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Cressing Temple from the air.Barley BarnWheat BarnTudor Walled GardenFarmhouse Conference RoomsArchaeologySite History.Amazing Facts!BakehouseThe Forge.Events at CTGhostly goings-on.The Well House Click on the interactive photo for more information.

Programme of Events Weddings Introduction Barley Barn Forge Tudor Garden Tudor Garden Volunteers Wanted
Book a Conference Coach Operators Archaeology Wheat Barn Wheelwright's Shop Cullen Garden Thrashing Drum and Seed Dresser
Opening times Tudor Schooldays Past Lives at CT Well House Ghosts Kid's Dig Hunts Grinding Machine
Location Map Building Courses Documentary History Bakehouse Classic Car Show David Dimbleby Goldhanger Plough
Templar Tearooms Menu Falconry Amazing Facts The Stables St George's Joust Sir Robert Hales Cart Lodge and Farm Machinery

 

The Knights Templar were a religious order of knights founded in the Temple of Solomon at the beginning of the 12th century whose members took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They acquired substantial lands in mid-Essex in 1137; the headquarters (or preceptory) of this estate was at Cressing.

The two great timber-framed barns (the Wheat Barn and the Barley Barn) belong to this initial phase, as does a circular, stone-lined well. Other remains (such as a chapel with a number of burials) lie beneath the turf. The subsequent history of the site is complex. In the 14th century, the Knights Templars were suppressed, and their property (including Cressing) transferred to another monastic order, the Knights Hospitallers.

Subsequent documents record Cressing Temple passing through the hands of a number of owners, and during most of the 20th century, it was owned by the Cullen family, successful seed merchants. On the retirement of Mr A L Cullen, the estate was put up for sale in lots. Essex County Council bought the farm buildings, including the barns, and the adjacent Dovehouse Field, in 1987, with the help of grants from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the EEC, and English Heritage.

Nowadays the site plays host to a huge variety of events including fairs, markets, concerts and shows. Book your event or conference here and enjoy the majesty and tranquility of a site that has developed over 850 years.

 

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Site created November 2004.

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