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" Constable Country " Date & start time: 22nd August 2011 12.30 pm start Location of Start : The Flatford Mill car park, Suffolk, Uk ( TM 075 335 ) Places visited : Flatford, Flatford Mill and Dedham. Walk details : 3.5 mls,100 ft of ascent, 3 hrs 15 mins. Highest point : The museum of pictures and Willy Lott's House. Walked with : Cathy, Alexander, Ann and the dogs, Theo, Harry and Bethan. Weather : Sunshine and warm temperatures.
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" Constable Country " at EveryTrail [ Alter the settings to zoom or change the Map, use Everytrail to download the Gps route ] |
One of the most significant English Landscape artists was John Constable who was born and brought up in this area of East Bergholt, Flatford and Dedham. He introduced a whole new way of looking at classic landscapes compared to his contemporaries who were still painting in traditional European classic and formal style. Today we drove a short distance across from Pin Mill to enjoy the iconic landscape of his Constable's youth and try and match his pictures with the reality of today . . . Oh . . . and also walk the dogs and ourselves on what was a lovely summer day. A useful information board in the car park at the start of the walk. Bridge Cottage and the bridge, hardly changed from Constable's day (1776 - 1837) The River Stour as it wends its way towards us and underneath the bridge, travelling east and eventually reaching the sea at Harwich. Classic pollarded willows line the banks of the Stour. With minimal currents, this stretch of the river is appreciated by holiday makers and day visitors alike as they can hire boats and canoes and spend time on the water. Sometimes they meet up at crowded bends . . . Where some people's boat skills leaves a little to be desired . . . It's a good job they are all travelling nice and slowly !
The sign board in Dedham Village. Passing the Arts Centre on Brook Street, with the Church ahead. St Mary's Church, Dedham . . . built from the wealth of the wool trade. John Constable attended the Grammar School here in Dedham in the 1790's and the church tower has a display of many of his paintings.
Delightful timber framed buildings line the roads . . . there's a great tearoom opposite too. Dedham Mill, one of many mills that have developed along the length of the river. Did I say the area was popular with tourists ? Just outside the village is one of the two places you can hire rowing boats. We retraced our steps, but this time on the opposite bank of the river. This is Fen Bridge which we passed on the way out . . . and on the way back. - - - o o o - - -
- - - o o o - - - Back to the walk . . . we leave the river and climb slightly towards East Bergholt. Our two posers are joined by Alexander for this view back to Dedham Village, almost hidden in the trees. This brought us back to the car park and Flatford . . . and after a light lunch we extended the walk by re-visiting the river. The Bridge Cottage used to be a National Trust tearoom but a new purpose made building has been constructed alongside. The Cottage now houses an informative museum all about Constable and his paintings. Inside the museum. Reprints of his classic paintings. This one shows the river, Flatford Mill, and the lock gates from the southern end of the bridge. After spending time indoors, we walked out into the present day once again . . . mind your head as you go through the door.
More or less the same view as the picture above from the parapet of the bridge. The passage of time has most noticeably altered the trees and vegetation, so many of the classic views are no longer possible. The Granary has been converted from a grain store and now offers bed and breakfast accommodation for visitors to the area. A close up of the river lock. The gates have changed, the wood replaced but the structure is basically the same as before. Classic Flatford Mill from the lock. Another painted view that isn't quite achievable until the Trust have a change of policy and remove some of the extensive trees. A little further on and the Mill is in full view.
Back at the bridge again and a close up of the side view of the Mill. [ Hold your cursor over the picture to compare the original ] Alongside the tearooms is the old dry dock which features in Constable's paintings. [ Hold your cursor over the picture to compare the original ] One of the contemporary buildings, currently undergoing a slight decoration or renovation. The famous Flatford Mill which used the power of the water from the river to drive the corn grinding wheels. Golding Constable, John's father was a miller and corn merchant and this was one of the businesses with which he was involved. John would have worked here for a time as a young man. Today the mill buildings are home to the Flatford Mill Field Centre, run by the Field Studies Council. Gibbonsgate Farm, better known as Willy Lott's House, as featured in The Haywain [ Hold your cursor over the picture to compare my efforts at photographing the scene ] Has it been possible to re-create the scenes of old ? Over time all the trees have changed, the land in this part of East Anglia has sunk about a foot (30cms) compared to other parts of Britain and so as a consequence the river levels are higher compared to 200 years ago. We may not be able to see exactly what Constable saw . . . but we have a new insight as to the type of scenery that inspired his work. - - - o o o - - - Stop Press . . .
- - - o o o - - - For further information about this "area of outstanding natural beauty" click here - - - o o o - - - |
Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera. Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder. This site best viewed with . . . a photographic memory for pictures seen earlier. Go to Top . . . © RmH.2011 . . . Email me here Previous walk - 20th August 2011 A short Suffolk Holiday - part 1 A previous time up here - 23rd / 27th August 2009 Pin Mill in Suffolk Next walk - 24th August 2011 Pin Mill final day
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