Spring 2011 tlm ! the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 53

on your doorstep ! constable country

Pretty as a

Straddling the Essex and Suffolk borders, picturesque Dedham Vale isknown as Constable Country as it was where artist John Constable livedand painted many of his famous works. Clare Mann lives in the heart ofthis idyllic landscape and gives a guided tour

We have spent many happy hourstramping along Dedham Vale,where we live. The Vale is celebrat-ing its 40th year this May as a des-ignated Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty. My children’s

favourite walk with the dogs is between Dedham andFlatford down the Stour River. In the summer thewater meadows are filled with buttercups and thegnarled silvery willow trees trail their branches in thecool brown water of the river. The young JohnConstable would have walked the same two milesalong the riverbank every day to school in Dedham

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! Willy Lott’s cottage on theRiver Stour

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! Constable’s Hay Wain

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from his home in East Bergholt. It is one of those walks you never tire of. There is

always plenty going on: fellow dog walkers, childrenfrom the field centre at Flatford Mill on a mission, artistswith easels entranced by the famous landscape androwing boats on the river on summer days. When thechildren were younger, they fished for hours. They nevercaught anything, although large pike lurk in the deepshadows. There have been some best-forgotten incidentstoo. Plum, our English Bull Terrier, on the scent of a hamsandwich, trampled a painter’s canvas drying in the sun.Then the time when Plum ran amok amongst the clottedcream-coloured cows – only wanting to play with them.

When we left London, our main desire was to find ahouse with a view. That we have, looking south-west upthe Stour Valley from Higham. From our field, we cancount five churches: Higham, Dedham, Stratford StMary, Langham and Stoke-by-Nayland. There are someConstable sketches of Higham church, which might have

been drawn from our field. Another famous local artist, Sir Alfred Munnings,

was a regular visitor to our house. He was an old friendof Freddie Boucher, who lived here. Boucher was a keenhorseman and, by all accounts, a great character. Thestory goes he kept a favourite horse in the drawing roomafter it had won a race at Newmarket.

constable tourOur view up the valley changes with the seasons. Inwinter, water meadows are frequently flooded where theRiver Brett meets the Stour at Stratford St Mary. Thewater brings great flocks of geese and swans, cacklingand calling late into the night. Occasionally the flood-water has frozen and we’ve been able to skate on theshallows.

The National Trust owns Flatford Mill. There is atearoom and small museum with guided tours and talksabout Constable. Willy Lott’s picturesque cottage,

54 tlm ! the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Spring 2011

on your doorstep ! constable country

constableviewpointsThe viewpoints fromthe following paintingsby Constable are stillclearly recognisabletoday at Flatford Mill,along the Stour Riverand in Dedham Vale.

" The Hay Wain, 1821,now in the NationalGallery

" Flatford Mill from theLock, 1811, in theV&A

" Boat-building nearFlatford Mill, 1814, inthe V&A

" The Leaping Horse,1825, the RoyalAcademy

" Boys Fishing ‘A Lockon the Stour’, 1812,part of theFairhavenCollection, AngleseyAbbey

" The Entrance to FenLane, 1817, The Tate

" A Cottage in theCornfield, 1817, V&A

" Golding Constable’sKitchen Garden (hisfamily home in EastBergholt), 1815,Ipswich Museum

“Dedhamremainsunspoilt,despite thecoach-loadsthat arrive inthe summer”

! The River Stour

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! Visitors to Flatford compare oldpaintings with the present view

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immortalised in The Hay Wain, remains unchanged,overlooking the millpond where ducks still paddle.

Throughout the year, both the Dedham Vale andStour Valley Project and National Trust organise walksof varying lengths throughout the vale with a knowl-edgeable guide. The popular Walking in the Footstepsof Constable tour never fails to enthral our family andfriends.

Maps, drawings and reproductions of Constable’spaintings are produced at various vantage points tocompare past and present vistas. We learnt that hishuge six foot masterpieces were in fact painted in hisstudio in London, reconstructed from his hundreds ofsketches of Dedham Vale. From Fen Lane, leading downfrom East Bergholt, Constable sketched and painted thelandscape over and over again. The two oak treesdepicted in Dedham Vale Morning still stand today.

The church in East Bergholt is unusual in that it hasno tower (probably because of lack of funds at the time

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on your doorstep ! constable country

10 things to do indedham vale and the stour valley" The Dedham Vale and Stour Valley Project

arranges guided walks throughout the year.Numbers are limited and cost £3 for adults, withchildren free. For those and other events, visitwww.dedhamvalestourvalley.org.

" The Flatford Mill FieldCentre (www.field-studies-council.org), inFlatford Mill, offers children,students and adults a rangeof residential and daycourses, which are bothenvironmental and art-based.

" The Sir Alfred MunningsMuseum at Castle House,located in Dedham(www.siralfredmunnings.co.uk), houses thelargest collection of Munnings’ work. Open April1-October 31, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdaysand Sundays, from 2-5pm, admission £5.

" Drift down the Stour in a rowing boat fromDedham (www.dedhamboathouse.co.uk) for£12 an hour. Boats are also available from Flatford,rowing upstream, at £10 an hour.

" Treat yourself to afternoon tea at the MaisonTalbooth (www.milsomhotels.com) with a glassof champagne, £16.85 a head.

" Visit Stoke-by-Nayland Church. Constablesketched a studio composition of the church bymoonlight, now in London’s V&A Museum.

" Constable was commissioned to paint three altarpieces; the only one remaining in situ is in St James’sChurch in Nayland, where it was installed in 1810.

" Early 17th century, haunted Thorington Hall is aGrade II National Trust house, open once a year,on September 10. More information atwww.nationaltrust.org.

" Take residential and day painting courses withDrawEast (www.draweast.com).

"The Stour Valley is ideal for cyclists, but bring yourown bicycle. The Dedham Vale Stour Valley Projecthas produced a 69-mile cycle route, which takes inpoints of interest and accommodation. Availablefrom Hadleigh and Sudbury Tourist offices for £3.50.

! Little Hall, Lavenham

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! A portrait of AlfredMunnings, circa 1911, byHarold Knight

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! Boats for hire at Dedham

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of its construction); instead it has a medieval bell cage,which houses five great bells. Constable’s parents areburied in the graveyard and Willy Lott’s grave can alsobe found there.

A plaque in East Bergholt marks Constable’s tinystudio cottage by the village shop. Another plaque onsome railings marks the grand house that his father built,but was pulled down in the 19th century.

medieval housesDedham remains unspoilt, despite the coach-loads thatarrive in the summer. It is very much a bustling villagewith a thriving community. Typical of East Anglia, thehandsome Georgian houses along the High Street arejust facades. The original medieval houses can be seenfrom behind.

The pretty High Street is centred around the church.There is everything here from a butcher to a traditionaltearoom, The Essex Rose. The young John Constable’sinitials together with the date 1787, it is said, can be seencarved in the brickwork of Grade 1-listed ShermanHouse, the old grammar school, on the High Street.

Visitors should not miss Castle House on the edge ofDedham; the home and studio of Sir Alfred Munnings, itis now a museum and gallery. It houses a wonderfulcollection of his drawings and paintings. The DedhamPlayers (www.dedhamplayers.org), an amateur theatri-cal group, put on plays in the Assembly Rooms and inthe summer in the grounds of Castle House (mid-July).

For those visiting the area, medieval Lavenham(www.discoverlavenham.co.uk) is England’s finestmedieval village and is a must with its 340 listed build-ings. The National Trust owns the exquisite lime-washedGuild Hall. Constable briefly went to the Old GrammarSchool there, in Barn Street. From the pharmacy onthe High street visitors can rent an audiotape, whichtakes them on a 90-minute tour of the village.

Elizabeth I visited Lavenham in 1578 with 2,000servants and squires dancing in attendance, whileJohn Lennon and Yoko Ono took off in a hot airballoon from the Market Square.

The market town of Sudbury is also worth a visit,famous for being the birthplace of Thomas Gainsbor-ough. Gainsborough House, his home, is now a museumand gallery (www.gainsborough.org).

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on your doorstep ! constable country

dedham vale facts

getting thereFrom the M25, take the A12 for 60 miles, which takes you straight toDedham and Stratford St Mary. By train, Liverpool Street toManningtree takes an hour. Manningtree Taxis, on 01206 393333, are areliable service.

getting aroundThe best option for exploring Dedham Vale is by foot; a two-mile pathalong the Stour River joins Dedham and Flatford. For excursions, a caris essential.

accommodationThere is a good selection ofaccommodation in Dedham Vale: smartpubs, boutique hotels and B&Bs. The SunInn (www.thesuninndedham.com),with double rooms from £105, is inmiddle of Dedham. Milsoms and thegrander Maison Talbooth(www.milsomhotels.com), have doublesfrom £117 and are both close to Dedham. TheCrown, in Stoke-by-Nayland, is a gastro pub with chic andcontemporary bedrooms (www.crowninn.net); doubles are from£135. The Granary B&B (www.granaryflatford.co.uk) is right inFlatford; doubles are £58. Hillside House B&B is in Higham(www.wolseylodges.com) and has doubles for £90. For moreinformation, go to www.visiteastofengland.com.

visiting flatford Bridge Cottage, museum and tearoom are open daily from April toOctober, and at weekends from November to March. The NationalTrust’s guided three-hour rambles, Walking in the Footsteps ofConstable, and behind the scenes tours cost £6 per person. Visitwww.nationaltrust.org.uk to book a place on a walk, or call BridgeCottage on 01206 298260.

more informationDedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty & Stour Valley Project:www.dedhamvalestourvalley.org

You will need more than one visit to see all the sightsaround Dedham Vale. The coast is within easy strikingdistant, with the Stour estuary at Manningtree and thesandy beaches at Frinton. Further afield, but less than an

hour’s drive from Dedham, are the sleepy coastalvillage of Aldeburgh (www.aldeburgh.co.uk) andThorpeness for sailing and golf. Music loversshould take a trip to Snape Maltings (www.snapemaltings.co.uk), with its concerthall, galleries, shops and restaurants.

We, though, are more than happy just looking atour view.

Clare Mann has lived in Dedham Vale for 12 years withher husband, three children, dogs, pet pigs and bantams. She isa regularly contributor to the Sunday Telegraph Travel pages.

! Flatford MillN

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! The Swan Hotelat Lavenham

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! The Stour valley

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