Little Totham

Little Totham is a small scattered village in Essex of approximately 300 people. The parish extends from the extensive common and heath-land of Tiptree down to the River Blackwater. The village lies about 6 miles from Maldon and 5 from Tiptree and lies on the back road between Goldhanger and the Maldon to Colchester road it is part of Maldon District Council.

Most of the population live on the edge of the parish adjoining Tolleshunt Major and centred around the main road running through the village past The Swan Public House and children’s play area. The rest of the parish is agricultural and the roads and field patterns remain much as they were at the Domesday survey of 1085.

The halls of Little Totham and Rook Hall have their origins in the 12th century and the architecture of this period is seen in the North and South doorways of the parish church which lies adjacent to Little Totham Hall (Farm) in the centre of the parish.

The Parish Church has an active community which provides community support in the form of pastoral visits, caring and community activities. This 12th century church houses the oldest recorded door in the country (Approx. 1085 AD) and there is a comprehensive history document within the church.

The present main road through the village was originally a track used by smugglers bringing liqueur, silks and other cloths from the River Blackwater to the plains where travellers would exchange them for money.

In Little Totham, on the edge of the River Blackwater and in the fields near Osea Island there is evidence of man dwelling there from as far back as the Bronze Age 6000 years ago. There is evidence of the smelting of ores using the wood from the extensive forests which covered the area.

The main farms developed in the area in the 11th century and life revolved around these until the development of the dwellings along the smugglers route in the late 16th century. Notably among these is the White Horse (now the White House) which was a pub and boarding house until the beginning of the 20th century.

There are extensive patterns of footpaths across the area which lead to the farms and were developed by farm workers walking to and from work. There has always been a history of itinerant workers both on the farms and in the smuggling trade and these have over the years rested, albeit temporarily, on the Totham plains.

'The Plains' which form some of the largest areas of common land in the country are within the village boundary and there are many pleasant walks across them.

In the mid to late 19th and early  20th centuries  more substantial farm workers cottages were built around the "main" road and the village grew. In the late 19th century three more ale houses sprang up to deal with the thirst of these farm workers. The 17th century residential property near the extensive village pond became The Swan Ale House and more latterly a Public House. Further along the road the White Hart (now demolished) was for a period an ale house and off licence. Along Plains Road, The Eagle (now a private house) was an ale house mainly serving itinerant travellers who came seasonally to work on the land. It was at this time that the Peculiar People’s Chapel was built on the common. This is still an active Evangelical Church.

The present village is a mixture of these old houses and more modern development, and the community is a mixture of people. People who work from home, commute to Maldon, Witham, Chelmsford, Colchester and London, are retired or craftsmen. The farms are still working mainly arable crops, present cereals and rape. There are hen and turkey farms, pigs and sheep. There has been some diversification where gravel has been extracted and the land laid down to lakes for nature trails and fishing.

 

Facilities

There is no Village Hall, shop or Post Office. A greengrocer's van visits the village on Saturday mornings.

 

Parish Council

There is a Parish Council with five elected members

            Chairman:   Ian Pearce. 01621 892192

Councillors:  Brian Birkin, Sheila Haines, Fred Chambers, Peter Wakelin

Clerk:           Pat Messant.

Recycling

There is a bottle and can bank at the side of The Swan and the garden waste is collected at 11.15 am on Saturday mornings.

There is a mobile library at 1.15pm on Friday

The household refuge is collected once a week on Thursday and paper every other Thursday.

The houses are on mains electricity and most of them are on mains sewage. There is no gas in the village.

  

Buildings with Public Access

 

The Swan Public House. See www.TheSwanPublicHouse.co.uk

Open all Day from 11am selling a wide variety of real ales and serving food Tuesday to Sunday lunchtime.

Parish Church of All Saints. A 12th century building with later additions.

            Rector. Rev. Michael Hatchett, The Vicarage, Hall Rd., Great Totham.

            Church Wardens

            Andrew Vince 01621 01621 788472

            Vivienne Smith 01621 891660

Services every Sunday  7. 45am Holy Communion BCP on the 1st and 4th     Sunday, Common Worship at other times.

11am Parish Communion

Sunday School contact Vivienne Smith

Evangelical Church

            Services 10.30am and 6pm. contact Julia and Andrew Rees 01621 892137

            Sunday school 10.30am contact Ann Brewer 01621 891361

 

Village Activities

Publications

1.Newsletter.

There is a monthly newsletter / parish magazine distributed free to all homes. This is sponsored by The Swan and edited by members of All Saints church. For further details contact Lorna Key on 01621 891667 or Vivienne Smith on 01621 891660

 

2.What’s on in Little Totham.

This is an annual publication advertising the main events in the village which include:-

            An annual Family fun cycle ride

            Village Fete

            Flower Festival and Open gardens

            September Music Festival Week

            Annual two weeks beer Festival

            Christmas Fayre and Concerts.

In publication are the 10 mile cycle ride and walks around the area.

 

Other village activities include:-

Broomsticks. An All Saints women’s group which has over 40 members and meets monthly for social events and other activities. Contact 01621 891660.

Marigold Club

This is a social group for the retired and meets fortnightly at Goldhanger Village Hall on Mondays from 2 – 4pm.

Women’s Institute. The Goldhanger, Little Totham and Tolleshunt Major branch meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 7.30m in Goldhanger Village Hall.

Pensioners Shopping bus

There are a few places allocated to Little Totham on this monthly bus which visits Clacton, Southend, Chelmsford, Bury and Ipswich. Fares are 80p or £1.