Wood you rather

Meticulously executed programmes of restoration and renovation have left three medieval masterpieces well equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century

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DESCRIBED by the poet Matthew Arnold as ‘deeply rural’, the small rustic village of Easthorpe, three miles from Marks Tey and seven miles from Colchester, Essex, lies within the farmlands of south-west Colchester in a landscape that’s a mix of small pasture and large arable fields traversed by the gentle slopes of the Roman River valley. Previously a separate parish, Easthorpe amalgamated with nearby Copford in 1949.

Originally heavily wooded and despite clearance over the centuries, a significant amount of woodland and planted forestry remains a feature of much of the area, providing barriers against soil erosion and an important habitat for wildlife and shooting. Many of the large mature oak trees scattered in and around the parish were planted in the 17th century to help boost the national supply of shipbuilding material for the Royal Navy.

The ready supply of fine timber also provided the materials to build Easthorpe’s most important historic buildings. These include the 12th-century, Grade II*-listed church of St Mary the Virgin, which, although partly built of Roman brick and tiles, boasts a timber steeple, and the village’s oldest and grandest houses, the Grade II*-listed Easthorpe Hall and Grade II*-listed St Mary’s Grange, the former rectory, both of which are timberframe and date from the 15th century.