Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
his work and personal possessions. Not far away, at
Sudbury,
is the former home
of 18th-century artist Thomas Gainsborough. As founder of the English school of
painting, he was much admired by Constable, who once said: “I fancy I see a
Gainsborough in every hedge and hollow tree.” Gainsborough's house contains
more of his paintings, drawings, and prints than can be seen anywhere else. But
the greatest glory of Constable Country is still what it was in Constable's time: A
lazy river meandering through green fields past ancient trees and hedgerows under
the huge East Anglian skies.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
Trains (NXEA) leave hourly from London's Liverpool Street
Station to Sudbury, an 80-minute journey (changing at Marks Tey), or several times
an hour to Manningtree, around an hour's ride; both cost about £25 one-way. It's also
possible to take the train to Colchester, 5 miles from Dedham. Taxis are available at
the station, and there are buses from the bus station on
Queen Street (
&
01206/
282645;
www.firstgroup.com).
If you're driving from London, take the A12 past Colchester and turn off at East
Bergholt, following signs for Dedham.
Exploring the Area
The focal point of Dedham is the Georgian high street with its small independent
shops and cafes and the Dedham Grammar School on Royal Square, where Con-
stable was once a pupil. The school had a Royal Charter from Elizabeth I in 1575 and
attracted wealthy families to the town during Georgian times, hence the Georgian
facades over medieval buildings and the Georgian Assembly Rooms, which are still
used for social events. At Dedham's heart is St. Mary's Church, which featured in
much of John Constable's work and where his painting
The Ascension
is on perma-
nent display. Many people from this part of Essex were among the Pilgrims to
America, and there are carvings in the church pews to commemorate
The Mayflower
and other U.S. connections.
Flatford Mill & Bridge Cottage
HISTORIC SITE There is no public access to
Flatford Mill, which now runs art courses, but you can walk around the mill pond
and along grassy footpaths by the river, providing ample opportunity to follow in
Constable's footsteps or just have a picnic. Signposts direct drivers to the Flatford
Mill parking lot, and there's a small Tourist Information Centre on the road down to
the mill. Farther along the road is Bridge Cottage, owned by the National Trust,
where there's a permanent exhibition about Constable and a cafe in the rest of the
cottage.
River Stour Trust
boat trips leave from nearby (Sun and bank holidays;
&
01787/313199;
www.riverstourtrust.org), or you can walk along the riverbank.
Flatford, East Begholt.
&
01206/298260.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Free admission. Opening hours
vary according to season.
Sir Alfred Munnings Art Museum
MUSEUM Munnings was born in 1878,
and his early work captured the disappearing country people and scenes of East
Anglia, but he is best known for his equestrian paintings; he was the official war art-
ist to the Canadian Cavalry Brigade during World War I. His most famous paintings
are of racehorses and courses, and many of these are displayed in the relaxing sur-
roundings of his Dedham home. Munnings left his paintings to the nation, and his
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