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FINCHINGFIELD
With thanks to Roger Beckwith.
Finchingfield is on the B1052 Braintree to Saffron Walden road, fifty-four miles from London and close to Constable Country. In the time of William the Conqueror it was called Phincingfelda. William gave Finchingfield to one Roger Bigod (his way of rewarding his knights for their services during the invasion).
The arrangement of houses around a central green produces a harmonious effect. There may be villages with smarter greens, more stylish buildings, or prettier ponds but they rarely combine in quite such a natural, apparently unplanned way. The classic view of foreground green, pond, more green, cottages and road climbing a hill surmounted by the church must have inspired hundreds of thousands of photographers and a good many painters. It appears in virtually every calendar of Essex.
The best approach to the church is through the archway of the Guildhall, which was built around 1500. In 1630 it was deeded to trustees to be used for the benefit of the village as a schoolhouse or almshouse. The old school room is now used as an exhibition space and the alms houses next door have been converted into flats for older villagers.
Down on the green there are many interesting buildings to see. The Fox Inn and next to it the Manse, which was the home of the Minister of the Chapel. The War Memorial commemorates the 27 men of the Parish who died in the first world war and six who died in the second.
Some way out of the village on the same road is a house once owned by the writer Dodie Smith, author of "101 Dalmatians". The poet and patron of the arts Edward Benlowes was born in the village in 1602.
Amongst the many painters who have been inspired by the village was Lucien Pissarro. He was a son of the great French Impressionist Camille Pissarro and painted in the impressionist style. He visited twice, staying at a local farm. His first trip, in 1904, was blighted by bad weather and he was only able to produce some sketches. The following year, however, he made several oil paintings.
The most distinguished house in the area is Spains Hall, named after a Norman family called Hispani who owned a property here in the 11th century. The present building is Elizabethan. From the 14th to the early 18th century the property was owned by the Kempes, it then passed to the Ruggles family. Sir Evelyn Ruggles-Brise (1857-1935) was a prison reformer who was involved in the founding and development of the Borstal system.
360 View of Village Green (BBC).