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town and followed a track past St. Nicholas
Chapel, which was built by Cistercian monks of
Coggeshall Abbey in 1225. The chapel is one
of the earliest examples of brickwork in this
country, and survived the demolishing of the
abbey after its closure in 1558. Although used
as a stable or cowshed, it has been successfully
restored in the 19th century. We passed the
Mill and crossed the River Blackwater before
walking into Coggeshall near St. Peter's Church.
This was built by wool merchants, and is one of
the largest churches in Essex. It was bombed
in 1940, but has now been restored to its
original appearance.
The way leads to some reservoirs, at the far end
of which is a deep ditch, as yet unbridged, which
necessitated a diversion. In another ditch we
found Water Mint visited by many Small Tortoiseshell
butterflies attracted by the sweet scent and
nectar. We crossed Tey Brook on a new bridge,
thankful that some care was being taken over the
upkeep of this section of the way which was in
poor condition between Coggeshall and Great Tey.
I photographed the Reed Mace in the brook, and
we followed the path to Great Tey church. This
magnificent Norman church was originally larger
and has a huge 18 foot square tower. We wondered
why the Normans built it here. It was probably
built by Richard de Lucy after his excommunication.
He originally lived in Ongar Castle and was an
administrator of justice for Henry II. The
evening sunshine glowing upon this lovely church
brought our third day to a close.
DAY 4. 27th August, 1984
The fine weather continued as we walked across
a field towards a house called Apple Croft.