Essex has a range of beautiful places. From beautiful built up towns and cities to the more rustic and charming villages, we have it all here in our wonderful county. Named in 2016 as the number one place to live by The Sunday Times, Finchingfield is undoubtedly one of the prettiest villages we have in our county.
But did you know that the picturesque village was once home to a writer who created one of our most beloved children’s stories, which later became a big Disney blockbuster? Dodie Smith, author of 101 Dalmatians, initially bought her thatched white cottage on the outskirts of Finchingfield called The Barretts in 1943, after one of her previous works had made it big in Hollywood. The author, who had once owned nine Dalmatians all at the same time, chose Finchingfield as her home, and you can even see a blue plaque on the wall of her previous residence. READ MORE: The 'traditional' Essex village with cosy pubs known as the 'most picturesque' in England READ MORE: Long history behind Jamie Oliver’s Essex mansion that was once at centre of a 150-year mystery It seems that Dodie loved Essex, later owning another property in Stambourne, and as well as another property in Finchingfield, known to locals as the Pepper Pot.
Officially called the Round House, despite its hexagonal shape, is an 18th Century Dutch designed cottage, also recognised with a blue plaque for Dodie’s connection to it. Only around a fifteen minute drive door to door, Dodie is said to have been ins.
