MY HOMETOWN CHALLENGE - Ingatestone (Short Breaks from London)

Member Name: dj981

Product:	Short Breaks from London
Date:	18/11/03 (618 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Oh so quiet , Nice Place, Countrified

Disadvantages: Boarders on lifeless at times

I finally got round to writing this!

I lived in Ingatestone for fifteen years, from the age of eight. Although I doubt you have ever heard of it (or will ever visit it), I thought I would join in for the fun of it. I would not be offended if you skim read this!

Ingatestone sits within an area of green belt land, 20 miles North East of London, in Essex. Situated between the A12 road and Great Eastern railway, it has rapidly become a commuter village, with a population of around 5,000. Due to its rural yet well-serviced setting, the demographic is a good mixture of young and old, skilled and unskilled, with a lure for the commercial and agricultural worker.

It started life as a halfway house between Colchester and London, during Roman times. For those not familiar with Essex, Colchester is the oldest recorded town in Britain. The road linking the two acted as a supply route from London. I believe the name Ingatestone is derived from an expression "Meadow (Ing) at the (atte) Milestone (stone)". There are four Roman milestones, which still stand in the High Street; two of them are on the entrance to my old road. I believe this is where a small market originated, marking the gathering point, and gave rise to a permanent settlement.

Eventually the village was established, and the land put to agricultural use. Over time, Inns and pubs appeared; there are five along one side of the High Street alone, no more than a hundred meters apart! The rest, as they say.....

PLACES OF INTEREST

God, this is tricky. The main one has to be Ingatestone Hall, a sprawling sixteenth century mansion, inhabited by Lord Petre, (that is supposed to be Petre not Peter.) Inside is a range of antique furniture, paintings, and other historical artefacts. Occupied by the Petre family since its inception, Ingatestone Hall is the only real tourist attraction in the village, and once hosted the Antiques Roadshow - hold on to your hats ever

yone! Oh, Queens Elizabeth I & Mary also briefly stayed there.

The only other place of interest in the white-knuckle ride that is Ingatestone would have to be Brandiston House. Daniel Sutton, who was instrumental in the Smallpox inoculations of the 18/19th century held residence there, carrying out much of his work.

There are also two churches, both dating back to the 11th century, one of which you could practically see from my old home. The other is in the high street and also has Norman roots, but was enlarged in three stages, the last and largest in the 17th century, to serve as a memorial to the 2nd Lord Petre following his death. It is listed in England's thousand greatest churches. If you like a bit of beard stroking architectural appreciation, this will be right up your alley.

NIGHTLIFE/RESTAURANTS

I bet you wish you hadn?t started this. If you haven't fallen asleep already, it's time to whip out the amphetamines and slap yourself a few times. It's not that bad really, but it's hardly Las Vegas.

Ingatestone offers a handful of restaurants and takeaways, along with a ridiculous amount of old style pubs, given the size of the village. I believe the Star Inn is the oldest, and dates back to the 15th or 16th century. It is tiny in size, with low-beamed ceilings and a huge open log fire. Attached to the beams are berets, helmets and ceremonial hats from various military divisions, alongside other old novelty headwear. You will occasionally hear the sound of accordions/banjos, clapping and navy style singing emanating from the windows. It's slightly surreal, has an eccentric owner; and is definitely a pub for the old locals.

If you want something a bit livelier, visit Stocks Bar. Formerly the Anchor, I worked the bar there as a 15 year old (this place is a bit backward). Sitting on the corner of Stock Lane, it serves good food, has more of a wine bar appearance, and has a younge
r cli
entele. The other pubs (The Bell and the Crown) are again old fashioned, but not in the quirky, cut off way the Star is.

Little Hammonds is widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the area, and has the added distinction of being among the most haunted places in Britain. You may have seen a program on Sky that covered this. Formally named The Haunt, there has been a culinary tradition there since Elizabeth I's reign. Apparently, former employees and owners frequently haunt the tiny stairwells and narrow passageways. Of course, I would never suggest this was a publicity stunt.

RETAIL/SERVICES

Ingatestone has an eclectic range of boutiques and other strange outlets. It has the dubious honour of hosting the only exclusively traditional Scottish clothing shop in the entire South of England, so if you're after a kilt and sporran...

There are many more traditional shops; most of them were/are family run. Gregor Steel is a great jeweller, with real quality hand-made items. There are only a handful of High Street names, such as Budgens, Co-Op, and the Wine Rack (they really like their drink in Ingatestone). Otherwise, think charity shops and knitting emporiums. A great place to find that elusive 'BROS. On Tour - 1988' Video, or Bill Oddie autobiography.

There used to be a local bank but we all know what's happened to them. There are the usual traditional services such as solicitors, accountants (yawn) and surveyors.

The local school is focused towards students with European origins, and has a good record of results.

RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

If you're into sport, Ingatestone has several active teams. The Redstones play football at Seymour field, there's a cricket and tennis club, and of course, a crown green bowls team. There are parks, but to be honest if you're a walker you've got miles of countryside to stretch your legs in.

THE MOMENT
YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR

As much as I ridicule the blue-rinse culture in Ingatestone, it really is a place for everyone. Ideal for young families that need to commute, or older couples looking to settle down, I can't really fault it as a place to live. It?s a pretty expensive place to live now (where isn't), but I think I appreciate it more now I know I may never have the money to go back.

I've tried to make this as painless as possible; if you've got this far well done and thanks for sticking with it.

This review is part of the HOMETOWN challenge where members are asked to write about any aspect of their hometown - or a town they'd like/not like to be their hometown. You can find all the participants by going to: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/internet/internet_sites/do oyoo_co_uk_in_general/_r eview/426988/_____

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