COGGESHALL Village walk English Countryside

Coggeshall is a small town in Essex, England, between Colchester and Braintree on the Roman road Stane Street and the River Blackwater It has almost 300 listed buildings and a market whose charter was granted in 1256 by King Henry III. Eight miles to the east of Braintree lies Coggeshall a lovely little 'olde worlde' town with a lot to offer. Coggeshall's attractive centre is made up of over 200 listed buildings, many are timber-framed dating as far back as the 14th century, including Coggeshall's magnificent 'wool church' (St. Peter ad Vincula). Paycockes House is an exceptional example of a 16th century wealthy clothier's house and Grange Barn, founded in 1140, is all that remains of the former abbey. Both properties are owned by the National Trust.Like many of the towns in the area Coggeshall had a wool and cloth trade and then subsequently industries of silk and velvet weaving, tambour lace making and brewing. By 1900, the decline of these industries with the rejection of the railway has left a relatively.