Little Bardfield is a small scattered village, in a picturesque setting on the south-west side of the vale of the river
Pant, 1½ miles North West of Great Bardfield, and 3½ miles East of
Thaxted. There are a number of large historical houses in the village, including Little
Bardfield Hall and Chequers, which are at opposite ends of the village. There are no shops or pubs in the village, but it does have a village cricket club. One villager sells free range eggs and a range of organic vegetables from his garden.
Bardfield Hall
Chequers
St. Katharine's Church is a small late Anglo Saxon tiled building, with
a tower and two bells.
In 1774, Mrs. Sarah Bernard, widow of the Rev. Thomas Bernard, by
will, directed her executors to cut down all the timber in Halsted
Grove, and with the proceeds thereof to erect a School and Almshouses,
containing five little cottages for five poor widows or single women, and one
for the residence of a schoolmistress. This former School and village hall was converted into a private house several years ago. The Almshouses are looked after by a charity and still rented out to widows and single women.
This is a quiet, rural village with a number of historic houses. As such, the village is not connected to a gas main or mains sewerage. There are also no street lights in Little Bardfield, so it is a great place for stargazers. The Parish Council wants to preserve the rural nature of the village, so further development is unlikely.
The Little Bardfield village design statement is here:
