Finchingfield is a village situated in the
BraintreeBraintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
district of
EssexEssex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. It is in the north-west of the county, which is a primarily rural area. It is situated approximately six miles from
ThaxtedThaxted is a town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, with about 2,500 inhabitants.-History:Thaxted appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Tachesteda, Old English for "place where thatch was got." Once a centre of cutlery manufacture, Thaxted went into decline with the rise of Sheffield...
somewhat further from the larger towns of
Saffron WaldenSaffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
&
BraintreeBraintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
.
Nearby villages include
Great BardfieldGreat Bardfield is a large village in Essex, England.The Great Lodge at Bardfield is a Grade II listed building, which built in the 16th century and was given to Anne of Cleves by Henry VIII as one of several properties as part of a generous settlement for an amicable divorce. The grounds include...
,
Great SampfordGreat Sampford is a village and civil parish on the B1053 road and the B1051 road in the Uttlesford District, in the English county of Essex. The village includes a primary school, two places of worship and a pub. It is located near the towns of Thaxted, Saffron Walden and Haverhill. It used to...
&
WethersfieldWethersfield may refer to:* RAF Wethersfield, a British Ministry of Defence training facility in Essex, England* Wethersfield, Connecticut* Wethersfield, Essex, an English village near RAF Wethersfield* Wethersfield, New York* Wethersfield, Vermont...
.
History
There has been a settlement at the site since records began; in the time of William the Conqueror it was called
Phincingfelda and there is archeological evidence for a Roman villa having been situated some 400 metres south-south-west of the village church. The village was an official stop for horse-drawn coaches journeying from London to
NorwichNorwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
.
Spains HallSpains Hall is an Elizabethan country house near Finchingfield in Essex.The hall is named after Hervey de Ispania, who held the manor at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086...
, the nearby Elizabethan country house, was built in the early 15th century and was the hub of the community, owning much of the village and employing most of the villagers.
Society and leisure
The Civil Parish of Finchingfield had a population of about 1,348 according to the
United Kingdom Census 2001A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
with three types of inhabitants: those who have lived and worked in the area all their lives; those who have moved to the village to work locally or retire; and commuters.
The ecclesiastical parish covers Finchingfield as well as the villages of
Cornish Hall EndCornish Hall End is on the B1057 road three miles north of Finchingfield and south of Steeple Bumpstead in the Braintree district of Essex, England...
,
ShalfordShalford may refer to:Places in England*Shalford, Essex*Shalford, Somerset*Shalford, SurreyOther*HMS Shalford, a Ford class seaward defence boat of the Royal Navy...
&
WethersfieldWethersfield may refer to:* RAF Wethersfield, a British Ministry of Defence training facility in Essex, England* Wethersfield, Connecticut* Wethersfield, Essex, an English village near RAF Wethersfield* Wethersfield, New York* Wethersfield, Vermont...
.
There are many societies and clubs in the village, including The Finchingfield Society, the Horticultural Society, the Royal British Legion and Finchingfield Cricket Club.
Finchingfield is regarded as a 'picture-postcard' village and one of the most photographed in England with a duck pond and village green surrounded by Georgian and medieval cottages; a church, St John the Baptist Church, which is on the hill; an 18th century windmill; three public houses; a hall; a primary school; a Post Office; a grocery store; and a doctor's surgery.
Notable residents
- Dodie Smith
Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith was an English novelist and playwright. Smith is best known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Her other works include I Capture the Castle and The Starlight Barking....
, author of The Hundred and One DalmatiansThe Hundred and One Dalmatians, or the Great Dog Robbery is a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith. A sequel entitled The Starlight Barking continues from the end of the first novel....
.
External links