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 In 1137 the medieval order of the Knights Templar were given lands in Essex by Queen Matilda.
They built a farmstead with two vast barns which still stand today.
These buildings at Cressing Temple have been restored by Essex County Council to provide a historical record of rural Essex, open to visitors.
Inside the Wheat Barn, likened to a cathedral by its great size and high roof, is an exhibition tracing the site's 800 year farming tradition.
It also explains how the knights protected pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land.
With the barns, to be found on the B1018 between Braintree and Witham, is a granary, stables from the same period, and a Tudor garden created by the council.
But Cressing Temple is a fusion of medieval and modern.
Within its different spaces it offers conference facilities in a theatre, cafe or boardroom style.
Other buildings can be hired, such as the farmhouse for smaller meetings and the granary for exhibitions.
Couples can now get married in one of the templar barns, below their vaulting beams.
The first wedding will be in the Barley Barn in June.
Newly opened this year are a blacksmiths shop and a bakehouse, with a working brick dome oven.
Archaeologist Barry Crouch, responsible for the oven restoration, believes it is important to remember traditional skills and Cressing Temple is a focal point for their preservation.
The possibilities of what to do at Cressing Temple are certainly varied.
A busy programme of events includes an antiques fair and an archaeology field school which runs during the summer.
For more information contact Cressing Temple, Witham Road, Braintree, Essex, CM7 8PD or call 01376 584903.
It opens 10.30am-5pm on Sundays from March to October, and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from May to September.
Entrance costs £3 and £2 concessions.
Views outside and inside Cressing Temple.
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