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West Bergholt PC is pleased to welcome you to its website

Welcome to West Bergholt sign

West Bergholt is a large rural Essex village lying near the border of the English counties of Essex and Suffolk.  It is situated just outside and to the North-west of Colchester – Britain’s Oldest Recorded town. The village:

Covid-19 Virus

In 2016 West Bergholt won the Class 2 prize in the RCCE Village of the year competition and overall 2nd place, read the news item for more.

If you need support locally during the COVID-19 pandemic click here for information about our local enhanced Care Network service.  More general COVID-19 support and advice is here.

To find out more about us click here.  Scroll down to see recent news from the village.

What’s Happening

Bear in mind some activities might still be affected due to COVID-19

See more events here.

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Fairfields Farms start their harvesting

Fairfields Farms Tractors and Other Vehicles on the Roads and Lanes

Fairfields Farms Potato Harvester
Harvesting Potatoes at Fairfields Farms

Fairfields Farms are now starting to harvest their potatoes and maize. This means that you will be seeing an increase in agricultural vehicles on local roads for the next month. Operations will typically be underway between 7 am – 8 pm (or a little later if weather pressures demand it).

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Environment & Highways 9th September 2021

Highlights of Environment & Highways Meeting on 9th September 2021

Environment - butterfly on flower

The Environment & Highways Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council met on 9th September 2021 with topics including:

  • Handymen undertook activities from tree -trimming to churchyard-tending. Additional help required October – November. Their new vehicle is now in operation,
  • The Cherry trees at Orpen Hall are dying, what to do?
  • Environmental plan, volunteers needed to maintain ponds. Hall Road pond overgrown,
  • Problems & surveys on Colchester Road.
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The Village Quiz Returns

The Annual Quiz Returns for Friendly Benches

The annual quiz returns - 2016 winners pictured
The defending champions from 2016

This erstwhile annual quiz event returns after a four-year ‘hiatus’ and offers the opportunity to test your knowledge against fellow villagers. The winning team will be walking away with the ‘prestigious‘ West Bergholt Local Organisations Challenge Cup. Everybody, though, will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped towards securing another Friendly Bench for the village.

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Charlie Haylock Coaches Ralph Fiennes

Charlie Haylock & Ralph Fiennes

Charlie Haylock talk about his role in the Netflix film “The Dig”

Local Suffolk celebrity, Charlie Haylock returns to the Local History Group for their first talk in person since March last year. This time it is to talk about his work as the dialect coach in the production of the recently released film “The Dig”.

The film tells the story of how local amateur archaeologist Basil Brown, played by Ralph Fiennes, discovered the Anglo Saxon Royal ship burial at Sutton Hoo. Suffolk Landowner, Edith Pretty, employed Basil, an amateur archaeologist, in 1939 to satisfy her suspicions that the numerous mounds on her property had secrets to tell.

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Who Was Constable William Raven?

Find out about William Raven, Buried in Old St Mary’s Churchyard

Constable William Raven
Constable William Raven

William Raven, a resident of West Bergholt, was born in Coggeshall in 1817, joined the Essex Constabulary in 1844 and died in 1911. You can now visit his, & his wife’s, grave in (Old) St Mary’s Churchyard but what happened in between those years?

Find out when Professor James Raven, from the Universities of Cambridge & Essex, gives a talk about his ancestor. He will touch on a number of topics that bear comparison with today such as:

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Language learning in small groups or 1:1

Was language an obstacle to fully enjoying your last holiday?

Bergholt language lessons logo

It’s fair to say that many of us aren’t blessed with a second language which is a shame. A shame because speaking the language helps you to have a richer experience when travelling. Rachel Brown has been teaching two of the most popular ‘holiday languages’, French & Spanish, for some years now and has now launched her new business – Bergholt Languages.

Supported by her colleague, Claudia Jenner, Bergholt Languages offer 4 levels of class:

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Gardeners Visit Wrabness Announce 2021-22 Programme

The Gardeners 2021-22 Programme Started in Wrabness

Despite being unable to meet up since early 2020 the Gardeners’ Club have tried to keep in touch with members; they have done this via email newsletters and also through a self drive visit to Strandlands, Wrabness. Strandlands is an NGS garden; the visit gave them a chance to meet in the lovely setting of an unique, natural garden overlooking the estuary. They also had a stall at the Village Fete in July to publicise the group and to attract new members. They reassured visitors that they are a very informal and friendly club of enthusiastic amateurs; their joint ambition being to gain inspiration and advice from interesting and experienced speakers.

  • Strandlands at Wrabness
  • Strandlands at Wrabness
  • Strandlands at Wrabness
  • Strandlands at Wrabness

Now that Autumn is rapidly approaching, with shorter days and cooler weather and with the ending of social gathering restrictions we plan to resume monthly meetings from September. They have already booked a full programme of speakers for 2021/2022 dependent upon Covid regulations. All being well, they look forward to being back in the Orpen Hall on Monday, 20th September at 7.30 pm. They look forward to welcoming existing and new members. The full programme will be available at that meeting; it will include a very short AGM and a talk by Roger Pawsey, a rose grower.

After that, on 18th October, Richard Grant, Head Gardener from Madingley Hall, Cambridge will be their speaker. In November they will be learning how to make a Christmas Wreath and they will finish the year with their annual Christmas Quiz evening in December.