Towns & Villages

The village of Ardleigh has a thriving community.  Ardleigh stands on the A137 roughly half way between Colchester and Manningtree where it is crossed by the B1029 between Dedham and Brightlingsea. The local reservoir is a 49-hectare (120-acre) lake constructed in the valley of the Salary Brook. The lake is also used for recreational activities including sailing and angling.  The Read more…

Beaumont has a vibrant community centred around its village hall and 9th century church.  Beaumont-cum-Moze is a civil parish in the Tendring district and includes the hamlets of Beaumont and Moze Cross and has a rich history dating back to Saxon times.  The place-name ‘Beaumont’ was originally Fulanpettæ in a Saxon charter of circa 995, and Fulepet in the Domesday Book Read more…

Bradfield is located about five kilometres (3 miles) east of Manningtree. The Anglican church is dedicated to Saint Lawrence. One of the windows commemorates Edwin Harris Dunning, the first pilot to land an aircraft on a moving ship.  The Anglican church is dedicated to Saint Lawrence. One of the windows commemorates Edwin Harris Dunning, the first pilot to land an Read more…

Brightlingsea is a town steeped in a history of shipbuilding and seafaring is one of the Cinque Ports.  The beach runs along Western Promenade next to the impressive 97ft high Bateman’s Tower which is visible from 17 miles out to sea as well as a parade of beach huts that line this attractive part of the coastline.  Brightlingsea has lots Read more…

Clacton-on-Sea is an all-weather, year-round tourist destination, there is plenty of things to do whilst in and around the town.  With a host of different attractions will keep you occupied on your visit, from the awarding winning beaches and the thrills of the fair at Clacton Pier and Clacton Pavilion to Hasty Adventure Farm. Clacton also boasts a varied programme Read more…

The town centre itself is home to a number of historic and character buildings which also reflects the town’s rich past. The high street is not dominated by chain retailers and offers a selection of independent, family run businesses and shops which include specialist food, gifts, crafts, beauty, clothing, footwear, florist and electrical goods.  The Kingsway Plaza is home to Read more…

Elmstead, a pleasant village, 4½ miles East by North of Colchester. It is sometimes called Elmstead Market, owing to a market being held in the village during one of the visitations of the plague in Colchester. The Church of St. Anne and St. Lawrence to the north of the village has a rare carved oak recumbent effigy of a knight Read more…

Developed as a select resort by Sir Richard Cooper and largely expanded after 1886. The area south of Frinton Gates was laid out with detached houses set along broad tree lined avenues and has preserved a unique local character. The Church of Old St. Mary contains some interesting panels of William Morris stained glass in the East window, designed by Read more…

Great Bentley is probably best known for, what is reputedly the largest Village Green in England, with approximately 43 acres. The Village Green was purchased by the Parish Council on behalf of the residents of the Great Bentley in 1965 from the then Lord of the Manor. Read more…

Harwich is an attractive, historic and unique town steeped in a wealth of maritime history and ideally located with excellent road, rail and ferry links. The attractive old town was built on a grid pattern, in the 13th Century, by the Earl of Norfolk, to exploit its strategic position at the mouth of the Stour/Orwell estuaries.  Famous seafarers Frobisher, Drake, Read more…

There are ring ditches and banks to the south west of Reed Island, the remnants of a Neolithic religious site. Flint implements and Neolithic pottery have been found there. The Church of St. Mary contains rich 14th Century stone carvings in the chancel. Read more…

These are attractive small ports at the head of the Stour, the gateway to “Constable Country” in Suffolk. Manningtree was a centre of the cloth trade in Tudor times and later a flourishing port for barges, carrying mixed cargoes down the coast to London. It contains an impressive group of Georgian buildings. It is believed that the reference to Falstaff Read more…

This attractive village derives its name from St. Osyth daughter of the first Christian King of East Anglia, who was beheaded by the Danes in AD 653. The village centre is dominated by the Augustinian Priory ruins and its magnificent Gatehouse, which was completed in 1475. The latter forms one of the finest monastic buildings in the country. The priory Read more…

The village is graced by the elegant Church of St. Edmund. The church is dedicated to the last king of independent East Anglia, martyred by the Danes in the 9th Century. Read more…

The Naze is a unique coastal landscape of outstanding geological and biological importance. As the most easterly peninsula in Essex it is an important site for migrating birds and boasts a number of different habitats, both terrestrial and marine. Rich in history, the Naze has been used as farmland, a golf course and a military camp. The Naze Tower, an Read more…

Thorrington is a quaint village just north of Brightlingsea.  Made up of just over 500 households it boasts a scout camp, the Red Lion Village Pub, a village hall, a village shop and post office and a small industrial estate at the crossroads, a number of residential care facilities and . Mentioned in the Domesday Book as Torinduna, the name has taken Read more…

A traditional seaside resort featuring sandy beaches, seafront gardens and the unique charm and character of the pastel-coloured beach huts that crescendo along the cliffs. The main shopping area is made up of a mix of independent shops and a the more familiar high street names.  A variety of food and drink facilities are on offer ranging from cafes, pubs Read more…