Old Pictures of Castle Hedingham

Only a few years ago the cottages which are now sought after were considered substandard, and a number with were condemned. Now, they sell for amounts that their former inhabitants would never have believed! These buildings are now much more comfortable, of course, although sometimes the renovations which have taken place have destroyed their ancient fabric. It is fascinating to see in these photographs familiar houses which have changed so little and yet so much.

There was obviously a major celebration under way when this photograph was taken! There's bunting hanging from the windows, and at least two cartloads of obviously "dressed-up" people. I wouldn't want to walk down the middle of this road today, but apart from the road little has changed. The cottages all still exist, but have been made more "chocolate-box" by their more affluent modern owners. I'd be really interested to know what the event was; a Majendie wedding, a coronation, or the end of World War I, perhaps? Tonya Overal points out (by email) that it may simply be a village carnival, of course.

This picture was taken in Church Ponds, close to the spot where it meets Falcon Square. The houses have changed very little indeed since the picture was taken (the brickwork has now been painted, and “Melford” is no longer a barber's shop) which makes the characters seem all the more remarkable.

A postcard of Falcon Square, perhaps around the World War I period. The two boys are standing beside the pump (which you can also see in the photo taken in the 1940s, below). All the buildings in this picture are now private houses, but when this picture was taken the gabled building directly in line with the church tower was the post office. I think that the poster to the left is for army recruitment. The three-doored almshouses to the right are now a one bedroomed house!

I'm told that this photograph was taken not long after the end of the Second World War. One of the women in the foreground still lives in the village, and has kindly helped me to date the picture. The water pump must have been the place for a great deal of gossip over the years! In nearly all the old photos I've got, there are people close to it. Although the pump has long gone, Falcon Square is still in many respects the hub of village life. It was the location of the medieval market, and at least one of the houses shows signs of having been used as a stall-type shop during that period.

This picture, taken from slightly further back in the square, must have been taken at around the same time, or perhaps a few years later. Pretty much all of the cottages here have altered quite significantly since this picture was taken;the house on the right has had all of its timbers exposed to fit with current fashion, for example.

This is a popular view for photographers! I imagine this was taken perhaps a little later again, maybe around 1960; perhaps someone with greater expertise in old cars can confirm this for me?! The cottages in the centre of the picture were renovated in the mid 50s, and look tidier than they do in the pictures takenearly in the century. The card was written by Stella Woodman to her father and brother in Blackheath; she had stayed at the youth hostel the previous night.

This is also Falcon Square, but the slightly less common view from King Street. The building with the exposed timbers is (or was...it closed in 1954) the Falcon Inn, a particularly beautiful and well-preserved mediaeval house. It's been occupied by the Kendall family since well back into the nineteenth century, which I find quite remarkable. It has wall paintings inside, and a carved de Vere mullet on one of its jetty brackets facing the road. You'll need to look carefully, though, especially on a bright day - it doesn't show up well! I'm very grateful to David Neilson for allowing me to publish this picture.

This view of Castle Lane has changed very little indeed.

This view of Crown Street had also not changed all that much until very recently. Crown Street originally ran parallel to the the perimeter of the castle's outer bailey, and once this had passed out of use some land seems to have remained largely clear of buildings. A parcel of land just left of this picture was once used as an orchard. In the 60s the development of Castle Close covered much of it with bricks and tarmac, but one small portion - shown on the left of this picture - remained undeveloped. However, with the current housing shortage, pressure has increased for new building, and a house was erected during 2007. Another is being built next door as I write, in 2008.

This is the former Youth Hostel, which sadly closed in August 2008. It's a wonderful 16th-century timber-framed building which looks likely to be converted into two separate homes, with the likely addition of two new houses in the garden. Villagers and hostellers mostly shared disappointment at its closure. The garden backs onto the former ditch surrounding the outer bailey, and the barbican must have stood very close by. This card was posted in 1961 by a hosteller staying in the village.

This card is postmarked 1936. It's a view of the village from Station Road, which leads out of the village towards Sible Hedingham. The station itself, which served both villages, became disused when the Colne Valley line was closed in the 1960s. This view is now obscured by a high hedge which lines the left of the road. Most of the buildings still exist, although I had to check that the cottage in the centre of the picture and perpendicular to the road is still there; from having a prominent position with a commanding view of the valley it's now tucked away behind trees.

I imagine that this card dates from the 60s, and the view hasn't really changed at all. The Moot House remains a restaurant.

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