LANGHAM 

Langham Essex Village Sign

2006 ARCHIVE

Winter

Spring

The new shelter next to the shop and Community Centre should prove popular
The village shop on an early Spring morning
The village's recycling centre was closed, as this notice promised, on 31 March
Daffodils at the corner of Park Lane and Moor Road
A storage area next to the silos on the airfield
Dove House from across its lawn and the grass invading the old airfield perimeter track
A last row of fruit trees stands next to the perimeter track, although soft fruit has been grown in six rows next to the old runway
A very big East Anglian sky is what you get in the middle of an airfield!
Coming back along Langham Lane towards Moor Road. The concrete block is, I presume, a leftover from the war

Summer

The footpath leading from Langham Lane past the rear of Maltings Farm
Three views of the Lodge Park, the smart business park in Lodge Lane
Older premises in Lodge Lane ..
... and surviving Nissen Huts!
Langham Lodge
To deter incursions along the old perimeter track this gravel and rubble barrier has been constructed
Mill Road continues to mutate; on the left the housing appears well-established, with greenery softening the development
The road sign of 'Myland' I find irritating, being firmly of the opinion the area is 'Mile End' - as do old maps
The Street furniture is, at least, innovative in the matter of colour!
New housing in between Mill Road and the new industrial estate, on the site of the old London Road ....
The Flakt Woods building has its bund planted up
This has to be the best view in Langham, from the newly-created pond in the gardens of Church Farm, northwards over the Dedham Vale
The herb garden area at Church Farm
The drive out to the road from the front of St Mary's Church
All the gardens were well signposted
'The Fens' looking across its lawn towards the house
Only an informal and naturalistic setting could possibly suit the wetland environment of 'The Fens' , which although full of interest never appears overloaded
'Old Mill House' as seen from 'The Fens' and across Old Mill Road
'Old Mill House' has a garden that relaxes the visitor, and does not assault his senses with over-fussiness
Looking back towards 'Old Mill House' from the hedge with the growing barley as an outlook
Pollyfield
A wonderful pond with water lilies and iris surrounding it, in an area of natural meadow grasses
Another part of the garden is lawn, with meandering borders of shrubs
David Isted turning the hay on a fine afternoon
The Community Wood pond
Cherry Tree Cottage
The rhododendrons clustered around the areas of dappled shade at The Grove; in places new glades had been cleared in the woodland
At the end of the tour of the wood you emerge past the sawing horse ...
... and look out over 'Langleas' ...
... and 'Wyborne'
'The Thatched Cottage'
The field to the north of High Street has potatoes
'Gridleys'
Briarwood....
... and the field opposite putting on a show with its barley and poppies
The track to what the family knows as the "Vineyard Walk" ... joining the footpath to the rear of Malting Farm
Growing barley from a gap in the lane ... a cover/feed crop has been grown on the headland - for purposes of raising birds for shooting
An area of tall grassland left for cover purposes, again for the raising of birds for shooting. I find the word 'conservation' interesting; perhaps it could be put to the vote with the birds about to be shot!
Growing golden barley really was that colour, from Hundred Lane
A crop of mustard at the junction of Old Mill Road and Chapel Road
'Gridleys' basking in the sunshine
'Jeveck' is now pretty much finished and looks suitably imposing (when you consider what was on the site before!)
The 'Gate House'
A summer's day on the airfield, with a huge sky and ripening corn
Irrigation is in full swing on the airfield, with the monitor watering a crop of potatoes
The Airfield Memorial is well-kept, with its attendant plants regularly cared for, but could do with some tidying up of the surrounds
The western end of Park Lane and the 30 mph speed limit - but why all that paint? I don't think the rat-runners are intimidated
Clayton Kelly Gross came to the airfield with the pioneer P-51 Mustang unit
Splendidly decked-out T-34 85 Soviet tank from last years of WW2!
The Abbott self-propelled 105mm gun drew a lot of interest and gave its passengers a lively demonstration of its agility
The crowd relaxes between displays in the late-afternoon sun ...

Autumn

Late afternoon sun catches the autumn scene and shows it off well
Hedge removal in Park Lane
After a while, even the seagulls tired of the rich bounty turned up by the plough
Moor Road/Chapel Road
Chapel Road through the trees
The junction of High Street with Chapel Road and Old Mill Road
Enlarged and enhanced bungalows are the order of the day in Moor Road
The curse of reckless HGV's along Langham Lane; David Isted's tractor was forced off the road and into the ditch, opposite Langmoor House Farm, by a HGV coming well over the centre of the road. Rescued by a friend, David was shaken - and annoyed!
The scene of the crime revisited - to illustrate the area (opposite Langmoor house) and the immediacy of the ditch next to the road
This shot shows the tyre marks, but not the steep gradient straight into the ditch!
On a damp Sunday morning, three shots from School Road, of the recreation ground, the new ditch looking towards the school, and opposite the new parking restrictions planned ... and a framed view into The Homestead
Park Lane minus its hedge, but all trimmed up (left)
Park Lane in elegant autumn setting
A trio of views after the rain; the triple junction of Chapel Road/Old Mill Road and High Street; the track to 'Bardles Barn', and the entrance to 'Oak Apple Farm' on Greyhound Hill
The signpost at Blacksmith's Corner was overthrown the same nigh as two other signposts in Dedham met a similar fate
The American war memorial on Park Lane
Rows of old airfield landing light holders
The new fencing on Park Lane where the hedge was pulled out
Dangerous by design: the run off from the A12 into Park Lane is a notoriously poor piece of planning, where a short run off is thrown into a sharp bend and, now, has the additional danger of 'shark's teeth' white triangles, of low friction, painted either side of the road! You have to come off the A12 'hot', or risk being rear-ended, before being thrown into a high-braking and sharp-cornering mode. Perhaps it should be the people who design and approve such junctions appearing in court rather than their victims - motorists!
Link to Langham Community Shop website, North EssexLink to Langham Community Centre website, North EssexLangham's monthly Community Coffee Morning in the Community Centre, North EssexLangham Film Nights - Community Cinema in North EssexLangham's annual 10k Race and 2k Fun Run, North Essex
Langham is a village and civil parish in the north east of Essex, England approximately 5 miles north of Colchester - close to junction 28 on the A12.