Kersey

On Thursday 1^st September 20 “Friends” spent a delightful afternoon in Kersey. We met in the Church, which is situated on a hill just outside the village, and listened to an informative talk on its history and architecture. The Church has a superb flint flush-work south porch and the remains of the 15^th century rood screen in the chapel. The screen is in excellent condition with the paint still looking bright and full of colour; there was little sign of the depredations of the mid-sixteenth century iconoclasts.

We then descended (via the church steps and grass slope) to the village where our knowledgeable guide showed us several examples of mostly 14^th century “hall” houses which have a central, long hall which is the height of the roof with a fireplace in the centre and a gabled section at each end of the hall. We also learned about the wool trade, the tannery and the village market which was in use until the mid-fifteenth century. We walked down to the “splash” in the centre of the village, where the main street crosses the river Brett, and then back to the Church.

Our final visit of the afternoon was to Kersey Mill whose owners kindly opened for us and we enjoyed an excellent home-made cream tea in the Copper Kettle cafe which is close to the mill.

With a glorious sunny day with a slight breeze, a fascinating guide, a lovely church, great architectural interest in the village and a delightful cream tea, who could ask for a better outing?

John White