More Old Pictures of Castle Hedingham

Here are some more old pictures of Castle Hedingham. I have very little information about the photographs here; if anyone can tell me more I'd like to hear.

I have kept picture sizes small so that the page downloads in a reasonable time - enlargements of most pictures are available by clicking on the images.

There was obviously a major celebration under way when this photograph was taken! There's bunting hanging from the windows, and at least two cartloads of obviously "dressed-up" people. I wouldn't want to walk down the middle of this road today, but apart from the road little has changed. The cottages all still exist, but have been made more "chocolate-box" by their more affluent modern owners. I'd be really interested to know what the event was; a Majendie wedding, a coronation, or the end of World War I, perhaps? Tonya Overal points out (by email) that it may simply be a village carnival, of course.

This picture was taken in Church Ponds, close to the spot where it meets Falcon Square. The houses have changed very little indeed since the picture was taken (the brickwork has now been painted, and “Melford” is no longer a barber's shop) which makes the characters seem all the more remarkable.

A postcard of Falcon Square, perhaps around the World War I period. The two boys are standing beside the pump (which you can also see in the photo taken in the 1940s, below). All the buildings in this picture are now private houses, but when this picture was taken the gabled building directly in line with the church tower was the post office. I think that the poster to the left is for army recruitment. The three-doored almshouses to the right are now a one bedroomed house!

I'm told that this photograph was taken not long after the end of the Second World War. One of the women in the foreground still lives in the village, and has kindly helped me to date the picture. The water pump must have been the place for a great deal of gossip over the years! In nearly all the old photos I've got, there are people close to it. Although the pump has long gone, Falcon Square is still in many respects the hub of village life. It was the location of the medieval market, and at least one of the houses shows signs of having been used as a stall-type shop during that period.

This view of Crown Street had also not changed all that much until very recently. Crown Street originally ran parallel to the the perimeter of the castle's outer bailey, and once this had passed out of use some land seems to have remained largely clear of buildings. A parcel of land just left of this picture was once used as an orchard. In the 60s the development of Castle Close covered much of it with bricks and tarmac, but one small portion - shown on the left of this picture - remained undeveloped. However, with the current housing shortage, pressure has increased for new building, and a house was erected during 2007. Another is being built next door as I write, in 2008.

This is the Youth Hostel, sadly to become the former Youth Hostel during the summer of 2008 by courtesy of the YHA. It's a wonderful 16th-century timber-framed building which looks likely to be converted into two separate homes, with the possible addition of two new houses in the garden. Villagers by-and-large share the disappointment of youth hostellers that it is being closed. The garden backs onto the former ditch surrounding the outer bailey, and the barbican must have stood very close by. This card was posted in 1961 by a hosteller staying in the village.

This card is postmarked 1936. It's a view of the village from Station Road, which leads out of the village towards Sible Hedingham. The station itself, which served both villages, became disused when the Colne Valley line was closed in the 1960s. This view is now obscured by a high hedge which lines the left of the road. Most of the buildings still exist, although I had to check that the cottage in the centre of the picture and perpendicular to the road is still there; from having a prominent position with a commanding view of the valley it's now tucked away behind trees.

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