Essex Tourist Information

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Since it shares a border with the teeming city of London, you might expect the Home County of Essex to be just an urban sprawl with little to tempt the curious traveller - how wrong could you be!

For this is a region packed with historical intrigue, rolling countryside, villages full of thatched cottages and a coastline blessed with both traditional seaside resorts and magnificent scenery.

Colchester, once capital of the Catevellauni tribe under King Cunobelin (better known to Shakespeare lovers as Cymbeline), and later the Romans, is England's oldest recorded town. Its mostly complete Norman castle - built on the orders of William the Conqueror - is in the same style as the White Tower of the Tower of London and was constructed atop the foundations of Britain's first Roman temple around AD44.

Layer Marney Towers - Photo: Mike Dryer

Architecturally, Essex has more than 14,000 listed buildings and no less than 1,000 of these are designated as 'outstanding'.

They range from the oldest surviving wooden structure in Britain to Fyfield Hall, the oldest continuously inhabited timber-framed house in the country, and Layer Marney Tower, England's tallest Tudor gatehouse.

The county town of Chelmsford, was also founded by the Romans in the first century AD and boasts a fine cathedral dating to the 15th century.

Essex has many other reminders of olde England. Saffron Walden, for example, owes its names to the growing of saffron. Greensted's small church dates to 1003 and has an original wall built of logs.

Thanks to its jigsaw of a coastline, the county has a long maritime heritage. Museum-filled Harwich is the UK's second busiest passenger ferry port while nearby Dovercourt boasts a series of iron lighthouses. Tilbury, a historic tidal port on the River Thames estuary, has a remarkable fort with a museum and underground magazine dating to the mid-16th century; it was here that Queen Elizabeth made her famous speech to the troops prior to the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Billed as the 'sunshine coast' because of its mild climate, the North Sea coastline contains a host of well-known resorts – from Southend, Clacton, Frinton, Burnham-on-Crouch and Brightlingsea - which manage to combine a traditional sense of the seaside with the opportunity to explore diverse vistas.

There are mud flats and wild marshes, which contrast sharply with numerous heaths, woodlands and unspoiled meadows whilst inland lie the valleys of the Stour and the Colne, both paradises for naturalists.

Waltham Abbey - Photo: Christine Matthews

Lying on the edge of London, Epping Forest spans nearly 6,000 acres and is the remnant of the great royal hunting grounds used by Saxon, Norman and Tudor monarchs.

Queen Elizabeth I went a-hunting here and her 16th century hunting lodge has been transformed into a fascinating museum.

On the edge of the forest lies Waltham Abbey, the last abbey to fall victim to Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Built by King Harold Godwinson – who is buried here – it was consecrated in 1060.

The beautiful abbey boasts huge Norman piers and has many carvings of human faces etched by the original masons.

The poet Tennyson lived nearby at Beech Hill Park in the mid 19th century.

The Royal Gunpowder Mills can also be found in the town of Waltham Abbey.

Set in 175 acres of parkland, they were first established in the late 18th century and have played a crucial role in British military history.

Royal Gunpowder Mills - Photo: Jack Hill

Audley End House - Photo: Steve McShane

One of the finest properties in Essex is Audley End House, near Saffron Walden, (National Trust) an astonishing Jacobean house largely created to entertain James I.

Other significant buildings include Ingatestone Hall and Hedingham Castle.

Elsewhere can be found many fine old churches and a plethora of museums illustrating the social history of Essex.

If you are looking for accommodation, first choose the type you require:

   Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast, etc.

   Self Catering Cottages, Villas, Apartments, Static Caravans, Holiday Parks, Lodges, etc.

   Camping and Touring Caravan Sites

   Boating and Sailing Holidays

Please note that if you are wanting to stay in an apartment, some may be listed as "Aparthotels" in the Hotels section. These tend to offer more services than a normal apartment, eg restaurants, bars, and "Reception" staff more associated with hotels. Normal apartments are listed in Self-Catering.

If you are planning a holiday in a static caravan or mobile home, these should be listed in the Self Catering section.

Don't forget we offer lots of information on Activities, Attractions and Travel to help you plan your vacation.

Tourist Information Centres

BRAINTREE
Tourist Information Centre, Town Hall, Market Place, Braintree, Essex, CM7 3YG
Tel: 01376 550066   Fax: 01376 344345

BRENTWOOD
Tourist Information Centre, 44 High St, Brentwood, Essex, CM14 4AJ
Tel: 01277 200300    Fax: 01277 202375

CLACTON
Tourist Information Centre, Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, CO15 1SE
Tel: 01255 686633   Fax: 01255 686412
E-mail: clactontic@tendringdc.gov.uk

COLCHESTER
Visitor Information Centre, 1 Queen St, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2PG
Tel: 01206 282920   Fax: 01206 282924

MALDON
Tourist Information Centre, Coach Lane, Maldon, Essex, CM9 4UH
Tel: 01621 856503   Fax: 01621 875873
E-mail: tic@maldon.gov.uk

SAFFRON WALDEN
Tourist Information Centre, 1 Market Place, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 1HR
Tel: 01799 510444

SOUTHEND
Tourist Information Centre, 19 High Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 1JE
Tel: 01702 215120   Fax: 01702 431449

Essex Tourist Information

Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast, etc. Self Catering Cottages, Villas, Apartments, Static Caravans, Holiday Parks, Lodges, etc. Camping and Touring Caravan Sites Boating and Sailing Holidays

Tourist Information Centres

Useful links

Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast, etc.

Self Catering Cottages, Villas, Apartments, Static Caravans, Holiday Parks, Lodges, etc.

Camping and Touring Caravan Sites

Boating and Sailing Holidays