A visit to Cressing Temple
Thursday, September 25, 2008
On a fine June evening forty six members of the Essex Centre enjoyed a visit to historic Cressing Temple near Braintree, Essex .
On arrival members were introduced to the site by Elphin Watkin, of Essex Historic Buildings Group, who gave an illustrated presentation on the history of the site, focusing on the period of time around 1137 when the site was granted to the Knights Templar.
Subsequently the site passed to the Knights Hospitallers, the Smith/Nevill family who built a ‘Great House’, later demolished, and a succession of farming enterprises until the site was acquired by Essex County Council in 1987.
Following this introduction Elphin led the party on a tour of the buildings, concentrating on the Barley Barn of the early 13th Century, which was reduced in size in the early 15th Century, when the side walls were rebuilt to 36 metres long by 13.6 metres wide.
Guests also viewed the Wheat Barn, built some 50 years later, which is 39 metres long and 13.4 metres wide. Elphin pointed out the distinctive carpentry features of these extraordinary medieval structures, explaining how they were set out, both in plan and section, with no more than wooden peg and a piece of string. The sheer internal volume of the barns, the sweep of the magnificent tiled rooves and the size of the timbers used leaves one in awe of the builders of the time.
Leaving the Barns, Elphin took the group to the Farm House, originally dating back to c.1600 but much altered and extended over the centuries, the Granary some 32 metres long , which shows evidence of incorporating a malting at one time, and later but nevertheless interesting buildings including the Well House.
The evening finished with a visit to the Walled Garden, originally established as a pleasure garden for the ‘Great House’ which, when that was demolished, reverted to a kitchen garden. This has been restored by Essex County Council to illustrate typical 15th and 16th Century garden layouts and plants.
