title A Postcard from Flatford and Dedham, Suffolk and Essex, 9th November 2022 intro Isobel's on a mission to explore all sorts of previously-unvisited places, so we continue with a trip to the Dedham Vale, stopping off firstly at Flatford for a look at Willy Lott's cottage and the scene of one of the most famous of English paintings - Constable's Hay Wain - which is still quite recognisable. After that, we try to walk to Dedham but the fields are flooded, so we drive there instead, via Stratford St. Mary and East Bergholt, for a look around. Whilst there, we have lunch at a pub - The Marlborough - that Nosher and the BPCC Business Magazines crew from Colchester visited a couple of times back in 1991. There's no sign of the tiny post office where emergency car tax was once purchased whilst on the way to work (having realised it had expired whilst driving on the A12), but there is a mobile Post Office van near the War Memorial. imgp9155 There's a copy of the Hay Wain to set the scene imgp9156 Isobel scopes out a Constable exhibition imgp9158 Isobel walks down to Flatford Mill imgp9162 The back of Flatford Mill imgp9164 The grand Willow Farm, in Flatford imgp9170 The location of the famous Hay Wain painting imgp9177 Flatford Mill imgp9180 Another view of Willy Lott's cottage imgp9188 Isobel roams around near a tree skeleton imgp9191 The field on the walk to Dedham is flooded imgp9194 The amazing tree stump by the River Stour imgp9197 The view towards Dedham imgp9198 Flatford Lock, near the mill imgp9200 The other side of Flatford Mill imgp9207 A bridge over the Stour near the NT shop imgp9209 St. Mary the Virgin in East Bergholt imgp9213 Artificial poppies wave around in the graveyard imgp9217 A colourful stained glass window imgp9218 More stained glass in St. Mary the Virgin imgp9220 Isobel looks at stuff in the church imgp9222 The end window over the altar imgp9223 Isobel pokes around near the altar imgp9226 There's a model of the church in the church imgp9227 A pretty use of colour in the upper windows imgp9234 The church's tower was never completed imgp9238 East Bergholt village shop imgp9239 A K6 phonebox outside the Red Lion imgp9241 Armour Engineering - an old-school garage imgp9242 John Constable's first studio, right imgp9244 The delightfully traditional Stratford Parish Rooms imgp9245 More old buildings in Stratford St. Mary imgp9246 The awesome 1935 Stratford Pumping Station imgp9248 The closed-or-being-rebuilt The Swan imgp9255 Restaurant tables in The Marlborough, Dedham imgp9258 A lounge snug in The Marlborough imgp9259 Isobel checks her phone out imgp9263 Coffee after lunch in the Marlborough imgp9266 Isobel scopes out the Tea Shop over the road imgp9268 A French chateau in the middle of Dedham imgp9269 A request bus stop sign stuck to a house imgp9271 Another nice building on the main road imgp9272 Isobel looks around in the Arts and Crafts centre imgp9277 A K6 phonebox on the main street imgp9278 The Marlborough - our lunch stop imgp9280 A smiley sign for The Sun Inn imgp9282 The Sun Inn in Dedham imgp9285 Isobel looks in another shop window imgp9288 A bit further down the main street imgp9290 The Old Rectory, and St. Mary's church imgp9291 The only derelict-looking building in Dedham imgp9293 Another grand building imgp9294 A curious building on the High Street imgp9297 Even the Co-op is "High Class" imgp9301 The Dedham sign, near the car park imgp9303 A view over the Stour, looking towards Flatford imgp9305 A pair of swans pootle around imgp9312 Isobel looks over the bridge imgp9314 A derelict hut in a field