Take us for a walk around Edwards Hall Park, four meadows in Rayleigh that are a paradise for nesting birds, wildflowers and butterflies
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 1.5 hours, including time to stop, snack and stare
I stumbled upon Edwards Hall Park quite by accident. Taking a wrong turn down Bosworth Road, I continued onwards looking for somewhere to turn the car around until I saw an open wooden gate. It led to a car park [hears.cave.windy] and inviting paths, crowned with white hawthorn blossom and all kinds of green architecture. This dog-walking haven has become one of my favourite places.
The four meadows, formerly part of the farm at Upper Edwards Hall, were ploughed until the 19th century but are now cut for hay. Butterflies and insects thrive in summer and large flocks of redwings and fieldfares, visiting from Scandinavia, nest in the trees and ancient hedgerows during winter. On the day I found the meadows, it was the height of spring.
The path that I chose to go down led to a green meadow studded with yellow buttercups – glinting like citrine quartz in the sun – amongst other wildflower delights. I had no idea where it led, so I just walked, serenaded by the frenetic song of a robin atop branches newly clad with billowing leaves. Everything felt new, regreened and hopeful – the hallmarks of May, our thrumming showcase of springtime. Recent rain showers had swelled the tightly wrapped, waxy buds, which were ready to explode with shows of colour like flowery fireworks.
It was the time of year when paths dry out, becoming dusty and desiccated, and yet muddy puddles can still be found in the shade – precious sources of water for wildlife. The mud was pressed into horseshoe shapes by the passing of hooves, like a cookie cutter into dough. Just then, a single magpie flew down onto the grass and reminded me of the well-known rhyme:
One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy…
After seeing a single magpie, some people have been known to flap their wings to imitate a second magpie in an attempt to avoid the sorrowful omen reported in this ditty. However, on this day, I was joyful enough for the both of us.
As I trudged up a field margin, hilly by Essex standards, I suddenly recognised the house at the top – it was Gusted Hall [mysteries.survey.calculating]. The hall is a grand red brick house, which can be dated back to 1199, when it was known as Gratsted Hall. I had never approached from this angle before. It really put the whole area of Cherry Orchard, Hockley Woods, Grove Woods and Edwards Hall Park into context and stitched a new section onto my mental map.
Looking out from this high vantage point next to Gusted Hall, Trinity Church stared back from the head of the High Street – it’s glowing clock face like a single eye – and the iconic silhouette of Rayleigh Windmill sat next to it, flaring out its sails as if it was stretching in the sun. Closer, the path through which I entered the field now appeared like a mouse hole in a wall. I sat there for a while, enjoying the view and collecting my thoughts, before moving off.
On the way back I wondered how this 32-acre expanse of land, a playground for wildlife set amongst the busy roads and housing estates of Rayleigh, has managed to survive the recent decades of development. All I can say is thank goodness it has. You can walk for hours and only scratch the surface.
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