Abbess Beauchamp and Berners Roding

Civil Parish in Essex Epping Forest

England

Abbess Beauchamp and Berners Roding

Abbess Roding, St Edmund King & Martyr Credit: Dave Kelly

Abbess Beauchamp and Berners Roding is a civil parish located in the county of Essex, England. It is situated approximately 6 miles southwest of the town of Ongar and covers an area of around 5 square miles. The parish is made up of two smaller settlements, Abbess Beauchamp and Berners Roding, which are located a short distance from each other.

Abbess Beauchamp is a small hamlet nestled in the beautiful Essex countryside. It is named after the Beauchamp family, who were prominent landowners in the area during the medieval period. The hamlet consists of a few houses and farms, along with a historic church, St. Botolph's, which dates back to the 12th century. The church is known for its impressive architecture and is a popular tourist attraction.

Berners Roding, on the other hand, is a slightly larger village than Abbess Beauchamp. It is home to a primary school, a village hall, and a pub called The Cricketers. The village has a charming rural atmosphere, with picturesque cottages and farmland surrounding it. It offers a peaceful and idyllic setting for its residents.

The civil parish as a whole is known for its natural beauty and is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. It is surrounded by rolling hills, meadows, and woodlands, providing plenty of opportunities for walking, hiking, and nature exploration.

Overall, Abbess Beauchamp and Berners Roding is a tranquil and charming civil parish that offers a rural retreat for its residents and visitors alike.

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Abbess Beauchamp and Berners Roding Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 51.769881/0.288812 or Grid Reference TL5810. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Abbess Roding, St Edmund King & Martyr

Dave Kelly

Beauchamp Roding, St Botolph

Dave Kelly

The end of footpath Abbess, Beauchamp and Berners Roding 15

From the White Roding direction, arriving at Abbess Roding by the church.

Robin Webster

Footpath Abbess, Beauchamp and Berners Roding 15

Leaving Abbess Roding, in the general direction of White Roding.

Robin Webster

Strange sighting in Abbess Roding churchyard

That tall bright white gravestone is actually a fridge-freezer. I've no idea why it was there.

Robin Webster

Abbess Roding church

St. Edmund's is a grade II listed building.

Robin Webster

Abbess Road

Towards Abbess Roding from Little Laver.

Robin Webster

Abbess Roding church

mym

School Lane, Beauchamp Roding, Essex

Looking west towards junction with Dunmow Road

John Winfield

Newly planted hedge near Abbess Roding

Looking west in Berwick Lane

John Winfield

Barn at Waples Mill Farm

Robert Edwards

Pond, Rookwood Hall near Abbess Roding

This pond is just south of the moated enclosure of Rookwood Hall, about 1.5km south-west of Abbess Roding. Little remains of Rookwood Hall itself, which is believed to have been built in the early 16th century, though Rockwood as a manor dates from much earlier. There are signs of a second moated enclosure south of Rookwood Hall, and the pond may be part of the eastern side of the moat.

Andy Gryce

Rookwood Hall Cottages near Abbess Roding

These freshly painted semi-detached cottages stand at the entrance to Rookwood Hall which is 1/4km along the private road. Off camera to the left is the C road between Abbess Roding and Little Laver.

Andy Gryce

Roman road near Abbess Roding

The line of a Roman road, the Suffolk Way, runs left to right across the middle of this field just south of Rookwood Hall. The Romans chose the fertile Roding Valley in which to settle and they built this road from London through Chigwell to Dunmow. The road coming from the left is the private road from the hall to the C road that runs between Abbess Roding and Little Laver. Rookwood Hall Cottages are in the middle distance at the road junction. Incidentally the Roman road is not marked on the OS 1:25,000 map.

Andy Gryce

Pond, Berwick Berners Hall near Abbess Roding

The pond is at the north-west corner of Berwick Hall (named Berwick Berners Hall on the OS 1:25,000 map) which is a 16th century part moated farmhouse, and the pond may be part of the moat. The manor of Berwick goes back much earlier, and in 1220 it was in the hands of the Berners family, from which it took the second part of its name. In the middle distance to the left, and partly hidden by a hedge or bushes, is a telephone kiosk, possibly a K6 model which was the most common of the models designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and first introduced in 1935.

Andy Gryce

Frayes Chase near Beauchamp Roding

Frayes Chase is an unmetalled drive about 3/4km long, planted with trees to form an avenue, between the B184 and Frayes, a farmhouse, which is to the rear of the camera. This was named from the manor of Frayes which was likely created in the early 15th century.

Andy Gryce

Frayes, Frayes Chase near Beauchamp Roding

This large house is on the north side of the end of Frayes Chase, a 3/4km long unmetalled drive going east from the B184 north of Beauchamp Roding. Frayes is the name of the ancient manor and farm located here, which may have been derived from the family of John Fray, to whom a tenement in Beauchamp Roding was conveyed in 1408 by William Sudbury, draper of London, see Link

. To the north of the house is part of a moat surrounding a square enclosure, and 200m to the east is the Roding River, which flows south towards Chipping Ongar.