Rowhedge - a typical English village
It also happens to be my adopted home.
| Rowhedge is a small village on the River Colne in Essex. It is first mentioned in 1346 but probably existed long before this, sited as it is between two tributaries of the Colne on rising ground that gives good hard standing for boats as well as protectionfrom winter floods and spring tides. It was also a convenient point to cross the Colne by ferry. |
Rowhedge was once well known for four things. It possessed its own brewery, it supplied sailors for the racing yachts of the gentry, it built and repaired a variety of small craft and most of the inhabitants earned their livelihood fishing. A lucrative sideline was also smuggling. - Rowhedge is less than 40 hours by sail from Holland and all that gin.. |
The village is a real community where you can be sure you'll meet someone you know whenever you go out. There are four pubs (marked as red dots on my map) and two of these offer a restaurant service while the other two are more specialised (one has had a CAMRA entry for years!).
The village has a post office, Co -Op shop and gardening store as well as several churches and a village hall. There is an excellent primary school and three buses an hour to the nearest town - Colchester.
Colchester Links
Colchester Webcam Well worth a look with links to other Colchester sites
Colchester Zoo. This is a great day out and is a wonderful centre for animal conservation - if you are anti zoo this place might just change your mind.
No one in the village lives more than five minutes walk from open countryside and there are many woodland or riverside walks to be had. One of my favourite strolls takes you along the Roman River to Fingringhoe. Here is the "fifth" pub - the Whalebone. This is a superb pub restaurant and the short stroll builds the appetite nicely......... During this walk you pass the old tide mill and the "highwaymans" oak. This massive tree is reputed to have grown from an acorn planted in the mouth of a dead highwayman. Walking back you pass East Donyland Hall, a rather lovely and well lived in old place. Many Civil war relics have been found on the site.
East
Donyland Hall