A walk through Henham village in Essex
The Cock to the Church
The pub car park is where this walk commences. The Cock is believed to have been built in the 1700s. The site of the Cock was called Cock Field. Members of the family that owned the land were named John and Thomas Cock. Thomas was buried in St Mary’s Church in 1669.
Walk across to the Anglican parish church directly opposite the Cock.
St Mary’s, the last church in the village, has a number of interesting features.There were three churches in the last century - a Catholic and an Independent but both of these sites are now private homes. The church was built about the 12th century. However, there is evidence that there has been a place of worship here since the Saxon times.
As you pass through the gate, above you is an arch made by the local blacksmith. The pub car park is the site of one of the blacksmiths that were in the village in the 1800s. The next interesting object is an unusual grave, it is surrounded by a metal circular hoop. This is a 19th century “anti body-snatchers” device. The bell tower contains six bells the oldest dates to 1480.
Retrace your steps back through the gate that you first entered. Turn right and walk down Church Street towards the War Memorial. At the end of Church Street turn right.
The Manse House on the corner of Crow Street is the site of the Independent Church which was severely damaged when a doodle bomb dropped on the village in 1944. The nearby airport of Stansted was being used by the US Airforce at the time. Children remember US servicemen marching down the street and handing out sweets, very exciting for them as sweets were rationed.
The War Memorial was unveiled in 1921. It has the names of personnel lost in both World Wars. There are a further two buried in the churchyard.
