This England

ENGLISH EXCURSIONS
Essex is a place where you learn
to expect the unexpected — and
never more so than right at the
northern edge of the county, along the
banks of the River Stour which forms a
natural boundary with Suffolk.
The river rises in Cambridgeshire
and flows east into the North Sea. At
Manningtree in Essex it widens out,
becomes more of an estuary and for the
first time is tidal. From here to Harwich
where the river meets the sea 12 miles
later, there’s history and mystery at
every turn.
Standing on Holbrook Bay, which is
part of the River Stour, Manningtree’s
name is thought to be derived from
“Many Trees”. It once lay claim to being
the smallest town in England, with no
more than 700 inhabitants living in an
area of only 20 hectares. There were
those who disputed this, notably the
350 people of Fordwich in Kent, which,
coincidentally, sits on another River
Stour. In any case Manningtree lost all
hope of claiming or retaining the title
when it merged to become a single
parish with nearby Mistley and Lawford
in 2009, thereby losing its official status
as a town, even though most people still
refer to it as such.
In the 17th century Manningtree
was home to Matthew Hopkins, the
infamous Witchfinder General. His
claims that he had heard local women
making a pact with the devil led to their
executions as witches. Today you’ll find
him lurking on the sign at the entrance
to the town.
Moving east along the banks of
the estuary we shift from history to
mystery at the village of Mistley where,
overlooking the river, two magnificent
and classically ornate towers stand just
inside the entrance to a small cemetery,
seemingly for no reason whatsoever.
Built in the neoclassical style, they
look more like tall, slender pavilions,
decorated with ionic columns and
cornices, each topped by a cupola.
The towers date back to the 1770s
when civil servant and politician
Richard Rigby of Mistley Hall was Chief
Secretary of Ireland and Paymaster
General of the Forces. Mistley at this
time was a trading port, but Rigby
decided to make the area more
upmarket, calling in architect Robert
Adam to help turn the area into a
fashionable spa. It didn’t happen, but
Adam’s services were retained to build a
new parish church. Rigby’s brief was for
it to be grand and easily seen from the
windows of his mansion.
When it was built it was all of that,
looking more like a small cathedral than
Above: Looking
across the River
Stour on the
road out of
Manningtree.
Left: The many
attractions of the
area are depicted
on a sign.
Right: The
ancient building
that houses The
Mogul restaurant
in Manningtree;
Mistley Towers.
18 THIS ENGLAND, Winter, 2017