National Trust's Tudor celebration for Paycocke’s 500th anniversary
9:00am Thursday 2nd September 2010 in News By Anna Faro
The gardens of Paycocke’s House
HERE’S one home that really was built to last. Paycocke’s House, in Coggeshall, is celebrating its 500th anniversary.
The National Trust property, in West Street, opened its doors over the bank holiday weekend for a special event bringing some of the building’s past back to life.
Built in 1510 for Thomas Paycocke, a wealthy merchant, the house’s elaborate panelling and intricate woodcarvings are a legacy of the wealth brought to the town by the 16th-century cloth trade.
At the time, more than half of Coggeshall’s population was employed in making and selling cloth, silk and velvet.
While that is far from the case today, the town is proud to celebrate surviving links to its historic heyday.
Tudor dancers and costumed characters mingled in the gardens at the open days, and visitors took part in authentic period activities.
People could make posies, known as tussie mussies, which warded off evil smells, or try their hand at writing with quills.
Volunteers explained about 16th-century plants and seeds, and the Mid Essex Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers demonstrated and taught their skills.
Natalie Simpson, the 25-year old custodian of the property, who lives there, said: “We tried to cater for everything. I could have just run a tussie mussie event, it was so popular.
“Some people made repeat visits over the weekend.”
By Sunday night, Miss Simpson and the volunteers had welcomed 419 visitors, more than would normally visit in a two-week period.
Dorothy Spraggs, from Bicknacre, had travelled by bus to see the Coggeshall Flower Festival, and popped in to Paycocke’s too.
She said: “I had been meaning to come here, but I hadn’t got around to it. I like the garden and the costumes, and the people are very friendly.”
Mrs Spraggs said her only criticism was that there was nowhere to buy a cup of tea.
Miss Simpson said, if visitor numbers continue to rise, the trust could build a kitchen and provide refreshments.
She added: “The house needs a lot of building work generally. It’s something we will look at in the future.
“The idea is to make Paycocke’s more part of community life.
“With more visitors, the more likely it is we would be able to have tea and cakes in the garden.”
Currently seven rooms are open to the public, with the garden room and the room above the cart way the most recent additions for public access.
But there are plans to restore the storage room and the mansard room – named after the French Baroque-style roof, with steep sides and a flat-looking top – by 2012.
l Paycocke’s is open from Wednesdays to Sundays, until October 31, from 11am to 5pm.
Entry costs £3.40 for adults and £1.70 for children, but if you buy a joint ticket with the nearby Coggeshall Grange Barn, you pay £4.40 (adults) or £2.20 (children).
Miss Simpson is planning a Halloween event on October 31 with children’s activities earlier in the evening and a “spooky” guided tour for adults later on.
For more details, call 01376 561305.
