THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
83
It was fitting that the visit of' the Club should not pass without a
reference to the life of one who had been an original member and a one-
time President, and so, at the request of the leader, Mr. Thompson spoke
of the deceased's work for the Club, his diverse activities as an author
and his deep affection for this his native county.
Leaving the church, lunch was taken, by kind permission, in the rectory
garden, the rector himself, the Rev. L, C. Blower, being unfortunately
away from home at the time.
Continuing the ramble (the ladies of the party preferring to travel
by a local bus), Chignall Smealey Church was reached in due course,
an interesting building wholly of brick, mainly of early 16th century date,
where Mr. Salmon pointed out the salient features.
From here the party proceeded by somewhat swampy bridleways
and by lanes becoming obsolescent by little traffic and finally by a stretch
of hard road, until the picturesque village of Great Waltham was reached.
At the large and imposing Church, dedicated to St. Mary and St. Lawrence,
the visitors were welcomed by the vicar, the Rev. P. H. Crozier, who
exhibited the church plate and vestments, and pointed out the brasses and
monuments to the Everards, of early 17th century date, and the brasses
to the Wysemans, of late 16th century date. The exceptionally neat
aspect of the carefully tended churchyard was commented upon.
Tea was taken at the "Six Bells" inn in the village, following which
a visit was paid to Langleys, by courtesy of the squire, J. J. Tufnell, Esq.
Langleys is a large mansion, with a fine red brick and stone facade to
both the main and garden fronts, dating from 1719, but with an older
portion of the noltii wing which, although refaced, goes back a, century
earlier, as do the stable buildings. The visitors, in two parties, were
conducted practically all over the house by the housekeeper, and by the
butler through the grounds, which command a magnificent view over
miles of the pleasant countryside, unhindered (thanks to the ha-ha which
surrounds the gardens) by any enclosure.
A remarkable horse-chestnut tree, of great age, has been allowed to
extend over a space of, perhaps, 150 feet each way by careful struts of
timber and concrete supporting the huge sagging branches : where these
have touched the ground, natural layering has sent up secondary trunks,
which have been severed from the original branches and the cut ends
treated with tar ; the whole copse of some dozen or more trees thus resulting,
all from one original trunk, reminds one of the banyan trees of India.
A fine-grown Sequoia gigantea, a Tulip tree, and many other trees and
flowering shrubs, were noticed.
During the ramble, Swallows, Martins, Cuckoo, Magpies, Yellow-
hammer, Skylark were seen or heard.
Primroses, Cowslips, Wood Violets were abundant in hedgerows.
The Misses Greaves and Prince, who acted as recorders, noted over forty
plants in flower, but none of these was of outstanding interest.
Some dozen or more specimens of a large brown discomycete, since
identified as Peziza (Disciotis) venosa var. reticulata, was found by Mr.
Graddon growing on damp ground in a lane at Chignall Smealey.