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By Dennis Rookard There can't be many family homes that have been occupied by the same family since 1779 or can say that their home played a vital role in the defence of our nation during the Second World War. But that's the proud record of Blake Hall near Ongar. Situated on high ground overlooking the rolling Essex countryside just off the Ongar – Harlow road. This large whitewashed stately home, for over two hundred years the home of the Capel Cure family can trace it's routes back to the doomsday book when an medieval hall stood on the same site. Over the centuries that old wooden farmhouse was extended by its owners until the first of the Capel Cures brought the farm, and by the last 18th century had rebuilt the Hall in it's present form to form the heart of a flushing estate. But times change and a little over twenty years ago the family decided to open it's grounds to the public. Now Blake Hall Gardens welcomes between Easter and late September up to fifty thousand visitors a year. For estate manager Austin Garrett and his permanent three man team, it's a year round task maintaining the gardens and the various estate buildings. Recently they found a new use for their historic medieval tithe barn erected in 1642, which has been licensed to conduct weddings and can accommodate up to 150 guests. The barn also features a bar and the team can provide in house catering if required an outdoor barbecue. There's also space in the adjoining gardens for those wedding photographs. It's also says Austin, becoming popular for other events. A new feature for this year's season will be a brand new attraction for Blake Hall. The idea is to plant a ten-acre field of maize. In which they intend to create a large maze designed by maze expert Adrian Fisher. As a field of fully-grown maize can reach six foot high; the promise is that it will be no easy task to find your way out. Blake Hall has come a long way since it first opened as a garden centre, now it offers a number of attraction with many families making it a day out to wonder though and picnic in their twenty five acres of gardens, or visit their large Tropical house. Once inside are two pool complete with fish and overhung with tropical plants, many of which estate worker George Terry told me were originally brought back to Blake Hall following their overseas travels by the Capel Cure family. As usual the gardens will be hosting its Essex Craft Shows in May and August. Each of these events manages to attract up to 15,000 visitors over its three days. And latter in September it will be time for their Essex Country Show. Like many large family homes Black Hall is had a chequered history. During the First World War the Government took over the Hall and used it as a hospital and sanatorium for wounded troops from the front line. It was in a fairly battered state when the family were able to move back. But any damage done then was nothing compared to what the RAF did to the hall when at the beginning of World War Two they took over the building. Whilst the main house became the mess and living quarters, the south wing was gutted to become a vital fighter operations room. Lost were five bedrooms. Two bathrooms and the ground floor reception rooms, and in their place was built a two story room complete with a ground floor plotting table with a large wall mounted reporting board, overlooked by a balcony for senior controlling officers. As the Battle of Britain overhead the green fields of Essex, This control room controlled the movements of fighter aircraft taking on the might of the German Air force in the skies north of the Thames and eventually East Anglia. Tasking fighters from local airfields such as North Weald, Hornchurch, Stapleford and Southend. Along with a number of smaller airfields in the Essex area. The RAF did not move out until 1950, but any Government compensation was not enough to enable any rebuilding work and until a small but dedicated team of enthusiasts gained permission to restore it, the South Wing and its control room was in a sorry state with the roof open to the elements and holes left in the walls. Now after years of hard work, the room is a museum, but as George Terry points out apart from restoring part of the room as it would have looked in 1940, with as it's centre piece the giant reporting board found in pieces and now recreated from wartime photographs. The enthusiasts have also managed to research who was present at the Hall during wartime and have built a large collection of aircraft models and exhibits showing what wartime life was like for the civilian population. This is housed in the space that would have been used for the ground floor plotting table and in the adjoining rooms. Not surprisingly when it is open during the season it attracts almost as many visitors as do the gardens. All of which makes Blake Hall an ideal place to visit. A fact not lost of the countless painters and photographers who what ever the weather can always be assured of finding something to paint of photograph. |
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