabulous from the photos. The outside didn’t disappoint, but the rooms and restaurant could have done with a bit of renovation!

Arriving around 6.30 pm we had booked to have dinner in the restaurant there, so poor hubby didn’t have to drive anymore. A limited menu and wine list greeted us. I was invited to the kitchen to see what cold whites were on offer, sadly nothing Tasmanian, too expensive I was told.

Hubby choosing his after dinner drink behind the bar

Intriguing pieces around the property

The owner kept three horses on the property that he told us were just left there! He used to let them out of their field and have a wander around the property. Chomping and chewing their way around the flower beds.

The man of the manor and his horses

Leaving Hatcher’s after breakfast we made our way into Richmond for a quick wander and a coffee. We had a long drive ahead of us to reach Stanley that night, almost five hours not counting the stops.

This is the route we were taking today.

Richmond

This town has a population of just over 800 and is situated in the Coal River Region. It’s most famous structure is the Richmond Bridge which was built in 1823. It is the oldest stone span bridge in Australia.

Walking into Richmond itself we took a turn around the Gaol and had another history lesson. Richmond Gaol is Australia’s oldest colonial gaol, and has a great self guided tour on offer. It dates back to 1825. When you enter the different rooms the narrative starts. Sometimes it’s a bit startling hearing the screams, cries and pleas of the women prisoners. This was a mixed jail, where sleeping quarters were always overcrowded. There were also solitary cells for repeat offenders. Women were often repeat offenders attempting to escape harsh masters and preferred to live out their sentence inside a jail.

The local gingerbread house

Oatlands

I researched the drive over to Stanley to see where we could stop and what towns would be the most interesting. Oatlands was one such place and we had a quick stop here to see the windmill.

Callington Mill, a Georgian Mill built in 1837 and restored in 2010. This is still a working mill and produces quality flour.

A traditional stone wall cottage, I pretty much blend in!

We stopped at Ross for lunch, this was another very pretty historical town, but sadly not enough time to have a good look around. Next up was Sheffield, a town of murals. I took plenty of photos here, but that will be for another post!