Chappel
Encyclopedia
Chappel is a village in Essex
which sits on the River Colne
. It is famous for its Victorian viaduct that crosses the Colne valley.
. During the 16th century, due to concerns from Chappel residents about the distance to Great Tey's own church at festival time, this area was split from the parish and become a separate entity known as Pontisbright (lit. "Britric's bridge") that would eventually become known as Chappel.
In 1433 the vicar of Great Tey agreed that the inhabitants of Chappel could find and elect their own chaplain
. The benefice
itself was united with that of the neighbouring village of Wakes Colne
in 1938.
is 1066 feet (325 m) long, has 32 arch
es of 30 feet (9 m) span and its maximum height is 75 feet (23 m). It currently takes the Marks Tey
to Sudbury
branch line, which connects regularly with trains to and from London's Liverpool Street Station
.
The large number of construction workers needed for the project were housed, many with their families, in temporary huts built on Wakes Colne Green. Although some 5 or 6 million bricks are reckoned to have been used, the piers were hollow to save money and reduce weight. A further remarkable feature of the viaduct is that it is built on a gradient
- the Sudbury end is 9.5 feet (2.9 m) higher than the Marks Tey end. According to William White’s History, Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Essex, 1848, the first stone was laid in September 1847. The viaduct took two years to build, and is thought to be the second largest brick-built structure in England.
The first passenger train to Sudbury, carrying an official party from Colchester, ran on 2 July 1849.
dating from the 13th century, a parish church
, a United Reformed
church, a post office
and general store, village hall
and a railway station, Chappel and Wakes Colne station
, which houses the East Anglian Railway Museum
. It also has a children's play area which was upgraded in 2007/08 by Chappel Parish Council.
In celebration of the millennium
, The Chappel Millennium Green was opened. The Millennium Green has two areas - a nature reserve with board walk, and a mown grass area for general recreation which is bordered by a gravel path. It has also hosted several events, including the burning of a beacon, and Colne Valley Festival events.
crossing a river, symbolic of the old bridge, dating from 1140 AD, which crossed the river Colne and connected the two halves of the estate of Crepping Manor. The lord
of the manor was, at that time, responsible for its upkeep.
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
which sits on the River Colne
River Colne, Essex
The River Colne is a small river that runs through Colchester, England. It is not a tributary of any other river, instead having an estuary that joins the sea near Brightlingsea.-Source:...
. It is famous for its Victorian viaduct that crosses the Colne valley.
Name and history
The present name of Chappel derives from the construction of a small church, noted in 1285 AD as standing at the northern boundary of the parish of Great TeyGreat Tey
Great Tey is a village and a civil parish near the villages of Marks Tey and Little Tey in the Colchester District in Essex, England, located approximatelly six miles west of Colchester.- Location :...
. During the 16th century, due to concerns from Chappel residents about the distance to Great Tey's own church at festival time, this area was split from the parish and become a separate entity known as Pontisbright (lit. "Britric's bridge") that would eventually become known as Chappel.
In 1433 the vicar of Great Tey agreed that the inhabitants of Chappel could find and elect their own chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
. The benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
itself was united with that of the neighbouring village of Wakes Colne
Wakes Colne
Wakes Colne is a village in Essex, England which sits on the River Colne. It is situated next to the villages of Chappel, with which it shares Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station.- Location :...
in 1938.
Chappel Viaduct
The Chappel viaductViaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
is 1066 feet (325 m) long, has 32 arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es of 30 feet (9 m) span and its maximum height is 75 feet (23 m). It currently takes the Marks Tey
Marks Tey
Marks Tey is a large village in Essex, England located six miles west of Colchester.Marks Tey railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line, and is a junction for the Sudbury Branch Line to Sudbury...
to Sudbury
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
branch line, which connects regularly with trains to and from London's Liverpool Street Station
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
.
The large number of construction workers needed for the project were housed, many with their families, in temporary huts built on Wakes Colne Green. Although some 5 or 6 million bricks are reckoned to have been used, the piers were hollow to save money and reduce weight. A further remarkable feature of the viaduct is that it is built on a gradient
Gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar field is a vector field that points in the direction of the greatest rate of increase of the scalar field, and whose magnitude is the greatest rate of change....
- the Sudbury end is 9.5 feet (2.9 m) higher than the Marks Tey end. According to William White’s History, Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Essex, 1848, the first stone was laid in September 1847. The viaduct took two years to build, and is thought to be the second largest brick-built structure in England.
The first passenger train to Sudbury, carrying an official party from Colchester, ran on 2 July 1849.
Village amenities
The village has a pubPublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
dating from the 13th century, a parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
, a United Reformed
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
church, a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and general store, village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
and a railway station, Chappel and Wakes Colne station
Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station
Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station is a railway station serving the villages of Wakes Colne and Chappel in Essex.The station itself is located in Wakes Colne. It has one platform station on the Marks Tey/Sudbury branch line...
, which houses the East Anglian Railway Museum
East Anglian Railway Museum
The East Anglian Railway Museum is located at Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station in Essex, which is situated on the former Great Eastern Railway branch line from Marks Tey to Sudbury...
. It also has a children's play area which was upgraded in 2007/08 by Chappel Parish Council.
In celebration of the millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
, The Chappel Millennium Green was opened. The Millennium Green has two areas - a nature reserve with board walk, and a mown grass area for general recreation which is bordered by a gravel path. It has also hosted several events, including the burning of a beacon, and Colne Valley Festival events.
Village sign
Chappel's village sign depicts a bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
crossing a river, symbolic of the old bridge, dating from 1140 AD, which crossed the river Colne and connected the two halves of the estate of Crepping Manor. The lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
of the manor was, at that time, responsible for its upkeep.
Notable former residents
- Margery AllinghamMargery AllinghamMargery Louise Allingham was an English crime writer, best remembered for her detective stories featuring gentleman sleuth Albert Campion.- Childhood and schooling :...
(1904 - 1966), author of fictionFictionFiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
- mainly crime and mystery novels. - Al Barnes (born 1968), former guitarist in the seminal Black Metal Band VenomVenom (band)Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
.