Chrishall Village History

The life and times of a North Essex Village
Alfred Brand and the bees

Alfred Brand and the bees

Jun 27, 2020 | Crawley End, People

Alfred Brand lived at Peacock Cottage in Crawley End Chrishall. We don’t know where the above photograph was taken – whether it was in Peacock Cottage garden or at an allotment. At the time Alfred Brand lived there, there would have been allotments just...
Abrams Family Group

Abrams Family Group

Jan 25, 2020 | Builden End, People, Village Folk

This photograph was given to the collection by Romaine – many thanks. It might add something to the Abrams jigsaw! It is thought to have been taken in 1914 after Clara Ives marriage to Will Drury. Standing from left to right: Lucy and Samuel Abrams, Nell and...
Chrishall Observation Post

Chrishall Observation Post

Aug 28, 2019 | Mill Causeway

On the corner of Hertford Lane, just about where the red car is in the photograph above, used to stand the Chrishall Observation Post. It was a concrete structure, fairly substantial but also fairly well hidden in the undergrowth and hedging that grew up around it....
Cheeky card with a lovely address

Cheeky card with a lovely address

Dec 31, 2018 | High Street and Brick Row

Chrishall being so close to several county borders has always caused some confusion with it’s location. Although we are definitely in Essex, our postal address has always been ‘Royston, Herts’. And when postcodes came in, we came under Stevenage with...
Farming in 1864

Farming in 1864

Dec 27, 2018 | Chrishall Grange

October 1864 and Samuel Jonas down at Chrishall Grange has had a trying year on the farm. This is his report he sent in to the Agricultural Gazette and published in the Chelmsford Chronicle on the 7th October 1864. The crops about Saffron Walden – Mr Samuel...
Two Ears of Barley

Two Ears of Barley

Jul 14, 2018 | Builden End, Village Folk

I was recently loaned a lovely little book called Two Ears of Barley, written by Jack Wilkerson and published in 1969 and all about the history of Barley in Cambridgeshire.  Barley is only about three miles from Chrishall as the crow flies and there are lots of...

Church Road Garage and Cottages

May 18, 2018 | Church Road

The Gate cottage and garage used to look very different to what they do today. Read on to find out more about the cottages that have now disappeared and a little history of The Gate and the garage.

The story of Engleric

The story of Engleric

Apr 17, 2018 | Crawley End, Houses Crawley End and Hertford Lane

We have recently been asked the reason behind the name Engleric and are delighted to re-produce this article written many years ago for the village magazine.  Mrs Irene Cranwell, village historian, wrote articles for many years under the guise of the village pumps. ...
Village Green 1940s

Village Green 1940s

Feb 22, 2018 | Places, Village Centre

Photograph from the Bruce Drury Collection View from Church road towards Martenholme in the 1940s or early 1950s. Note the (red & white?) kerbs – was this a wartime safety measure? The gates you can see in the centre of the picture were apparently, at...
And then it snowed

And then it snowed

Dec 18, 2017 | Advent 2017, Crawley End

It seems appropriate for this winter that we include some snowy photos from years gone by.  I cannot name any people on these pictures though – can you?  The photograph above is looking up Crawley End from near the pond on the green, in 1963.  You can just see...