Reinterred: Hawkedon Horizons

Today I supported Joyce who was leading this walk in the Suffolk Walking Festival.

This was a repeat of the walk she led on the same Friday of the Suffolk Walking Festival. This was the description in Festival brochure.

This was our route today, just as it was last year, going anti-clockwise from Hawkedon. It is based on this walk we did as a group for the first time in July 2020 and is a favourite. It is, in turn, based on one published by Suffolk Magazine - Suffolk's Rolling Hills, by Lindsay Want, published in April 2019. It is a total of about 10 1/2 miles.

We had 11 walkers in addition to Joyce, myself and Miranda to ~~keep everyone in order~~ escort people around the walk. Fortunately the weather was better than last year. It was a bit drizzly to start today but no need for umbrellas this time.

Here are some of my photos.

Our starting point, St. Mary Hawkedon, is, unusually and perhaps uniquely for Suffolk, right in the middle of the village green.

Here is Joyce giving us our briefing before we set off.

Our first stop was at The Queen's Head pub, which dates from the 15th century. No we weren't there for the beer, but they kindly opened to let us use the toilets.

Our route passed at a short distance the impressive Hawkedon House, the former rectory.

Joyce telling us about the pond we passed at Crosslands Farm.

At the most northerly point of our walk, we could see Rede's Great Wood hill, at 128m above sea-level the highest point in Suffolk.

We walked past the five lakes. A memorial stone says they were built by Jo Slater between 1968 and 1972 "for the enjoyment of his family and friends".... and walkers like us!

The Grade II listed Cordell Hall was one of our buildings of note on the walk. The official listing from 1961 says... "Owned by the Kedington family and the seat of Robert Kedington in the C18. A C17, timber-framed and plastered house. 2 storeys and attics. There are gabled wings at the east and west ends and a central gable. Casement windows (C20). Roof tiled, with 3 octagonal shafted chimney stacks. At the time of the survey this building was standing empty and derelict." It has been nicely restored since then.

Walking downhill here we could see Stansfield Church ahead at the top of the hill towards the left.. We would be visiting it later on our way back to Hawkedon.

Shortly after this we doubled back uphill around the hedgerow to the right to get to Purton Green Farmhouse. It is Grade I listed, possible dating from 1250. "A mediaeval timber-framed aisled hall house which could be dated as early as the late C13. The 2 storey bay at the north end, with service area on the ground storey and solar above, is a replacement of the C15. The 2 storey bay at the south end was added in the C16 and had a fireplace which was demolished when the building was restored by the Landmark Trust in 1971 Only the fine carved lintel remains. The exterior has exposed studding with plaster infill. At the north and south ends the upper storey is jettied on exposed joists. The heavy boarded and ledged doors are restored and the windows are partly original and partly restored, with diamond mullions. The hall has scissor-brace roof trusses, the original timbers are smoke blackened. At the north end the staircase is restored in its original form with solid steps of quartered oak. Roof thatched, hipped. This house is of outstanding importance as one of the earliest framed houses in Britain."

It is now available as a holiday let - "sleeps 4 from £304 for 4 nights", says the current listing. There is no road access, but a wheelbarrow is provided to help you with your luggage.

After descending to Wickham House...

...we climbed gently once more to pass the 15th/16th century Giffords Hall

The house was built circa 1480 but much restored and enlarged in the early 20th century. It is surrounded by a rectangular waterfilled moat cut into a south east slope. A brick bridge, probably 16th century crosses the south arm; the north arm was filled in the early 20th century.

Onward now to our lunch stop. We crossed the River Glem by the Grade II listed Bridge House, a late C16-early C17 timber-framed and plastered house built on an L shaped plan with wings extending south-west and south-east.

We stopped at Denston Village Hall to use the toilets...

...before heading up the road to to St. Nicholas, Denston Church. "Begun 1474" says the sign.

The roof is impressive.

As the guide to the church says, "The roof is flat tiebeam and would have been painted and gilded. Running along the roof where it joins the walls is a wooden wallplate, richly decorated with fabulous carved animals from the Bestiary. Among them is a man-eating manticore with a bearded human head on a lion's body."

The oak benches are original. As the church guide says, "The pew finials are animals resting on battements capping. Other animals crouch as guardians. Six of the 64 animals are cut away or mutilated and a few are modern copies." A lot of them, like this guardian, are rabbits.

This newspaper cutting made me laugh. Had it really been laid there? I wonder.

This double cadaver tomb is, as this article says, of European Significance. It has had its brass inscription removed, and so the identity is not certain, but they are probably John and Katherine Denston, the founders of a chantry here.

Time for lunch before we move on.

We passed the pretty thatched cottages by the green...

...and skirted Denston Hall.

The listing says "A fine early C18 house with a long range of C16 buildings at the rear, the remains of an early C16 house which is known to have stood on the site. The Hall has an interesting history. In 1564 Henry Cheyney made over the manor of Denston to William Burd without licence to alienate from the crown. Estate was therefore forfeited in 1565 but later returned. William Burd died in 1591, and by 1602 the estate had passed to his son, but was again seized by the crown, for debt and leased to Sir John Robinson. In 1617 it was bought by William Robinson, in whose family it stayed until the early part of the C19. "

Our next stop was at Louise's Pop-up Restaurant at Laurel Bank Farm for tea and yummy cakes.