Easy hikes and walks around Chickney

St Mary the Virgin is an unusual church, built in three stages with completely different styles. The 13th-century nave is the oldest section, with a wonderful main window. The porch is 17th century, with the tower added in the 18th century. The brick extension was added in the Victorian period.

Prior’s Hall Barn is one of the finest surviving medieval barns in the east of England. In an age when timber was plentiful, and a great barn epitomised the prosperity of a landowner, the building provided scope for the craft of the carpenter on a scale otherwise found only in medieval great halls and church roofs. Soon after the Norman Conquest, Widdington was given by William the Conqueror to the abbey of St-Valery-sur-Somme in Picardy. As lands in foreign ownership became an increasing drain on the English economy, Widdington was subsequently confiscated by Edward III and in 1377 given to William of Wykeham, the powerful Bishop of Winchester. Two years later William founded New College, Oxford, and endowed it with Widdington and it is likely that the barn we see today was built for the college. Though there is no documentary evidence for the date of the barn’s construction, tree-ring dating shows that timbers were felled in 1417–42 and the barn’s stylistic elements are appropriate for this date. The interior of this substantial timber-framed barn is quite breathtaking. Its crown post roof has 71 pairs of upper rafters, with a further eight pairs of rafters of decreasing size in the hipped ends. It is aisled, with eight bays, and has two great porches that allowed carts bearing the harvest to be unloaded under cover inside. The curved bracing and cusped bargeboards on the gable ends are both characteristic 14th century features. Except for the doors and cladding, the barn is built of oak and originally comprised some 900 separate pieces of unseasoned timber, the product of approximately 400 trees. There was no ironwork in the original construction: the straps and bolts now supporting aisle ties and other members were added much later. Beside each porch is a small door that gave access when the big doors were not being used. At the bottom of each of these is a cat door and in the apex of the gables is an owl hole, both for controlling vermin. Farming at Widdington was predominantly arable and the main crops stored in the barn were wheat, barley, oats and rye. On dry days the doors could be left open while hand threshing with flails took place just inside, the draught blowing the husks away leaving the grain to be collected. Source: english-heritage.org.uk

Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin stands N. of the village. The walls are of flint and pebble rubble with dressings of limestone; the roofs are covered with tiles and slate. The plan of the church is probably that of the early 12th-century building, but the only remaining detail of that date is a window in the N. wall of the Chancel. The Nave was possibly rebuilt in the 15th century, and the North Vestry was added during the same period. The church was completely restored in 1872, when the West Tower was rebuilt and the South Porch added. ¶Architectural Description—The Chancel (25 ft. by 14½ ft.) with the axis inclined slightly to the S., has a late 13th or early 14th-century E. window, partly restored and of three cinquefoiled lights with intersecting tracery in a two-centred head, under a plain external label; the splays and rear arch are hollow-chamfered and have broach-stops. In the N. wall are two windows, both towards the W. end of the wall; the eastern is of early 12th-century date and of a single light with a flattened round head; the western window is of the 15th century, and of two cinquefoiled lights under a segmental head with a moulded external label, which has grotesque beast-stops now defaced, and a foliated finial; the jambs are moulded and the mullion has an attached shaft with moulded capital and base; the moulded rear arch projects and forms a label with a foliated finial not in situ; E. of the eastern window, opening into the vestry, is a 15th-century doorway with chamfered jambs, two-centred arch and a segmental-pointed rear arch facing the vestry. In the S. wall are two windows; the eastern is of the 14th century and much restored, and of two trefoiled ogee lights with tracery under a two-centred head; the splays are of c. 1280 and have attached shafts with moulded bases and carved capitals set between two lines of dog-tooth ornament; the junctions of the bases and splays are carved with small grotesque heads, and the E. capital has foliage and fruit, with a bird eating fruit partly on the adjoining splay; on the splay adjoining the W. capital is a grotesque head with foliage issuing from the mouth; the western window is of the 15th century, and of two trefoiled ogee lights with modern tracery under a segmental-pointed head. The chancel-arch is modern. The North Vestry has a window in the E. wall and a doorway in the W. wall, both modern. The Nave (40½ ft. by 21 ft.) has one window in the N. wall, all modern, except the splays and chamfered, two-centred rear arch, which are of the 15th century. Further W. is a blocked doorway with a two-centred arch and a chamfered segmental-pointed rear arch, probably also of the 15th century. In the S. wall are two windows; both are modern except the 15th-century moulded splays and pointed rear arch of the western window. W. of the windows is the 15th-century S. doorway, partly restored, with moulded jambs, two-centred arch, plain label, and chamfered segmental rear arch. Fittings—Brass: In nave—on N. wall, of a civilian, c. 1460, in loose belted cloak, feet missing. Door: In S. doorway—of oak, in two leaves, each leaf having three V-shaped battens with hollow-chamfered fillets between them, plain strap-hinges, circular scutcheon and trefoiled handle, back of each leaf with fillets in cross-pattern, probably 15th-century. Glass: In chancel—in N.W. window, hanging inside, two shields of old France and England quarterly, 14th-century, and one medallion with a sundial, hour-glass and crown, dated 1664. Niche: In chancel—in E. wall N. of window, shallow, with moulded jambs and the springing of a four-centred arch, rest of head mutilated, but probably canopied, 15th-century. Piscina: In chancel—with chamfered jambs, moulded stops, moulded and trefoiled head flanked by quatrefoiled panels, circular quatrefoiled basin, late 13th-century. Plate: includes cup of 1562, with two bands of ornament round the bowl; cover-paten, probably late 17th-century, with Elizabethan rim; and alms-dish, probably late 17th-century. Source: british-history.ac.uk

Widdington is a village and a civil parish near Saffron Walden, in the Uttlesford district.

Debden Park is a very small lake in Essex at an altitude of about 76 meters. The shoreline of Debden Park is approximately 2.331 Km round and Debden Park's depth is comparatively very shallow. Debden Park is a freshwater lake.

Open to the public for free during the weekend from April to September, Prior's Hall Barn is a 15th century timber masterpiece. The interior is a real spectacle and worth having a look round. Please note that dogs are not allowed on the site. For more details please see the website https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/priors-hall-barn/history/

A nice gravel byway that gets muddy in places near the river. If you fancy a break there is a rope swing over the river half way along.

Good place to meet to start from and then finish with some snacks