Dedham, Essex

Dedham is a village within the borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, situated on the River Stour and on the border of Essex and Suffolk. The nearest town to Dedham is the small market town of Manningtree.

Geography

Dedham is frequently rated as containing some of England's most beautiful Lowland landscape, most particularly the Water Meadows of the River Stour, which passes along the northern boundary of the village forming the boundary between the counties of Essex and Suffolk. Dedham has a central nuclear settlement around the Church and the junction of Mill Lane and the High Street (forming the B1029). Connected to Dedham are the hamlets The Heath and Lamb Corner, both of which formerly retained their own shops and pubs. The village forms a key part of the Dedham Vale.

John Constable

Dedham is at the heart of 'Constable Country' - the area of England where Constable lived and painted. Constable attended the town's Grammar School (now the 'Old Grammar School' and 'Well House'), and he would walk to school each morning alongside the River Stour from his family's home in East Bergholt. Many of Constable's paintings feature Dedham, including Dedham Mill, which his father owned, and St. Mary's Church, whose massive steeple is a focal point of surrounding Dedham Vale.

Other Artists

In 1937, Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines founded the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Dedham. When, however, this burnt down, they moved from Dedham to......
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