around the fields - The Blackleys

Big Blackley looking towards Blackley Lane

field entrance from the road

The bridleway from Great Forest leads into Big Blackley field and out onto Blackley Lane (which was sometimes known as Dragon Lane in the past). It’s a sad fact that rural crime is on the increase; all field entrances on roads are now blocked by bollards such as these or by padlocked gates and large pieces of farm machinery to stop people driving onto the fields to dump unwanted vehicles, joy ride across the crop, set up illegal camps or to break into buildings and farmyards to steal. 

public footpath signs

Big Blackley field borders Blackley Lane up to Gypsy Corner where people park in the gateway to canoodle, flytip (builders' rubble, garden rubbish, house rubbish ...), partake in illegal substances, let their dogs out or just sit in their cars in the sunshine while they eat their lunch and enjoy the countryside. But when you've dodged the rubbish, skirted around the piece of farm machinery (see above) and stepped carefully through the dog mess you have a choice of footpaths to follow. 

footpath between the two Blackley fields

One footpath heads off towards Willows Green and the other cuts down between the two fields, with Far Blackley on the left and Big Blackley on the right, heading towards Gardeners Field. 

behind the trees

 Halfway down the footpath a little copse of trees hides a dark pond that is beginning to dry out.  

blossom

The blackthorn hedges around the field are covered in blossom this month and we're hoping they'll have a good crop of sloes this autumn. 

blackthorn planting

The area where the farm is situated was once a hamlet called Slamondesheia, which evolved from the Old English name of Sla-muntes-haeg meaning "enclosure of the sloe (tree) hill". Over the years there have been many spellings including Slamondshay, Slamondeseye and Slampseys and the house has been in White Notley, Black Notley and now Great Notley parish without ever moving. But we remain on a hill (a low Essex hill) and there are still plenty of sloes growing in the hedges. We’ve recently planted a new blackthorn hedge alongside the pig field to provide a bit of shade and shelter for the pigs and to increase our annual crop of sloes.

hedgerow fruits

There are still plenty of rosehips, haws, crab apples, wild pears, sloes and bullaces in the hedges and though the blackberries are coming to an end, we picked some lovely juicy ones at the weekend.We've been making jams, jellies and liqueurs with the fruits and used some of the crab apples in our cider.