Church of St. Mary - Dedham, in Essex, the heart of Constable Country!
Digging really deep into the Archives!
To view more of my images, of Dedham, please click "here"!
Dedham is a village within the borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, situated on the River Stour and on the border of Essex and Suffolk. The nearest town to Dedham is the small market town of Manningtree. It is frequently rated as containing some of England's most beautiful Lowland landscape, most particularly the Water Meadows of the River Stour, which passes along the northern boundary of the village forming the boundary between the counties of Essex and Suffolk. Dedham has a central nuclear settlement around the Church and the junction of Mill Lane and the High Street. Connected to Dedham are the hamlets of The Heath and Lamb Corner. The village forms a key part of the Dedham Vale. A group of early dissenters left Dedham to found the township of Dedham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. Under the leadership of John Rogers, a preacher banned from his work in England, they established a settlement on the western edge of the colony first established in 1628, now a suburb of the city of Boston. Despite some early setbacks this township eventually proved very successful and a number of prominent US families can trace their ancestry from these early arrivals from East Anglia - see note below on William Tecumseh Sherman. Dedham is at the heart of 'Constable Country' - the area of England where John Constable lived and painted. Constable attended the town's Grammar School (now the 'Old Grammar School' and 'Well House'), and he would walk to school each morning alongside the River Stour from his family's home in East Bergholt. Many of Constable's paintings feature Dedham, including Dedham Mill, which his father owned, and Dedham Parish Church, whose massive Caen stone and flint tower is a focal point of the surrounding Dedham Vale. In 1937, Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines founded the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Dedham. When, however, this burnt down, they moved to Hadleigh, Suffolk. Of longer influence in Dedham was the horse painter Sir Alfred Munnings, who became President of the Royal Academy. His house in Dedham, Castle House, now contains a gallery of his work, and his studio. Tom Keating, the art restorer and famous art forger, was a Dedham resident until his death in 1984. He is buried in the churchyard of Dedham Parish Church. Dedham Parish Church - St. Mary the Virgin, Dedham; the present building dates from the late 15th century, and was the last medieval 'wool church' to be completed, albeit in a more economical style that was originally intended. The Ascension by John Constable is on permanent display in the church. A viewing platform on top of the tower (open to the public from Easter to Harvest) gives excellent views of the lower part of the Stour valley.
Sherman's Hall, a Grade I listed, Georgian-fronted townhouse used as a school until 1873 and now belonging to the National Trust. Formerly a rich wool town and market town, Dedham is now still a flourishing commercial village, housing a post office, butcher, Co-op, grocer, delicatessen, art shop and various other shops. Agriculture is also important with mainly arable land, but also cattle grazing on the water meadows and some sheep on Grove Hill. There is an industrial estate near the A12, the main road which passes through the west of the village. A business centre and nursing home have recently opened.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Church of St. Mary - Dedham, in Essex, the heart of Constable Country!
Digging really deep into the Archives!
To view more of my images, of Dedham, please click "here"!
Dedham is a village within the borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, situated on the River Stour and on the border of Essex and Suffolk. The nearest town to Dedham is the small market town of Manningtree. It is frequently rated as containing some of England's most beautiful Lowland landscape, most particularly the Water Meadows of the River Stour, which passes along the northern boundary of the village forming the boundary between the counties of Essex and Suffolk. Dedham has a central nuclear settlement around the Church and the junction of Mill Lane and the High Street. Connected to Dedham are the hamlets of The Heath and Lamb Corner. The village forms a key part of the Dedham Vale. A group of early dissenters left Dedham to found the township of Dedham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. Under the leadership of John Rogers, a preacher banned from his work in England, they established a settlement on the western edge of the colony first established in 1628, now a suburb of the city of Boston. Despite some early setbacks this township eventually proved very successful and a number of prominent US families can trace their ancestry from these early arrivals from East Anglia - see note below on William Tecumseh Sherman. Dedham is at the heart of 'Constable Country' - the area of England where John Constable lived and painted. Constable attended the town's Grammar School (now the 'Old Grammar School' and 'Well House'), and he would walk to school each morning alongside the River Stour from his family's home in East Bergholt. Many of Constable's paintings feature Dedham, including Dedham Mill, which his father owned, and Dedham Parish Church, whose massive Caen stone and flint tower is a focal point of the surrounding Dedham Vale. In 1937, Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines founded the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Dedham. When, however, this burnt down, they moved to Hadleigh, Suffolk. Of longer influence in Dedham was the horse painter Sir Alfred Munnings, who became President of the Royal Academy. His house in Dedham, Castle House, now contains a gallery of his work, and his studio. Tom Keating, the art restorer and famous art forger, was a Dedham resident until his death in 1984. He is buried in the churchyard of Dedham Parish Church. Dedham Parish Church - St. Mary the Virgin, Dedham; the present building dates from the late 15th century, and was the last medieval 'wool church' to be completed, albeit in a more economical style that was originally intended. The Ascension by John Constable is on permanent display in the church. A viewing platform on top of the tower (open to the public from Easter to Harvest) gives excellent views of the lower part of the Stour valley.
Sherman's Hall, a Grade I listed, Georgian-fronted townhouse used as a school until 1873 and now belonging to the National Trust. Formerly a rich wool town and market town, Dedham is now still a flourishing commercial village, housing a post office, butcher, Co-op, grocer, delicatessen, art shop and various other shops. Agriculture is also important with mainly arable land, but also cattle grazing on the water meadows and some sheep on Grove Hill. There is an industrial estate near the A12, the main road which passes through the west of the village. A business centre and nursing home have recently opened.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia