Fremnells Cottages are situated on the Northern boundary of Downham Village. Enjoying a splendid rural location little more than a stone's throw from South Hanningfield Reservoir.
These cottages would of been built for senior workers on the estate of Fremnells of which they form part.
The 19 bedroom Manor of Fremnells became a 'casualty of progress' when in 1951 the Sandon Valley and its ancient hamlets were flooded and became The Hanningfield Reservoir, to provide water for the growing population of Essex and Suffolk.
To make way for the flood waters, Fremnells along with other locals in their 11 cottages and 2 farms we moved out.
The Manor of Fremnells itself was a beautiful16th century Manor House and stones from its walls were used to make the dams to hold back the waters of the rivers Chelmer and Blackwater, which were diverted from their normal flow to fill the reservoir.
After this deliberate flooding of the valley in 1951 the Water Company built a large property (adjacent to the cottages) as a residence for the Manager of the Reservoir and named it Fremnells in memory of its historic predecessor.
Now a favourite haunt of bird watchers, the Reservoir has thus beneath its waters, what remains of the once grand Manor House of Fremnells, which local folklore has it incorporates a mysterious room with a ramp, believed to have been a hiding place used by the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin and his horse Black Bess!
Large parts of the reservoir and surrounding countryside have been developed as a nature reserve with two cafés at each end of the reservoir. The newer one, opened in 2007, is next to the fishing lodge with a deck overlooking the water, and the other is at the Essex Wildlife Trust visitors' centre. Myself and my family often pop over on a Sunday morning for breakfast there - lovely on a summers morning.
TK
