Hidden Gems: Village of Dedham, Essex

By Beth Colmer, Account Director

Summer holiday season 2020 is going to be a season of staycations for many so we’ve decided to give ‘Letter from….’ A well-earned break and instead focus, for a short while, on some of our favourite ‘Hidden Gems’ in the UK. The places that are off the beaten track, or perhaps not as well-known as they should be but which feed our souls and provide a fabulous backdrop for a day out or a longer period of R&R, celebrating the best that the UK has to offer. We hope you enjoy….!

Think of Essex and many things spring to mind; Rylan Clark, the Sugar Hut and ‘Hinchers’. However, it is also home to some of Britain’s most beautiful countryside - Dedham being one of its brightest jewels. 

Visit the Munnings Art Museum, which houses the largest collection of paintings by Sir Alfred Munnings, or wander the high street, so littered with medieval timber houses and Georgian façades it could be a Dickens film set. It’s fair to say however, Dedham’s star attraction is the green, lush meadows where the River Stour meanders through; also the backdrop for many of the great John Constable’s early works.

Rent a boat for just £10 an hour from the Boathouse Restaurant and row your way up the river, admiring gliding ducks, swans and The National Trust’s Flatford Mill. Many visitors take picnics to enjoy on the bank amongst the grazing and very inquisitive cows and on very hot days, swimming in the tempting, cool Stour waters is unavoidable.

Visit Dedham