Friday, 29 November 2024

Post Mill • Finchingfield

Thought to be the smallest post mill in Essex. It was built around 1756 as an open trestle mill. The roundhouse was added in 1840. 

It's also known locally as Duck's End Mill and Letch's Mill. It was given Grade II listing status in 1953.

It was in operation until 1890. The last miller here was Andrew Letch, whose family had owned the mill since 1817. 

📌 Finchingfield, Essex
///assurance.spare.shuts

Friday, 30 August 2024

Church of St Gregory and St George • Pentlow


12th Century round-towered church, with later additions and restoration. One of only six round-towered churches in Essex. 

Inside what was once the Chantry chapel, was taken over by the Kempe family in the 1600s. 

There is an impressive effigy to Judge George Kempe, and his son and wife, which features 10 kneeling daughters and 4 kneeling sons.

Read more about the people I discovered at Pentlow Church in my Substack article HERE.  

Thursday, 29 August 2024

Plaque to Capt. Orlando Bull • Pentlow

The Dovecot was on voyage from London to China when it disappeared.

In the November of 1842 the Morning Chronicle reported that the brig was sighted on the Straits of Gaspar, but had not been seen since.

The Dovecot was wrecked on Hainan, an island in the South China Sea on around the 16th April, 1842. 

The same publication reported the following year that it was suspected that the crew had been murdered by pirates, who plagued those seas at the time.

The plaque to Captain Bull is inside the church of St Gregory and St George, Pentlow. 

///detonated.litigate.woods

You can read about some of the other memorials from Pentlow Church in my Substack article HERE