Reinterred: Glemsford Walk

A circular walk today from Glemsford to Long Melford and Stanstead.

This was the invite from Joyce,

"Tuesday Sept 26th back to Glemsford for a circular walk over to Long Melford and back. Please park at Glemsford New Village Hall for 10.30am. Car Park opens at 10.15am . Post Code CO10 7RH . It is a 10 mile circular walk with a stop at Cherry Lane garden Centre, Long Melford after 4 miles. We are using different paths to our previous two Glemsford Walks. Please bring packed lunch and expect some field crossings, brambles etc".

Just four of us today as Roland and I joined Joyce and Nick. This was our route.

We headed anti-clockwise from Glemsford towards Long Melford first. Here are a few of my photos.

In the car park, ready to go.

The Angel Inn is quite an impressive building.

It wasn't long before we got our first sight of Long Melford Church.

We walked through the garden of Sluice Cottage. From the planning notice at the gate, It looks like they are getting the footpath diverted.

We found some pheasants running along this path ahead of us.

We lost sight of it for quite a while, but after a number of field edges we rounded a corner to suddenly get this view of the church.

Our path took us along the edge of some paddocks.

Holy Trinity Church is very impressive. According to this article, "The nave, at 152.6 feet (46.5 m), is believed to be the longest of any parish church in England. There are nine bays, of which the first five at the western end are believed to date from an earlier structure." .

I led everyone round the back of the church. The old churchyard area to the rear of the Church is conserved to provide a quiet, respectful setting in a natural environment that promotes wildlife. Here can be found many wrought iron crosses which were made by workers at the local Ward & Silver foundry, who were allowed to create them in their own time to mark the graves of their deceased loved ones. There are more iron markers in the Long Melford old churchyard than anywhere else in Europe.

We stopped for drinks at Cherry Lane Garden Centre.

Then it was on towards Kentwell Hall. But we had to stay away as there were school parties visiting and couldn't use the picnic tables for our lunch.

We stopped here instead.

We continued North until we reached Kiln Farm which is now being restored.

We turned west towards Stanstead, passing through the grounds of St. James church.

We passed more paddocks and a neatly trimmed hedge which surrounds Stanstead Hall.

Descending to the river Glem we saw these donkeys.

After crossing the river it was uphill back to Glemsford. There seemed to be a bonfire burning.

Looking to our right we got a view of impressive timber-framed Grade II* listed Monks Hall. It is mainly of the C16 and C17 but probably incorporates the frame of an earlier C15 building. It is said that a tunnel once connected Monks Hall to the nearby church, which the monks formerly used to access the church instead of mixing with the ordinary villagers. Only a small part of this tunnel remains.

The view back after reaching the chirchyard is rather good..

We visited St. Mary, Glemsford Church, which dates back to the early 14th century, with the earliest recorded rector being Hugh de Poynton in 1302, for the toilets and to see inside.

I like the organ pipe decorations. Built by the respected firm of Forster and Andrews of Hull and installed in 1877 it is one of only 4 working organs of its type in Suffolk and has attained Grade 2* status. Read about its restoration here.