Creeksea Place, Creeksea
Creeksea Place is a large red brick house standing in a park of about 30 acres.
The original building was
built in about 1569 by Sir Arthur Harris (or Harrys) who was a
member of the Mildmay family.
The south range was destroyed
in 1740 and only the east and north wings now survive.
The north wing retains some
original features including an original rain water head which is
dated 1569 , windows, chimneystacks and an original staircase.
The water head is used to date
Creeksea Place as records show that it was not in place in 1508 but
was listed as a building in 1594.
The East wing was rebuilt in
1901 on the foundations of the old structure by William Rome who was
the occupant having purchased it from the Mildmay family
Creeksea Place was reputed to
have been the home of Anne Boleyn and that her spirit was said to
have been seen walking from the old cottage near the Creeksea ferry.
Her daughter, Queen
Elizabeth,is thought to have met her soldiers here and that they
were supposed to have come to meet her through a subterranean tunnel
connected with Rochford . Great Tudor drains, full of oyster shells
have been uncovered but not the tunnel itself.
Although the story of Anne
Boleyn is attractive, if the hall was built in 1569 the fact that
Anne was executed in 1536 would mean that she could not have
visited.
However there may be some
truth to the story as in 1500 the Harris family who built Creeksea
Place were landowners at Rochford on the other side of the water.
Given that the Boleyn family were the other large landowners in Rochford it is very likely that Anne would have known the Harris's
as the one local family in her social class.
Records show that the Harris family also owned the land at Creeksea on which Creeksea Place was built
and that there was an active ferry across the River Crouch from
Creeksea to Rochford.
Whilst there was no record of
any building substantial enough for Anne to have visited it is
possible that a young Anne used the ferry to visit her neighbours
land.
The story of the tunnel is
also unlikely given the width of the River Crouch at this point and
the difficulty in shoring up, draining and ventilating such a long
tunnel with the engineering skills available in the 1500's.
There is a tunnel leading
underground at Creeksea Place but this leads to an old ice room
which was used to store ice for long periods before the advent of
freezers.
This period was one of
intrigue and religious persecution with priest holes and escape
tunnels often found in large houses to enable the escape of the
occupants or embarrassing visitors should the forces of state or
church arrive. It is probable that such an small escape route was
embellished locally to produce the tunnel legend.
Lord Mildmay, Keeper of the
Crown Jewels for King Charles 1st married into the Harris family and
eventually became the owner of Creeksea Place.
He is reputed to have been one of the twelve State elders who subsequently signed King Charles 1st death warrant.
Following the execution and after the accession to the throne of King Charles 2nd, Lord Mildmay was said to have been arrested at Creeksea and he and the other eleven elders were accused of regicide ( the murder of a king or queen ), later pardoned but it is said, to make sure they did not forget the enormity of their crime, all twelve were obliged to spend the anniversary date of the King's execution in the Tower of London.
The Great Sword
of Creeksea Place had rested for nearly three hundred years on a
platform at the head of the oak spiral staircase which led up to the
attics of the old house.
It a court sword of the early
17th century, its hilt and pommel being covered with chased silver
in various designs, the Tudor rose being the most prominent. It is
said that one man alone, with the sword in his hand, could have held
the stairs against all comers, and protected the women and children
of the house from assailants.
The Great Sword is now mounted
in a display case in nearby Creeksea church.
In the 1800's ownership as
taken by James Baker and in 1847 Creeksea Place celebrated the
wedding of his youngest daughter Mary-Ann Baker to Andrew Wells
Beckwith of Wells in Somerset. Sadly James died before the wedding.
In 1940 Lindisfarne College
moved from its home at Westcliff to Creeksea Place until the
Military requisitioned the place as a wartime base and training unit
at which point the school transferred to Newburgh Priory at Coxwold
in Yorkshire until 1950 it again moved to a permanent home in
Wynnstay, North Wales
Following the end of the war
the main building has been largely uninhabited until recent times
when it has been used as a conference centre, film location and
wedding venue.
In 2003 the building became a
familiar feature on Britain's television screens when it provided
the location for the popular BBC 1 television program ' The Murder
Game' as well as appearances in period programs for films and
television.
Creeksea Place is now open to the public as a
wedding venue and a conference centre.
Click here to visit
their web site
