Bicknacre

Bicknacre is a village in the civil parish of Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre, in the county of Essex, England. It is approximately 4.0 mi (6.5 km) north of South Woodham Ferrers and 5.7 mi (9.2 km) southeast of the city of Chelmsford. The village is in the borough of Chelmsford and in the parliamentary constituency of Maldon. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 2,263.^[1]

There was a hermitage on this site until around the end of 1154, when it was converted into a priory for the Augustinian Canons, also known as the Black Canons. It was known as Wodeham (Woodham) Priory until 1235 when the name Bicknacre first occurs.

The name is derived from Bicca, the landowner, and æcer, an old English word meaning open field from which the word acre is derived.

Despite a very small population for most of its history, the village was able to support four Public Houses. All of these remain although two are now private dwellings.

The first major development was in 1969 with the construction of 60 executive style properties on former farm land to the north of the village. At the same time, a new school and village hall was constructed along with a modest shopping precinct.

In the 1980s, the Thriftwood Estate was built on the southern side of the village comprising 300 homes.

Several attempts have been made to undertake further developments in Bicknacre. Most notably in 2001 when an application to build 4,000 homes on farmland was rejected by Chelmsford City (then Borough) Council. The Parish Council successfully arranged a 100 year lease on this land, handing it over to the local community as a green space.

The Bicknacre Festival was held for four years between 2005 and 2009 raising over £20,000 for local good causes. In 2006, the festival was opened by former Formula One driver and The Stig from BBC's Top GearPerry McCarthy.

The Priory Arch is all that remains of the priory. It comprises the west arch of the crossing of the church (estimated to date from about 1250) with attached fragments of the nave and north transept.^[2]

El arco y los campos circundantes, conocidos como Priory Fields , formaban parte originalmente de una extensa propiedad del priorato de Bicknacre, que data de alrededor de 1150. Parte de ese terreno pasó a llamarse Priory Farm. La granja se vendió en 2001 y siete acres, incluyendo el arco del priorato que aún se conserva, fueron cedidos a la parroquia local en arrendamiento por 100 años y son cuidados por un grupo de voluntarios llamado Friends of Priory Fields.

El Hogar de St Giles para Leprosos Británicos ya no existe, pero el cementerio de St. Giles, declarado Reserva Natural del Essex Wildlife Trust, se encuentra en Moor Hall Lane. Se rumorea que la iglesia está embrujada por un hombre enterrado en el cementerio. Su nombre sigue siendo desconocido.

El 9 de febrero de 2023, Bicknacre fue el epicentro de un pequeño terremoto de magnitud 2,6 que se sintió hasta en South Woodham Ferrers y Chelmsford . ^{[ 3 ] [ 4 ]}

Entre las personas notables del pueblo se encuentran Richard Robarts , expiloto de Fórmula Uno , y la artista Danielle West (ahora conocida como Danielle Martin). El artista Grayson Perry pasó parte de su infancia en el pueblo. El actor y comediante Marty Feldman fue evacuado a Bicknacre durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. ^{[ 5 ]} La bailarina, coreógrafa y personalidad televisiva Ashley Banjo reside en Bicknacre. El cantante de rock Graham Bonnet vivió en Bicknacre durante la década de 1980.

Bicknacre se utilizó como escenario para la película Villain de 2020 , protagonizada por Craig Fairbrass, y también para un anuncio publicitario sobre seguridad vial protagonizado por Joe Thomas.

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  Letrero del pueblo de Bicknacre
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  El pub White Swan
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  Tiendas en Bicknacre

• Amigos de Priory Fields