SPAB Essex Visit to Creeksea Place, Burhnam-on-Crouch

Event details

Wednesday 27th April at 11am

Creeksea Place is a grade II* listed building and one of the most important Elizabethan houses in this part of Essex. It was built of red brick in the late 1560s for Arthur Harris, partially demolished in the 18th century, and then restored and extended in the early-20th century. Following requisition by the army during WWII, the house suffered a long period of neglect and in 1993 the house was added to the Register of Heritage at Risk.

Historic England offered a major grant towards the most urgent repairs needed to the original wing, which began in January 2020. This work included replacement of the clay-tile roof covering and associated leadwork, and extensive repair and strengthening of the original timber roof structure. The external brickwork was repointed and the historic rainwater fittings were carefully repaired, including the conservation of an original lead rainwater hopper bearing the date 1569.

As the initial phase of repairs neared completion, a further grant was offered by Historic England towards additional repairs to the original wing. This work included repair and restoration of all the iron and leaded light windows. Major structural repairs were completed to the internal floors, enabling the removal of the internal propping which had been in place for almost 30 years. Extensive areas of lime hair plaster and original wattle and daub were conserved. The historic oak panelling which lines one of the main bed chambers was restored.   

In 2021, the work at Creeksea Place won the Building Conservation category in Maldon District Council's Design and Conservation Awards Scheme.

For our visit, we will assemble from 11am in the gardens at Creeksea Place, before we set off around the grounds with a guide for a private history tour.  The gardens will be open to the public during our visit and refreshments will be available for members to purchase throughout their stay.  After the tour of the grounds, we will receive a private tour of the house itself, which is not normally open for such visits. As some of the rooms are small, we may have to split into smaller groups for the internal tour, depending on the number of attendees and the Covid rules at the time of the visit.  Our visit should conclude before the gardens close at 2pm.

The cost of the visit will be £10 per person, with the proceeds going into the conservation fund for the house.

Further information, including a map and directions, will be sent to registered participants nearer the time.

Multiple bookings

As long as there is space on the event, we usually allow you to book for both yourself and a guest. When completing the booking form, you will be asked to select the number of people and put in your own details on the first page, then to put in your second person's details on the next page. The event fee shown on each of these pages is for the individual person - you will be shown the total amount due once you get to the summary page.

About the Essex Regional Group

The SPAB Essex Regional Group was formed in 2000 and has been active ever since. The types of visits are fun, interesting and educational with an annual social event, normally in an historic building. Our participants vary from interested SPAB members wanting to enhance their knowledge of historic buildings to professionals using the visits as part of their continuing professional development programme.

Booking Terms & Conditions

Accessibility: please contact the Group Organiser before booking to discuss any special access requirements.