Communing in Constable Country

Scene of Constable's 'Hay Wain'

Well – I've finally made it to East Anglia! I've been saying for the last two years that I must really get to the east side of the country a) because I've never really been here (apart from day trips to Speedway venues! and one three-day coach tour with Mum) and b) because its flat!

I set off from Jeni's cottage in Wells on Wednesday, 4^th June and made my way to the A303, then on to the M3 and northbound onto the M25. I haven't driven on the M25 for many years – it doesn't improve! However, I had no major hold-ups but it seemed like an awfully long way to Junction 28 where I turned off onto the A12 and headed for Colchester. My destination was Old Hall Community, East Bergholt and it was only as I drove into the village that I had a real deja-vu moment – I had been here before! It was one of the few places that the coach tour had stopped on our whirlwind tour of 'Constable Country and Jimmy's Farm'. I was so busy checking that it definitely was the same place that I drove straight past the entrance to Old Hall and had to go some way before I could turn and retrace my steps.

It is only the second time that I have stayed in a community (the first time was in June 2010 at Canon Frome Court in Herefordshire) and, superficially it is very similar. There are about 40 residents, all owning their own units, and contributing to the running of the farm and vegetable gardens. The big difference between the two is that here all meals are taken communally in the Refectory/Kitchen – its amazing to see the ease with which people cater for upwards of 30 people at each meal! I think the food is a big draw for lots of the younger WWOOFers – I have not felt hungry at all since I've been here. If you get peckish between the (cooked) lunch and the large supper, you can always have toast with a variety of toppings and tea and coffee are always on tap, thanks to a water heater. The building is a huge old house opposite the church and parts of it date back to the 1700s. After being the 'Big House' it became a convent for a closed order of nuns and then a monastery for some monks who sold it to the founders of the community in 1974 when their numbers had declined so greatly that it was no longer viable as a monastery. There is even a bell tower and the bell is rung to let everyone know when meals are ready. I went to Dedham one Sunday walking along the river. It is a couple of miles away as the crow flies but you could hear the meal bell quite distinctly from there!

East Bergholt Bell Cage

East Bergholt is the birthplace of John Constable and many of his more famous paintings are of scenes in the locality. Its other claim to fame is its unique church bell cage. The bell cage was constructed in the 1500s as a temporary measure until the tower was completed. There is still no tower and the bells still reside in their original framework to one side of the churchyard. The bell ringers practice on a Wednesday evening, so I went to see the bells in action. Obviously, because the bells are at ground level, they cannot be rung in the conventional manner, so have to be swung from the top of the bell and pushed from side to side. Several of the community members are ringers and they say that once the bell starts to swing it is not heavy to move, but it is difficult to control the rate of swing and therefore the timing of the changes. They all wear ear defenders but I imagine most of the bellringers of yesteryear were as deaf as a post from being in such close proximity.

On my second morning here I woke early and, as it was a beautiful morning, I breakfasted and then walked down to Flatford Mill which is only about twenty minutes away. At that time of day it was very peaceful and, although the scene is not quite the same now, you could almost imagine Mr Constable sitting there with his easel painting 'The Hay Wain'. I imagine that, later in the day, it bears very little resemblance to that peaceful, pastoral scene as it must be a huge tourist draw.

The community owns 70 acres of land and there are several large vegetable plots and soft fruit areas that need constant attention at this time of year. There are usually two or three WWOOFers staying at any one time during the summer months and they are generally used for weeding and planting of vegetables and have little to do with the animal residents unless they express a burning desire to milk a cow or collect eggs. While I have been here there have been a young couple from Italy, and girls from France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland plus one older British guy who comes every year as an unofficial WWOOfer and is an easy-going hard worker. The Spanish WWOOFer was a successful business woman on holiday from Granada, so we were able to talk about that beautiful city and if I go back some day perhaps we could meet up. Who knows?

Although I have not had much to do with the animals here, I did manage to get to help on sheep shearing day, hustling sheep through the pen and occasionally rolling fleeces. They have a small flock (about 35) of Lincoln Longwools, which are a rare breed, and shearing them nearly broke the shearer's heart, and his back, as they are large animals and very overweight, for the most part, and their fleece is like very matted dreadlocks! It was a boiling hot day and at first he was working in full sun but, eventually, we reconstructed the shearing pen in the shade of the barn and I got very 'mumsie' and made him drink copious amounts of water each time he finished a sheep! I have accepted the offer of a fleece to add to my collection but, as yet, have no idea what I will use it for. Due, I suppose, to my obvious sheep knowledge, the man who generally looks after the sheep almost exclusively, decided it was OK to go on holiday with his wife for a week, leaving me to look after the flock which includes a poorly sheep and her equally poorly lamb! I am told that it is the first time that Jake has ever relinquished care of 'his' flock to a visitor (he rarely lets residents help) so I suppose I should feel honoured, rather than anxious! They are due back today and I have managed to keep both animals alive until their return! I think the lamb has turned the corner now and seems a lot more lively but the ewe, although she eats well, drinks well and has normal 'bodily functions', seems unable to get to her feet. I wonder if it could be to do with her weight problem (she is a tad obese) as it seems to be a mechanical issue rather than a physical illness. Her lamb has learned to suckle from her while she is lying down – clever little lad! I have christened him Claude, for some reason.

I WWOOFed here officially for two weeks but, as I had been unable to find another host until 5^th July, I am now staying on as a paying guest but expected to contribute 15 hours a week to the community (as do the residents). This means that I have been able to pick and choose what I do, so have made some butter and yesterday I made a large Cheddar cheese which, unfortunately, won't be ready to eat until September. In between jobs I have been travelling around the Suffolk countryside, and also indulging in a bit of outdoor wool spinning.

I had not realised that Suffolk was such a beautiful county – it is not completely flat, but rolls and swells gently. Admittedly, there are no major hills (at 40metres above sea level, the community is perched on a high point in the landscape) but there are lots of trees and rivers and incredibly pretty villages. Many of the old cottages are thatched and painted lovely pastel colours and, in Lavenham, there are many jettied Tudor half-timbered houses with remnants of pargeting on their façades. The reason that there are so many original Tudor houses in the towns in this area is that it was once a rich and thriving wool area (a bit like the Cotswolds) but the decline in the trade was so fast that, instead of being pulled down or modernised over the years by their owners, most of the merchants' houses were left to decay or split into smaller dwellings for the ordinary townsfolk. In the early part of the twentieth century this architectural heritage was recognised and steps taken to preserve and restore these beautiful buildings. The nearby town of Hadleigh also has some beautiful old merchants' houses plus a huge church, out of all proportion to the size of the town. Unfortunately, on the day that I was having a wander round there was a wedding in the church – I saw the groom and best man arriving on a large, well-polished John Deere tractor!

On another day I went to visit Sutton Hoo, the site of one of the biggest Anglo-Saxon boat burials ever discovered in Europe. There are many burial mounds set close together in one area of this estate and in 1939 Mrs Edith Pretty, the owner of the 'big house', decided to get a local man to excavate one of the largest mounds. Several of the graves had already been ransacked by treasure seekers but they had not dug down far enough in this mound to disturb what lay beneath – a large boat, ninety feet long, containing the remains of the most wonderful Anglo-Saxon artefacts. The original 'hoard' is housed in the British Museum but the National Trust has an exhibition here of facsimiles and it is really stunning. Because of the acid nature of the sandy soil in this part of Suffolk, all of the natural substances have been eaten away – in fact, the ship that was excavated was just a stain in the sand where the timbers used to be and some rusty nails! However, the gold, silver and iron work all remain and are exquisitely carved and ornamented with inlays and semi-precious stones – even the horse harness of a warrior's horse found buried near its master in a separate mound on the site.

The Ickworth Rotunda

Continuing the historical and cultural nature of my days off I have also visited Framlingham Castle, of which only the massive curtain walls remain to bear witness to its importance in the history of this country – it was here that Mary Tudor was declared Queen and set out, in pomp, for London, and Ickworth Park, home of the rather notorious Hervey family, which consists of a huge, Italianate rotunda flanked by curving wings. The family lived in one of the wings (now an hotel) and used the rotunda as guest accommodation and to display their collections. It now houses the huge collection of family silver and a comprehensive collection of beautiful fans dating from the 1700s. I found the building rather ugly but was captivated by the 5.5 acre walled garden that lies a good distance from the house. At the moment it is a huge, open space sown with wild flowers but, on the chance discovery of the Head Gardener's diary and notebook from the turn of the twentieth century, found in an old cupboard in 2009, there are plans afoot to return it to its productive heyday over the next few years – that will be fascinating to see.

I was lucky enough, during the second weekend of my stay, to be present for the 40^th birthday of the community. The whole weekend was given over to celebratory meals and the place was bulging at the seams as families and friends of the residents arrived for the celebrations. As has been the case for most of my stay here, the sun shone, and we ate two of the 'formal' meals outside in the lovely gardens at the front of the house – I even found a skirt amongst my possessions and donned earrings as well! On the Sunday afternoon we had a birthday cake and the oldest, original member made the ceremonial first cut. There are still several original or very early members here and some of their children have also returned to take up residence with their families.

I have stayed on as the guest of Ruth and Richard (who used to live at Old Chapel Farm, in Wales, where I WWOOFed several times) as all visitors have to be 'sponsored'. Its been good to catch up with them again and to see how well they have integrated into the life of the community. Several people have asked if I would consider living in a community but, tempting as many aspects are of life here, I still don't think I could 'live by committee' as I like to make my decisions and act on them, not discuss them endlessly until some sort of agreement is reached. I have loved my stay here, and would certainly come back again to WWOOF or stay as a paying guest, but live here? I don't think so.

Old Hall Community