On a glorious sunny day we visited Maldon.

In the morning members entertained themselves, some exploring Maldon, others going to the Combine Military Services Museum whilst a coffee went down a treat for some.

After lunch, and again people went to different places, we gathered outside the Moot Hall ready to explore its three storeys and a roof!

Originally part of a mansion built by the D'Arcy family it has had a varied past with times as a police station and jail (until the exercise yard was built, it must have been a dire environment). It has also been the local courthouse and was still in (occaisional) use until the 1970s and also the council chamber.

Moot means gathering, meeting and debating and it has obviously been used for a lot of that over the 600+ years since it was originally constructed. Being originally just the tower of a larger building, it has quiite a small footprint meaning that you enter into a largish room which housed the police station and two large cells (whole families could be imprisoned sharing the space with many others). From the other entrance door of the building a "new" staircase leads up to the first floor and the courtroom before a sprial staircase clmibs to the second floor and the council chamber. Obviously the councillors, mayors and officers had to be fit, as did both Queen Elizabeths when they visited it.

Continuing up the spiral staircase, which gets so narrow that the handrail has to be built into the wall, one arrives on the roof with vistas across Essex in all directions. We could look out over the Chelmer/Blackwater estuary and see the Thames Barges moored at the Hythe, we could look south and see the tower blocks in Southend, to the west and north we could see for miles.

A very enjoyable visit on a beautiful day.