©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.   The Black Chapel, Great Dunmow, Essex (41 Church End, CM6 2AF) is a Grade II* listed medieval hall house built c.1330–1360, one of Essex’s oldest surviving homes. Originally timber-framed, it was clad in tarred black weatherboarding c.1710–20, giving its dark, sombre look and misleading name – it was never a chapel despite sitting opposite St Mary’s Church. A rare open-hall house with crown-post roof, jettied upper floor and original 14th-century features, it remains a private residence, occasionally open on Heritage Days.