Great Bardfield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great Bardfield |
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 Great Bardfield
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| Population | 1,374 (2021) |
| OS grid reference | TL675305 |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRAINTREE |
| Postcode district | CM7 |
| Dialling code | 01371 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
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Great Bardfield is a large village in the Braintree area of Essex, England. It is about 9 kilometers northwest of Braintree town. It is also about 19 kilometers southeast of Saffron Walden.
This village became well-known in the 1950s. This was because it was home to a group of artists called the Great Bardfield Artists.
Contents
A Village with History
Royal Connections
Legend says that Henry VIII gave Bardfield to Anne of Cleves. This was part of his divorce agreement. Several buildings in the village are linked to Anne of Cleves. These include the Great Lodge and its large barn. The barn is now named after her. The grounds are very big, covering about 4 square kilometers. They also have a vineyard.
Old Buildings and Mills
Great Bardfield has a special old building called the Bardfield Cage. This was a village lock-up from the 1800s. It was used to hold people who broke the law for a short time. The village also has the Gibraltar Mill. This used to be a windmill. Now, it has been changed into a house.
The Rare Oxlip Flower
Great Bardfield played an important part in the story of the oxlip flower (Primula elatior). In the UK, this plant is quite rare. You can only find it where the counties of Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire meet.
At first, people thought oxlips were a mix of cowslips and primroses. But in 1842, two scientists, Henry Doubleday and Charles Darwin, studied plants from Great Bardfield. They found out that oxlips were not a mix. For a while, the plant was even called the Bardfield Oxlip. There is a common plant that is a mix of cowslip and primrose. It is called the false oxlip (Primula × polyantha).
Great Bardfield Artists
Great Bardfield was home to many important English artists in the 1900s. These artists held special "open house" art shows in the village during the 1950s. These shows became very famous. They got attention from newspapers all over the country. Thousands of people came to visit them.
The Great Bardfield Artists from the 1940s and 1950s included:
- John Aldridge
- Edward Bawden
- George Chapman
- Stanley Clifford-Smith
- Audrey Cruddas
- Walter Hoyle
- Michael Rothenstein
- Eric Ravilious (who stayed with Edward Bawden at Brick House)
- Sheila Robinson
- Marianne Straub
Other artists also had links to this art group. These included Joan Glass, Duffy Ayers, Laurence Scarfe, and the political cartoonist David Low.
Notable People from Great Bardfield
Many interesting people have connections to Great Bardfield.
- William of Bardfield was a judge in Ireland in the 1300s. He was born in the village around 1258.
- William Bendlowes (1516–1584) was a important lawyer for Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I.
- Artist Grayson Perry spent some of his childhood in the village. He even worked as the local paperboy for a while.
- Alan Jordan was a former Sheriff of Essex. He also started the Great Bardfield vineyard.
- Sir Christopher Sibthorpe (died 1632) was a judge in Ireland. His brother, Robert Sibthorp, became a Bishop. Both were born in the village.
Village Events
Each year, the village holds a big garage sale. People sell items from their homes. It is a fun event for the community.
Images for kids
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The church of St. Mary the Virgin
See also
In Spanish: Great Bardfield para niños
