Walk G: East Bergholt Circular
A circular route exploring the village that Constable viewed as the origin of his fame.
East Bergholt Circular
We start in the centre of the village in which Constable’s father, Golding Constable, built a new house in 1774, moving his family from their home in a mill house in Flatford, a mile south on the river Stour [literally, a ‘flat ford’ settlement, where cattle could cross].
Walking over to East Bergholt common we’ll visit the site of a windmill in which John worked in his youth, watching the sky and learning to understand cloud patterns. These elements skilfully combine in the ‘Spring’ view.
Then we’ll skirt around the edge of the village to the south, taking in the ‘Summer Evening’ view down to Dedham and on up the Stour valley.
After exploring the unique village church, we’ll pass the site of the Constable family home and then John’s studio, which still stands, as we walk through the village toward the ‘Autumnal Sunset’ view that looks west towards Stratford St Mary.
In addition to the three main views we will be looking at, in the route map below there are additional pinpoint links to extra views and some historical aerial photography that reveals features in some of the locations.
This spot saw the day spring of my Life, Hours of Joy, and years of Happiness, This place first tinged my boyish fancy with a love of the art, This place was the origin of my fame.
Frontispiece, the English Landscape, John Constable, 1831