20 Attractions to Explore Near Mountfitchet Castle & Norman Village

Mountfitchet Castle is a National Historic Monument, protected by the Department of the Environment. Within the Castle, complex is the world-famous House on the Hill Museum which offers the visitor an amazing array of over 70,000 toys from the 19th Century to the 1980s. Excellent exhibitions of World War 1 & 2 memorabilia including a Home Front/Blitz display, a Rock 'n' Roll exhibition, film, TV, and theatre.

Hatfield Forest is a 403.2-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Essex, three miles east of Bishop's Stortford. The Forest is an ideal place for a quiet stroll away from the main lakeside area. Wander along the main plains or head off into the trees and explore the rides. It is owned and managed by the National Trust. A medieval warren in the forest is a Scheduled Monument.

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens is the workplace and family home of 20th-century sculptor Henry Moore: with over 70 acres of sculpture gardens & rolling fields. It has a display of over 20 of Moore's world-famous, monumental sculptures; showcasing his work as he intended, against the landscape he shaped. The Foundation supports innovative sculpture projects through a global grants program, runs exhibitions and research worldwide, and conserves the legacy of Moore himself.

Harlow, The Gibberd Garden is an inspirational Grade II listed garden. Designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, a leading Twentieth Century architect and Master Planner of Harlow. The garden comprises of formal lawns, streams and glades, a mature lime avenue, a wild garden with a tangle of paths, 90 artefacts and sculptures and a moated castle.

Audley End is a mansion with a difference. It was one of England's finest country houses which is famous for its architectural features and varied collections. More than 30 lavishly decorated rooms are open to the public, displaying in their historic context the accumulated Howard Neville and Cornwallis collections. The park was designed by Lancelot Capability Brown in 1763 It contains a circular temple and a bridge over the River Cam, designed by Robert Adam.

The Fry Art Gallery displays a unique collection of paintings, prints, books and ceramics showing the artistic heritage of north west Essex, featuring Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious, Michael Rothenstein, John Aldridge, Michael Ayrton, Grayson Perry and others. The Fry Art Gallery is home to the North West Essex Collection, a set of more than 3,000 works by diverse, nationally important artists who have lived or worked in the area.

Bridge End Gardens is a group of linked ornamental gardens in Saffron Walden, Essex, England, which was created around 1840 by Francis Gibson, a local Quaker businessman. Today, traditional gardening techniques have been employed to restore the gardens to their glorious original state. There are many benches spread throughout the Garden and it is the perfect place for a summer picnic or to provide a quiet escape from modern life.

Saffron Walden Museum Society is a voluntary charitable organisation that owns the museum building – thought to be one of the oldest purpose-built local museums in the country. It contains items of international relevance, as well as a wealth of local and other British objects and specimens, showing our history, culture and wildlife. this award-winning, family-friendly museum stands in an enclosed meadow beside the ruins of the 12th-century Walden Castle.

Parndon Wood Nature Reserve, run by ECCO, is an area of the ancient woodland home to a huge range of birds, small mammals, deer, flora, and fungi. The reserve is a Special Site for Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its variety of flora and has received a Green Flag Award, which recognizes the best parks in the country, for the last 11 years.

A large grotto, built by a Quaker poet in the 1760s and restored by the Ware society. It survives from an eighteenth-century rococo garden. It is a Grade I listed building and with six chambers the most extensive shell grotto in the United Kingdom. The grotto is set into the northeast face of a hill, and comprises an entrance hall and a series of six chambers extending over 65 feet into and 30 feet below the chalk hillside, together with air shafts, light wells, and connecting passages.

Rye Meads is a 58.5-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Rye House, Hertfordshire. It is one of series of wetlands and reservoirs situated along the River Lea. This delightful wetland reserve beside the River Lee is a firm favourite with walkers, birdwatchers and photographers thanks to its many trails and hides. The HMWT site is an ancient flood meadow that has a variety of habitats including reedbed, marshy grassland and fen. It is grazed by ponies and water buffalo.

The East Herts Miniature Railway is situated in the Van Hage Garden Centre, Great Amwell near Ware, Hertfordshire. This fantastic, 7¼" gauge railway completes two circuits of beautifully landscaped gardens and includes a trip over a pond and through a tunnel! Tickets for the railway cost just £1 per passenger. The railway opening times are from 11am-5pm on Saturdays and Bank Holidays . 10:30am-4.30 pm on Sundays. A special mid-week service operates during school holidays on Tuesdays and Thursday

Prospect Cottage is a house on the coast in Dungeness, Kent. Originally a Victorian fisherman's hut,[1][2] the house was purchased by director and artist Derek Jarman in 1986, and was his home until his death in 1994. its iconic garden stand testament to his defiant spirit, and have the potential to inspire artists and visitors long into the future.

North Weald Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome located in North Weald Bassett – Epping Forest, Essex. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain. Although unlicensed it is home to many private aircraft and historic types, and is host to a wide range of events throughout the year, including the Air-Britain Classic Fly-in and smaller airshows.

Cromer Windmill, restored in four stages between 1967 and 1998, is a Grade II* listed post mill at Cromer, Ardeley, Hertfordshire, England. It stands on an artificial mound just outside Cromer, near Ardeley, in which parish a windmill has stood for nearly 800 years. The mill is fully restored, including its machinery for grinding corn, but cannot actually grind. However, when the wind is right the sails will turn and the mill comes to life again.

A beautiful zoo that was set in Greenland and has a large collection of wildlife ranging from Mexican red-kneed tarantulas and snakes through giant tortoises, hornbills, toucans, parrots, owls, and pheasants to beautiful snow leopards, magnificent Amur tiger, Hartmann Mountain zebra, and Brazilian tapir. Each year new species are brought in, many of them being part of an international captive breeding program. It will be a new experience visiting this zoo.

The Epping Ongar Railway is a preserved railway, which runs along the last section of the old Great Eastern Railway and London Underground Central line branch line. Take one seat in one of the period coaches and watch the train pass through beautiful countryside from Ongar to North Weald, from here you can catch the heritage rail shuttle which takes you through Epping Forest and so more.

The American Air Museum in Britain is home to the best collection of American military aircraft on public display outside of North America. It has the finest collection of American aircraft outside the United States. Nineteen of its thirty-eight aircraft are airworthy and it attracts over 350,000 visitors each year to its summer air displays.

Benington Lordship Gardens is a seven-acre garden surrounding a lovely Georgian manor house. Beside the manor are the ruins of a Norman castle keep, surrounded by a moat. The magnificent neo-norman folly, comprising a gatehouse, summer house and adjoining curtain wall, was completed in 1838 by James Pulham of Broxbourne.

Lowewood Museum showcases the history of the Borough of Broxbourne. Discover the history of the local area from prehistoric times to the present day. Explore the stories of those who have lived and worked here, from Royal Academy artist James Ward to the Pulhams of Broxbourne, one of the most important garden designers of the Victorian era.