William Bentall developed his Goldhanger Plough while farming Cobb Farm. It was in much demand and he set up a factory in Heybridge to be near the canal. Thousands of these ploughs were built over many years. It was different from previous ploughs in as much as the "modular" design allows parts to interchanges on the farm, using nuts and bolts.

more about. . . William Bentall

The Warren Ironworks – “Goldhanger Plough”

William Bentall did not initially patent the design of his plough and the Warren Ironwork on the Heybridge Causeway copied the design and produced very similar ploughs which were marked with:

Warren Goldhanger

here is a model of the Warren “Goldhanger Plough”

which is held in the Maldon Museum...

An 1898 advert for it can be seen here

Jacob Mickelfield's Goldhanger Clocks

Clockmaker Jacob Mickelfield lived and worked in The Square in the late 1700s and is know to have built several clocks at that time, which are all inscribed on the dial with. . .

Jacob Mickelfield

Goldhanger

On some clocks he used the name Micklefield. He later moved to Southminster. His clocks still occasionally appear at auctions throughout the country.

more about... Jacob Mickelfield

Haywain style wagons

The last wagon at Highams Farm was sold in 2001

This type of farm wagon was in common use on Goldhanger farms in the 1800s and early 1900s. There are two wagons shown in photographs taken outside the village school with the children being taken on an outing. There are also parish magazine and newspaper articles referring to wagons being used to transport villagers on outings.

The Highams wagon had

a Maldon Iron Works

cast iron plate on the front

Farm wagon wheels

Farm wagons with these very substantial wooden handmade wheels would have been a frequent site passing through the village in the years gone by. The village wheelwright and blacksmiths would have made and repaired them.

Blacksmiths yard in Church St.

Bunting Bros Farm Wagon

This farm wagon from the early 1900s has...

Bunting Bros

Goldhanger

Essex

painted in the top right panel and was made by local wagon makers “Burton Stanway”. It was probably used to transport cattle to the local butchers or to market.

Railway carriages used for holiday accommodation

Retired railway carriages have been used locally as holiday and temporary accommodation for many years. Four were known to be within the Parish in the 1940s. The carriage at the top left was destroyed many years ago. Another was sold to a railway preservation society in 2007 and taken away (middle left & right photos), leaving just two remaining in the Parish.

The carriages dated from around the 1890s and were part of the Great Eastern Railways fleet until decommissioned in the 1920s and 30s because they were “worn out”. They could have also come directly from the Crab & Winkle Line that ran from Kelvedon to Tollesbury that closed to passengers in 1951.

more about... local railways in the past

Redundant carriages from GER lines were known to be held at sidings alongside the river Crouch in the 1940s & 50s and then transported to waterside holiday destinations on a floating pontoon. They were moved inland with a wagon and eight horses. The lower left photo shows a similar railway carriage being moved across Osea Causeway.

the original appearance of these 5-compartment 6-wheel carriages

Anvil from the blacksmith's shop

The anvil from the blacksmiths in Church Street, which finally closed in the 1980s.

more on the.. Blacksmiths

The two cupboards in the Chequers

The fitted corner display cabinet in the main bar is extremely old. This type of cabinet is known to be used as an occasional altar after the Reformation. The corner cupboard in the games room behind the bar billiards table can be dated by its distinctive wrought iron hinges.

see more about. . . The Chequers Inn

The Windsor Chairs from the Chequers

For many years and up until the late 1960s there was a large collection of fine Windsor dining chairs in the saloon bar of The Chequers. When the landlord of the time retired the chairs went with him.

more about. . . The Chequers Inn

Eel fork or eel shear once hanging in The Chequers

This eel fork once hung in The Chequers Inn but was at some stage donated to the Mersea Island Museum where it remains. There was once an abundance of eels in the Estuary and in the Goldhanger Fish Pits.

Pew from the Wesleyan Chapel

Several of these bench type seats now in The Chequers are said to have originally been pews in the Wesleyan Chapel in Head Street, and were moved from there after it finally closed in 1967.

Parquet Floor Panel

One of several vintage parquet floor panels, installed in a building in the village by builder Bernard Mann in the 1950s. They were purchased from a stately home that was being demolished by the then owner of the house.

Pargetted Panels

Three examples of a number of fine pargetted panels sculptured into a building in the village during work on an extension undertaken in the 1980s. They depict the evolution of the village, from the Viking raids onwards.

more... high definition panels

An ancient ship's keel from the Creek

click to enlarge

In the 1947 Crawshay Frost removed this large piece of wood from the Creek with the help of a group of teenage boys, which he claimed was the keel of a Roman ship. He wrote a letter to the Chelmsford Chronicle describing it at the time. It adorned his front drive in Fish St until well after his death in 1962. What remains of the keel has been made into a sculpture and it is now in another garden at Goldhanger.

more about this in... Wooden Posts in the Creek and Crawshay Frost

Goldhanger Buoy in the Estuary

This navigation buoy is located at the east end of Osea Island at the entrance to Goldhanger Creek.

The Doctor’s Buoy in the Estuary

The Doctor’s Buoy on the south side of Osea Island is said to have origins associated with Mr Charrington’s Temperance Seaside Resort (22-page booklet) on the island and his “cure for inebriety”. In theory no alcohol was permitted on the island but spirits were said to be sent from The Chequers at Goldhanger and tied to the nearest buoy for later collection at low tide. The name has persisted.

from the Estuary. . . A millstone and carved lions head stone

These two stone were found in the Estuary at some time in the past. The millstone is approximately 40cm in diameter and would have been a hand operated stone from a pre-historic period. The lions head is thought to have been brought from London as demolition rubble from the old London bridge, and used to built up the seawall.

more on. . . Archaeology

from the Estuary. . . A Roman dagger & a WW1 cavalry spur

more about Roman occupation in... Wooden Posts in the Creek

Roman Coins found in the Estuary

These two coins, a first brass of Trajan and a first brass of Faustina Jnr were among six coins found at Bounds Farm Goldhanger and donated to Colchester Museum by Mr F W Reader in 1914. Many more have been found in the Estuary near Goldhanger in the last century.

more about Roman occupation in... Wooden Posts in the Creek

from the Estuary. . . a WW1 cavalry spur

This WW1 cavalry spur was found in the Estuary mud near goldhanger.

from the Estuary. . . a World War Two V2 rocket

For many years after the end of WW-2, the remains of a German V2 rocket lay in the mud in the Estuary off Bounds Farm, and was clearly viable at low water. The same relic is now on display on Osea Island

Flags for ceremonial use

Flags have always been used to head village processions. These British Legion - Goldhanger branch flags used to hang in the British Legion Hall in Fish St.

The Coastguards also used to march through the village to their seawall hut with the union flag and carrying arms, and flags can be seem in many old photos of processions and celebrations in the village.

more about. . . Goldhanger Lost

Flags for the Armistice 100th anniversary

These replica flags were constructed for the 2018 Armistice celebrations, and were displayed in the Village Hall...

Mother’s Union Banner

This banner of the Goldhanger and Little Totham branch of the Mother’s Union has hung in the Lady Chapel of St Peter’s Church for many years.

Lamp and Scales from the Bakery

Fred Norton was the last village baker and operated from 2 Fish Street. He used to deliver bread around the village with a horse and cart. He used this lamp to find his way around on dark winter mornings. The lamp is a well made former yacht bulk-head lamp. As his father was a Goldhanger coastguard, it is likely that the lamp came from one of the disused navy cutters that ended their days in the Estuary as watch vessels.

When the bakery finally closed in the early 1970s, these Avery scales were left behind in the shop. The lamp and the scales were used in a restoration of the bakery shop in 2010.

Medals from two World Wars

Many Goldhanger men received campaign medals in both WW-1 and WW-1. Some village men and two flying officers stations at the flight station received gallantry and bravery awards. Many of these medals remain with the families in the village. Major Bill Hopwood's medals are in the Chelmsford museum. He participated in the raid on St Nazaire in WW-2 1942. See more about... The Great War and... World War-2.htm

Propeller from the World War One Flight Station

During WW-1 the Royal Flying Corp maintained a Flight Station close to the seawall at Gardners Farm. A flight of Be12s biplanes were stationed there to attack Zeppelins coming up the estuary heading for London.

more about the. . . The Flight Station

and... Zeppelin Busters

Flight Station Clock

All WW-1 Flight Stations had a standard War Office wall clock hanging in the Ops room and Goldhanger would have been no exception. Today originals of these clocks are prized possessions.

more about the. . . The Flight Station

Sergeants Mess sign from the World War One Flight Station

This stencilled sign was on the outside of the Sergeants Mess at the Goldhanger Flight Station on Gardeners Farm during the Great War. After the war the hut was purchased by the Bentall Family and moved to Heybridge Basin and commissioned as St Georges Chapel in memory of their son who was killed in the War, where it remains.

Marble samples from Spitzbergen

Ernest Mansfield and his team brought back many samples of colourful marble from his expeditions to Spitzbergen in the early 1900s to demonstrate their company's potential as an importer of this and other minerals. The Revd. Gardner, Dr Salter, Charles Mann and others would have had these samples as mementoes of their involvement.

St Peter's Church tower weather vane

The weather vane on the tower was donated to the Church by bellringer Bob Leavett in the 1981 having been purchased from another Essex church. It was re-gilded and installed on St. Peters tower by Goldhanger blacksmith George Emeny.

St Peter's communion silver

This silver communion service was donated to the church in 1848 by Sarah Leigh in memory of her brother Edward, who was rector of Goldhanger from 1836 to 1846. The flagon, cup and paten are now kept in the vault of Chelmsford cathedral.

More about. . . History of St Peters Church

St Peter's gilded communion Ciborium and Pyxes

A gilded communion Ciborium - a cup with a lid for holding consecrated bread, and a Pyxes - a container in which wafers for the Eucharist are kept, were donated in the past by a local family in memory of their loved ones. They are no longer held in the Church.

Rosary brought back from the Great War

When Dick Phillips returned injured to Goldhanger at the end of the war, he brought back with him a rosary that had a Stanhope Lens with scenes of the Battle of Ypres in the centre of the cross. In 1921 he died of the injuries received in the war, leaving the rosaries to his relatives.

More about... the Great War

Items made from the old bell frame

The Ernie Johnson trophy, this table lamp, and many other items were made from the oak of the old bell tower frame, which was taken out of St Peters tower when the bell were refurbished and increased from 5 to 8 bells in 1952.

Ernie Johnson was a well known ringer throughout Essex due to his skills and enthusiasm, and he visited towers all over the county in the 1950s on his motorcycle. The trophy is regularly awarded by the local branch of Essex Bellringing Association to the winning tower of the annual Call-change Competition.

more about the. . . Bells of St Peters

The Arthur Appleton Trophy

The Arthur Appleton Trophy is regularly awarded by the local branch of Essex Bellringing Association to the winning tower of the annual Striking Competition. Arthur was an accomplished Goldhanger ringer also a well known in the district. A medallion presented to him by the Revd. Gardner is embedded within the trophy.

more about the. . . Bells of St Peters

Bellringer's training model

This simple model of the bell mechanism is held in the ringing chamber of the bell tower and is used to demonstrate to novice ringers and visitors how the bell apparatus operates. It was made mainly out of wood by Cyril Southgate, the former Tower Captain. It shows the functioning of the bell, clapper, stock, wheel, slider, stay, frame and rope.

More about. . . the bells of St Peters

The bellringer's hand bells

For at least a hundred years, and maybe much longer, St Peters Church bellringers have used a set of handbells on special occasions and for practicing methods without disturbing the peace. There are reports in early parish magazines of the ringers travelling to other towers by horse and wagon, ringing the handbells on the way. This photo show some of the Goldhanger ringers at Burnham with the handbells.

More about. . . the bells of St Peters

Lanterns in St Peter's Church before electricity arrived

Before the arrival of electricity in the 1930s, the Church was illuminated with oil lamps and heated with a coal burning stove. Two polished brass lanterns were permanently lit over the alters, and these are still kept in the Church.

There were several oil lanterns hanging from beams to illuminate the nave. These needed to lit before services and had a chain mechanism to raise and lower them as shown on this magnified postcard view on the right.

more about the. . . History of St Peters

Grave Markers

These cast iron grave markers are a familiar site in Goldhanger Churchyard and in many other churchyards in the Maldon district. They were made in the Maldon Ironworks on The Causeway, probably for well over one hundred years. Many Goldhanger men worked at the ironworks in the past, and they were known to supply the iron crosses to family and friends of the deceased as a mark of respect.

The same design is still available, as the grave of the late Cyril Southgate testifies...

Railings around the Churchyard

Up until 2013 two sections of discarded 4ft high cast iron railings were propped up against a wall in the churchyard. This would suggest that at some time in the past the rear of the churchyard was enclosed with this type of fence, although no signs of fixings to the present red brick walls have been found. In Victorian times and earlier it was common to have such fencing around churchyards to deter grave robbers.

See. . . Red brick walls around the churchyard

and more. . . Church scenes

The Stile at the end of the Churchyard

This oak stile at the eastern end of the churchyard is clearly ancient and probably older than most of the soft redbrick walls around St Peters churchyard as they deteriorate with time and have had to have been re-biult. As the public footpath goes through the churchyard, which was once a significant highway, there would have been farm animals in the Church Field adjacent, so a stile was needed to keep the animals out on the graveyard.

See the East-West routes in Local highways & byways

and the Churchyard map

Churchyard artefacts

These four cast iron and lead items were found adjacent to the old demolished red brick wall at the east end of the churchyard when the wall was being re-built in 2018. They were probably part of iron grave fencing that had been removed at some time the past, perhaps when iron was being collected for the WW-1 or WW-2 war effort.

Funeral Bier

Funeral Director and carpenter, Charles Mann and his son Bernard built this unique funeral bier, probably in the 1950s. It is made of oak and has pneumatic tyres. Some of the oak could well have come from the old oak bell frame removed from the bell tower in 1952. The bier is now in the hands of Eustace King & Co of Tiptree and is still occasional used at Goldhanger.

Engraved beam inside the bus shelter

select the beam to enlarge it and zoom

The overhead beam inside the bus shelter in The Square is carved with these words:

“ TO COMMEMORATE THE CORONATION OF H M KING GEORGE VI AD 1937 ”

When originally built, the shelter had an open back and sides, as can be seen in this section of a postcard from the time and a digital drawing. The sides were filled in at some stage in the past, making the inside of the shelter much darker and more difficult to read the engraved words.

more about... The Bus Shelter in The Square

Milepost or Waymarker in The Square

There is an oak post set against the wall just behind the bus shelter which is clearly very old. It could have once had a cast iron “boiler plate” attached to it.

It is visible on a 1951 postcard just to the left of the bicycle shown here, which indicates that it was not related to underground supplies such as a fire hydrant.

Top hat house sign

This 3 dimensional solid metal sign has been firmly fixed on the wrought iron front gate of Hatters Lodge in The Square for many years. Perhaps it conveys something of the lifestyle of the former owner of this tiny cottage.

The Old Pump in the Square

The village pump in The Square was replaced in the 1920s, and for a while there where two pumps located there. The old pump was then removed and must have been disposed of and the old well was capped (the phone box was later placed on top of it!).

more about the. . .The Village Pump

The Old Pump counterweight

In old photos of The Village Pump the counterweight can be seen on the outside of the pump casing which would have been a major safety hazard for children. On some photos the counterweight appears to go below ground level. A 1920s drawing of the structure shows the counterweight.

Original Maldon Gas Lamposts

As part of a plan to supply mains gas from Maldon to Goldhanger a pipe was laid as far as the Goldhanger Rd Caravan parks before the project was halted, probably due to WW-1. The Goldhanger Road from Heybridge to the caravan sites enjoyed gas street lighting for many years until the early 1970s. When the Queen was planning a visit Maldon all the Maldon gas lights were quickly replaced with electric lighting and the old gas lamp post were discarded. However three found new homes in Goldhanger as electric lights to illuminate drives.

more about... Plans that never happened

GPO Ceramic Insulators

The first telephones were installed in the village around 1900. In those days a pair of wires had to be routed overhead from the house to the village telephone exchange in the post office. These substantial ceramic insulators were required at either end and on all the telegraph poles in-between. Amazingly there are still a few of these GPO ceramic insulators on some of the older buildings in the village, which are now collectable items.

Water carriers shoulder yoke

For centuries the only public fresh water supply for the village was the well and pump in the village square. Men would carry two pales of water from The Square to the far ends of the village using a shoulder yoke. In this one hundred year old postcard of The Cricketers Inn, a man can be seen carrying two pales up Church Street.

More. . . Church Street scenes

Maldon Rd water pumps

When new council houses were built on the Maldon Road in the 1920s, the village still had no mains water. It was decided that it was too far to carry water from the village pump in The Square, so two new wells were sunk along the Maldon Rd. One was on the main road and the other was in the garden of one of the properties. This type of hand operated pump was fitted to the wells.

More... Maldon Road scenes

Hippocampus & Henry Roof Finials

There are Hippocampus and Henry finials mounted on two roofs in the village. One is on a period cottage in the village, which were popular in Victorian times. These finials are said to ward off evil spirits The name Hippocampus originates from Greek mythology and is a seahorse like creature with two forefeet and a dolphin's tail.

Sagger excavated from Red Hill at Bounds Farm

A Red Hill adjacent to Bounds Farm where the sailing Club is now located was excavated by the Essex Archaeological Committee in 1889. Amongst the fines were settling tanks, pieces of saggers, fire bars, brickwork and a skeleton. The committee concluded it was the remains of a substantial saltworks that was in operation until the 18th century and was probably destroyed by fire.

more about. . . Archaeology

Red Hill specimens from near Bounds Farm

These peices of broken burnt specimens were found near Bounds Farm just outside the seawall by a Goldhanger resident. They are part of a raised tank constructed of fired clay that was used to heat seawater to extract the salt. More about. . .

Salt extraction in the Blackwater

Sacks of salt from Bounds Farm

There was a saltworks at Bounds Farm up until the mid 1800s. It does not seem to have been licensed to produce white salt, so it is very likely that some of the sacks joined the black-market alone with other smuggled goods passing through the village. More about. . .

Salt extraction in the Blackwater

The missing half of the stone in the Square

In 1909 well known historian and archaeologist Miller Christy wrote about the Goldhanger Stone and determined that it was the upside down part of a cider press, with the other broken half being a partly buried doorstep at 'the cottage occupied by the Curate'. He took this photo in 1909 when the half in The Square was still above ground. It was said to have been put there for Chequers customers to mount horses on their way home.

more about the. . . The Chequers Inn

and... Postcard scenes of The Square

Village Pillory

This device would have part of the village policeman's equipment in the past and was designed to restrain someone by the neck and wrists. Stocks on the other hand were at fixed locations and restrained the offender by the ankles. The pillory could have been temporarily chained to a post in The Square so that the offender could be ridiculed by the public and to act as a deterrent to other potential offenders.

Engraved silver & gilded cigarette case

This cigarette case has C.R engraved on the lid and FOLLYFAUNTS GOLDHANGER 1930 engraved on the interior below the hallmark. It was sold at auction in 2022.

C.R. was clearly not Major Lindsay Fitzgerald Hay, nor any of the main characters in his three novels so C.R. was most probably a member of the Redgrave family and a relative of Alex & Maud McMullen, the owners of Follyfaunts at that time.

Major Hay's early Ming China

Major Lindsay Fitzgerald Hay lived at Follyfaunts in the 1930s and as well as being the author of four books became a very well known collector of rare early blue and white Ming porcelain.

The Major's Ming china collection is mentioned in an article describing Follyfaunts House in a Homes & Gardens magazine of 1939.

In 1946 after the major's death some 66 items of his Ming china were auctioned at Sotheby's. Today his collection would be worth millions of pounds, and items still change hands with a provenance of the 'Major L F Hay collection'.

more about. . . Major Lindsay Fitzgerald Hay

Electrophants - Mechanical Elephants

In the 1960s robotic elephants were developed at Follyfaunts and marketed worldwide. An earlier version, developed at Thaxted, was a full-size petrol driven mechanical elephant, but problems with the exhaust fumes led to a second smaller electric version being developed, and this work was undertaken at Goldhanger.

Both versions were extensively used to give children's rides at seaside resorts during the summer months, and examples of both versions have found homes in museums around the world.

more at. . . Eletrophants at Follyfaunts

Classical furniture and ornaments

From the 1960s to the 1990s Verine Products operated from Follyfaunts producing and marketing reproduction Classic fireplaces, columns, garden urns and troughs, etc. The business was operated by owner Julian Jenkinson, with the products being made at the company's factory at Halstead and then stored and marketed from Follyfaunts.

TESCO Canned Fruit and Vegetables

Sir John (Jack) Cohen, founder of TESCOS, created the "Goldhanger Fruit Farms" canning factory across the fields at Tolleshunt Major while living at Little London Farm in the 1940s. The factory canned locally produced fruit and vegetables for his first supermarkets in east London and Essex. These were the first "own label" supermarket products in the UK.

Goldhanger Canned Vegetables

TESCO sold Goldhanger Fruit Farms in the late 1950s to Cadbury Sweppes who in turn sold it to TKM Foods in the 1970s. Both companies continued to produce canned local and imported fruit and vegatables that were sold in many UK supermarkets and stores. These labels were used in the early 1970s. The canning factory finally closed in 1983 and became Beckingham Business Park.

Kingsmere labelled Canned Vegetables

Goldhanger Fruit Farms also created the “Kingsmere” label in the 1950s and sold these canned vegetables to Woolworths and other retailers.

More of this in... Sir John (Jack) Cohen

School Mug

In 1975 the Village School celebrated its 100th anniversary. This mug was produced and offered for sale to parents and residents to mark the occasion.

more about the. . . School

Jubilee Mugs

The 2002 and 2012 Queens Jubilee mugs given to village school children and sold to residents on both occasions.

Millennium Plates

These sets of plates were produced in the year 2000 as part of a “limited edition” by Art Decor Creations Ltd. of Canterbury.

They show the War Memorial, the Village Pump, the School, the Church, the Square and the Cricketers.

It is not know how many plates were made or sold in the village.

Engraved wine goblet

	This wineglass is engraved with an image of St Peter’s Church tower and the War Memorial, and was auctioned at the 2019 Harvest Supper. It has the name of the engraver etched on it, however the name is very small and difficult to read. It may be Collis. There was a Bert Collis who was a glass engraver in the 1940s and 50s in Great Baddow. He signed his work with: ‘Collis’
Servants Bell Box
This Servants Bell Box, also called a Butler’s Bell Box, remains in the kitchen of a large house in the centre of the village. It probably dates from the early 1900s and would originally been battery operated. The transformer (on right) indicates it was converted to 240v when the mains came in the village in the 1930s, so was still in use then. There would have been a push button in all the main rooms of the house. When a button was pressed the bell rang and a striped panel vibrated and swung to indicate which room called.
Strawberry Pickers Baskets

		Since 1926 Bounds Farm have been growing strawberries for Wilkin & Sons at Tiptree. Originally two quart wooden baskets were used to collect the berries and bushel baskets were used to transport them to Tiptree. Horse-drawn wagons used to be seen travelling up Fish Street in the season with the overflowing baskets. See also... Stanley Wilkin
Mr Ponder's Beehive
Mr W Ponder of Fish St. Goldhanger displayed a new design of beehive made of glass and wood, "with eight windows and outside shutters" at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, which was reported in the Illustrated London News of the day and two local newspapers. No picture of his exhibit has been seen, however a postcard of The Apiary at Rectory Farm, also known as Church Farm, shows one unusual "pagoda" style of beehive in the foreground. This could well have been a example of Mr Ponder's hive. See...Beekeeping at Goldhanger
Church Farm Jams & Honey
			In the first half of the 20th century Charles Page produced jams and honey from his orchards on the east side of Church St and Fish St. He developed his own jam making facility in the outbuildings on the farm, using his own well water and constructed his own bottle washing machine. More about... Beekeeping & Church Farm
Mr Page's traction engines
Early photographs show three different types of farm traction engines at Highams Farm and Rectory Farm at the time when Charles Page was the farmer of both farms. They were used for ploughing and as power sources for other farming work such as thrashing.
Mr Charles Page's New Orleans automobile
		In 1906 Charles Page, farmer of Church Farm/Old Rectory farm, owned a London built 6 HP “Orleans” motor car. In that same year the Company changed its name to “New Orleans”. He probably bought it from his brother-in-Law Frank Wellington. He advertised it locally a year later in 1907...
Mr Charles Page's Model-T Ford radiators
In the first half of the 20th century Charles Page at Rectory Farm, owned a fleet of model-T Ford vans. He and his workers adapted and re-built them for many uses on his fruit farm, including use as spaying machines for the fruit trees. Perhaps parts, such as the radiators survive nearby. See. . . Did you know? - Church Farm Model-T's
Tent poles in Church Farm barn roof
	After WW-1 Charles Page purchased surplus materials from HMS Osea and build a new barn at Church Farm/Old Rectory farm. We learnt from the late Denis Chaplin that this included bell-tent centre poles, which he used to build the roof. The poles are still in place with their ferrule connectors on the ends to joint two poles together, as shown in this diagram....
School Certificates from 1877-1881
These five certificates were awarded to Alice Wenden at the village school between 1877-1881, and were mounted in a substantial oak frame. They were awarded to the young girl having been examined by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools and passed the required standard.
The School Bells

	In 1977 when the village school closed the school bell was removed from its belfry to church tower for "safe keeping". Twenty years later when the school re-opened as a nursery the bell was re-installed and is now regularly rung at 9.15am. More. . . Did you know about...		School handbell
Chair in the Village Hall
The oak chairman's chair in the Village Hall is dedicated to the memory of Maude McMullen who was president of the "Goldhanger Players" Drama Society in the 1940s and 50s and affectionately know as Mrs Mac.She lived at Follyfaunts House More about the... Goldhanger Players
Goldhanger Ploughing Cup
		This silver cup, engraved with Goldhanger Ploughing Cup, was presented by the Rector The Revd. Gardner to the winners of the competitions between 1902 and 1906. It is know that ploughing competitions took place over a much longer period than this and there is a newspaper article describing a village competition in 1841. No doubt William Bentall’s Goldhanger ploughs would have been used in these competitions. At the time the Brazier family lived at Highams Cottages on Highams Farm. Two members of the Brazier and Hume families are named on the War Memorial and members of the Brazier family lived in the village up until the 1990s. The cup, which is 23cm high, was returned to the village in 2022 along with a photo album, both having spent 100 years with members of Brazier family in Canada. They are both now in the archives.
Goldhanger Players Silver Trophy Cup
This silver cup, engraved with The Goldhanger Players, was presumably presented to members of the drama society for outstanding performances. It is hallmarked 1933. More about the... Goldhanger Players
Goldhanger & Lt Totham Gardening Society Silver Trophy Cup

	These two silver cups were awarded annually to members of the local Gardening Society in the 1950s. The 10-inch high cup on the left was awarded to the men and the 3-inch high one on the right was awarded to the ladies. a 1954 Gardening Society poster on page-35 of... Ancient documents
Goldhanger Flower Show Trophy
		This 4 inch high trophy is inscribed: GOLDHANGER FLOWER SHOW JULY 1949 MISS F WAKELIN
Goldhanger RegattaTankard & Trophy

The Goldhanger Regatta took place over a period of nine years from 1868 to 1876. It was held in the Creek and the Estuary near The Shoe. Newspaper reports of the events are available with quotes such as: "This delightful aquatic event - the company being large and fashionable - many present in the carriages from Maldon and Witham". There were many sailing, rowing and swimming races, plus a mud race, duck hunt, walking the greasy pole, "land sports" etc. Coastguard vessels, including the Stansgate based cutter "Fly" took part in some races. The Maldon Volunteer Band played at a number of the annual events. Today the trophy is in the hands of the West Mersea Town Regatta and is awarded to the winner of the pair-oared rowing race, which is part of the Cobmarsh Marathon. The upper part of the tankard is engraves with: 1872 Goldhanger Regatta Four Oared Amateur Race
Wheel of the Barge "Snowdrop"
	The Barge called Snowdrop was abandoned in Goldhanger Creek in the 1950s and was initially in complete state, including its wheel. The village teenagers played on it and used it as a diving board. At some stage it was burnt out and has remained there ever since. One wonders what happened to the wheel? More. . . Estuary Scenes
Punt Gun

Punt guns were used extensively in the past to shoot wildfowl on the Essex marshes. A Goldhanger family living in Fish Street once maintained a collection of these large weapons which they used to hunt ducks and geese in the winter months to supplement their income as fishermen. The guns, which could be up to 7 feet long, were bolted to the punt, which resulted in the re-coil causing the punt to go backwards when the gun was fired. More about... Estuary Activities
Smugglers artefacts
		These artefacts would have been in common use in the village 200 years ago when smuggling was rife. Half ankers were the main means of transporting Dutch Gin from the Creek up to Tiptree Heath, and a Spout Lantern would have been used to warn of approaching Riding Officers. The calibrated set of glass balls or spirit bubbles were an early and simple form of a hydrometer used to quickly check alcohol levels. More about... Smuggling
Coastguard Hats and White Ensign

Chief Coastguard's Sword

The Goldhanger Coastguards marched each day down from their parade ground, next to their row of cottages in Church St. and called the court, down to their hut on the seawall. The men carried their flag, rifles and the officer carried his drawn sword. The sword of the last Goldhanger Chief remains in the possession of his decendants. More about... Goldhanger Coastguards
Earliest petrol station sign
		Before pumps became available, petrol was sold in The Square in cans at Charles Mann’s shop. There where two double sided signs on display outside the shop which can be seen in this ealt 1900s photograph. More about... Village filling & service station
Petrol pump globes from The Square

	These early manually operated petrol pumps were installed in The Square in the early 1920s, complete with electric lights and globes, and were probably used for about 30 years. The globes can be just seen in this early postcard view. However, over all that time there was no electricity in the village so the lamps were never illuminated, and early on the glass globes were broken and never replaced. more photos from. . . The Square
Petrol signs at the Church Street Garage
Over the years the filling station and garage opposite the Church in Church St sold several different brands of petrol.
Cast iron Essex police sign
In Victorian times houses in rural locations that were used as police stations and police accomodation had these cast iron plaques mounted on the front of the biuldings. The signs were made for the Essex police constabulary by the Warren Iron Works in Maldon. We know that No.10 Head Street was used as the police station after it ceased to be the village Poorhouse in 1842, so this sign would have been displayed from that time untill the village lost its policeman. The Poorhouse is described and a photo is shown in... Charities - Poorhouse
Post Office sign
			The Goldhanger Post Office was situated in at least seven different locations over the last 100 years. And several early postcards of street scenes demonstrate this. This sign was displayed on No.10 Head St. when the Post Office was located there in the 1930s - 40s.
Post Office motor vehicle licence holder

This motor vehicle licence holder was issued by the Maldon Road Goldhanger Post Office in the 1990s

Chequers Inn signs

1970s & 80s

1990s

2000s onwards

There have been many pub signs on The Chequers over its long history, here are three of the most recent

Chequers Inn Lantern

This lantern hung over the front door of the Chequers Inn during the 1970s & 80s, and can been seen in this view of the Chequers. It was a stadard Trumans Brewery item seen on many of their other pubs,but was an attractive item.

Cricketers Inn signs

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These two original oil paintings hang on either side of the pub sign outside the Cricketers Inn and had been there for many years. The portrait that was on the south-side (the right here) has W G Grace inscribed on the sleeve.

More business signs from the past

There are more even signs from the past in... Village signs & posters

There is a list of lost shops and businesses at... Goldhanger Lost - shops

Letraset Patent

The Letraset 'dry transfer lettering' has its origins at Goldhanger House. The original design was patented in both the UK and the USA by Rivelin Richards in 1965, at a time when the family were running the Pan Signs business from the Coach House. The Letraset Company, originally registered in London, later took out patent in 1979 which cited Rivelin's much earlier 1965 patent.

Goldhanger House is the former Rectory shown in... Church St Postcards

Pan Signs Products

The Pan Signs business, run from the Coach House at Goldhanger House, specialised in plastic signs for a variety of uses. This advertisement shows the Company’s range of products for the motor scooters that were very popular in the 1960s.

Copper Ingot Hoard

In the year 2000 a local metal detector enthusiast found a rare hoard of 58 copper ingots weighing about 18 Kgs that had been buried around 3000 years ago in a farmer's field close to the village. The ingots date from the Bronze age and were probably made between 1000-800 BC. The hoard is one of the largest of its kind found in the UK and is in the custody of Colchester Museum.

more.... Archaeology

Neolithic stone implement

This hard stone implement, believed to of Neolithic origin, was found in 2017 in a garden in the centre of the village that was formerly a farmyard. It could be either an axe head or a hand tool for skinning animals.