Details
Location:
From the pub through the grounds of Brocket Hall to
Coleman Green then back to the Crooked Chimney
Weather:
Dry sunny day.
Distance:
4.9 miles – Average speed 2.1mph
Elevation Gain/loss:
508 feet
Our Group
Comprised 21 walkers led by Jo & Mike Peacock.
The Walk
This was our second visit to The Crooked Chimney (our previous visit was in 2013 but we have visited other pubs in the village of Lemsford).
From the pub we had to cross the busy Marford Road to enter Brocket Park. In the park, we crossed Broadwater (part of the River Lea) via the Palladian Bridge then walked through the golf course on public footpaths until we got back to a footpath through Bluebell Hill Wood that took us back to the Marford Road further to the west of our initial crossing.
From there, we walked for about 200 yards along the Marford Road before taking to a stony footpath towards Coleman Green. We halted for a couple minutes by the chimney of the house where John Bunyan stayed, then walked south west along Coleman Green Lane, past the John Bunyan pub, for about 200 yards. There we turned left onto a footpath across a field to the edge of Titnol’s Wood where we turned left along the edge of the wood. We then walked diagonally across another field with a faint trace of a footpath until we got to Wet Grove. From there we walked on a more obvious footpath to Cromer Hyde Lane and along that lane to Marford Road and the Crooked Chimney for a welcome drink and some food.
The map of the walk is shown below
The Crooked Chimney
The Crooked Chimney was originally a farmhouse called Hornbeam Hall. Its use as a pub dates back to 1756 when it was called The Chequers. In 1777, it was acquired by Searanckes Brewery of Hatfield and retained that pub name until 1968 when it was renamed The Crooked Chimney.
Brocket Hall
The parkland site has 2 predecessors: the first of these was built in 1239 and was known as Watership or Durantshide Manor. It is known that it was held by Thomas Brockett in 1477. The current building and park owe much of their appearance to Sir Matthew Lamb, 1st Baronet who purchased the estate in 1746 and commissioned the hall to the designs of Sir James Paine around 1760. The hall has been owned by two Prime Ministers, Lord Melbourne (who broke the news to Princess Victoria that she was to become Queen) and Lord Palmerston. The hall has connections with the royal family, being visited by Queen Victoria and her children.
While serving a prison sentence for insurance fraud, Charles Nall-Cain, 3rd Baron Brocket let the property to the Club Corporation of Asia in 1996, for 60 years who turned the hall into a conference centre into wedding venue and the grounds into 2 golf courses