CORRECTION: Colchester is Essex's 2nd largest settlement behind Southend-on-Sea! Also, there's been a lot of passion shown for Finchingfield, and I appreciate that. As per the rules I laid out, it doesn't qualify since it's a village, although I'm now tempted to make a separate video devoted to Finchingfield at some point in the future.

@dannyharris1322

4 ай бұрын

I was born and still live in Southend on sea! Specifically Southend Central.

Im ex Colchester. Proudly. Its gone down a lot in the past 10 years or so. Wherever you go in England, whether you are from Chelmsford, Harlow, Grays, Southend, Colchester, Basildon etc.... whenever you are asked where you are from, its invariably responded with "Essex". I dont know of any other county where that occurs Nice series

@keithawhosoever5384

5 ай бұрын

So true . I'm a former 'Essex boy' , now an 'Isle of Wighter' 😊

@Rugbyman269

5 ай бұрын

Born and bred in essex 73 years ago , in those days the term "essex boy" didn't exist .

@lucieni

4 ай бұрын

I’m in Kent and just like any of the Home Counties there are beautiful parts and not so beautiful places in the Home Counties. Essex has some really lovely villages and gorgeous countryside and it borders Suffolk and Hertfordshire which are also stunning counties to live in.

@Annie-jm1ox

4 ай бұрын

I'm going to chigwell. Is it nice? What will I pack as a lady? Glamour or casual?

@dirkbogarde44

3 ай бұрын

All the shops have gone.......it's just a third world dumping site now.

I grew up in Great Dunmow and never tired of its beauty.

Finchingfield is worth a spring /summer visit 😎👍

@fallingdownalot

4 ай бұрын

Came to say this. Love a cream tea in Finchers.

@cliveadams7629

2 ай бұрын

Pizza in The Lion!

Wow, these places look incredible! I've been to Lavenham, in Suffolk, and loved the timber framed, Tudor buildings! Maldon looked the best to me!

Lavenham , beautiful buildings, Parts used in Harry Potter, also some of the most amazing Antiques shops I've ever seen. Church is worth a look too.

@iannicholls7476

4 ай бұрын

But thas Suffolk boy!

Great video... How on earth is Finchingfield not here... And moreso, my village of Hatfield Broad Oak.

@iroscoe

4 ай бұрын

I think its a village rather than a town .

Was very pleasantly surprised that you opened the list with Halstead, since that's where I grew up. Having spent most of my youth there and in the surrounding towns, I can safely say you got one hell of a list, and really captured what I feel is the "real Essex". Great stuff!

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

That's kind of you to say, thanks!

@tristansayers6494

4 ай бұрын

Sudbury here ✋ I'd like to apologise for contributing to the constant traffic every time I need to get to London. I genuinely feel bad every time, it's so congested

@MikeAG333

Ай бұрын

Halstead!! You have got to be joking. It's just a series of big housing estates, with a dying main street, and some of the nastiest modern buildings you can imagine.

I’m a little surprised you left out West Mersea. It may not have the medieval architecture you pictured in your other chosen towns but it does have natural beauty and its history dates back to Roman times.

As someone who recently moved from London to Colchester I was suggested both your video and Turd Town’s “worst places in Essex” today and man I was biting my nails but thank god I’ve ended up in the right video! Although I work in Basildon…😭😂

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Ah that's a nice compliment, thanks!

@Annie-jm1ox

4 ай бұрын

What's chigwell like?

Very interesting. Some entries for my bucket list

Brilliantly done ...thanks ❤

Great! Thanks for a nice walk.

Thanks for producing this video. I enjoyed watching that.

A terrific series, Alex. Outstanding video selections as usual. Keep them coming, please.

Thank you so helpful

Superb. What an outstanding presentation.

Thanks for this, you have inspired me to get out as see some of these lovely places this year. and for showing a positive side of my county

I was very excited to see Coggeshall at number 1 as I used to live there! I drove through it less than a month ago, and my word, I never realised just how pretty the place is! :D

great video im a northener living in woodford all these places are near me can't wait to check them out!

Good video of some of my favourite Essex towns I have visited them all over the many decades I have lived in the county.

Essex is totally off my radar, I’m hoping to explore when I retire, it looks really lovely

@paulclarke1207

4 ай бұрын

The north of the county is generally very nice. South Essex (Leigh-on-Sea notwithstanding) is best avoided however.

@daniel72_751

4 ай бұрын

The border of Essex and Suffolk is where Constable and Gainsborough got their inspiration! Don’t leave it too long!

An excellent video. This is the real Essex that those who don't know the county overlook. There are some pretty grim places such as Harlow, Basildon and Southend but I know most of the places in the video. Having lived for many years in Suffolk and Essex, I look forward to seeing the rest of your series.

@AlexinGreatBritain

5 ай бұрын

Thank you! It could be a fair few months before I get enough footage for Suffolk, but I'm certainly looking forward to that myself!

@lauraswinton8458

4 ай бұрын

Leigh on Sea, featured here, is literally in the city of Southend

@stoater1551

4 ай бұрын

@@lauraswinton8458 What, as opposed to figuratively ?

@user-qm4lj8om4g

4 ай бұрын

Basildon and Southend were on the worst places to live cause of the amount of criminal activities

@The3rdchip

4 ай бұрын

Yeah but like the butt wipe that complained about Basildon Harlow etc these are towns every thing on here is a figgin large village I have been in Essex all my life and lived in villages all but a few years and I love the pretty villages I think they're beautiful but they just ain't towns!!!!?

Just great ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you for these Splendid videos, I was stationed in the UK and have many fond memories. Your videos transport me back and reunite me with those moments…❤

@AlexinGreatBritain

9 ай бұрын

That's nice to hear, thanks!

Great vid, well done, Essex has some beautiful towns, and some fabulous little villages and Hamlets too.

@tonyford4170

4 ай бұрын

I have just browsed your vids list, and I can not see a vid of Cambridgeshire towns/villages?. I am a Essex lad who has lived in the Fens for 17 years, and there are some lovely towns and villages out here, Outwell, Upwell, Ramsey, Somersham, Chatteris, to name a few. Yes I know its flat, but I can see Ely Cathedral from my village, that is about 10 miles in a straight line

Absolutely gorgeous architecture

Really enjoyed this tour as an Essex boy myself. Born in Colchester now residing in Kelvedon, I agree with your top picks.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Ah cheers!

A good selection of real Essex view and history. Bob (An Essex Boy born along time ago).

I worked in the Cross Keys behind the bar in the early 1980's and lived in Saffron Walden from 1988 to 2003, great video

@AlexinGreatBritain

5 ай бұрын

Ah thanks! Yeah I enjoyed visiting Saffron Walden as you can probably gather!

I’m thaxted born and raised, and have many family still living there. I went to school in Saffron Walden and even spent a few years living in Dunmow. It’s wonderful to see so many places from my childhood represented in your lovely video. Thanks for making it

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Thanks, that's nice to hear! :)

@garethsalmon5864

4 ай бұрын

I'm a Newport boy❤, went to Newport free grammar school

@CarsonClayOfficial

4 ай бұрын

County High? If so, Me too. Grew up in Saffron Walden

@iybjs5308

4 ай бұрын

Sorry guys secret shame but I was a FSSW boy

@CarsonClayOfficial

4 ай бұрын

@@iybjs5308 Friend's School? You make me sick. How do you live with yourself?

A gem of a video. I used to live in Steeple Bumpstead, so I’ve visited most of the towns featured, and make no disagreements with your placings.

@AlexinGreatBritain

5 ай бұрын

That's very kind of you to say, thanks!

That was a delightful and refreshing list. I would tend to agree with all your choices. Delighted to see Thaxted. My ancient family home, one of them at least is Horham Hall in Thaxted.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Thanks, yeah aesthetically there aren't many towns that compare to Thaxted!

You hear too much negativity about Essex but it has amazing historical homes and green countryside. Colchester is a gem and truly one of my favourites. Bordering on Suffolk, close to London and the beautiful island of West Mersea and some great sandy beaches like Frinton but also near Stansted for flights to Europe and further. The castle and the park are beautiful and not sprawing like some towns or cities. It has a zoo and university and army base - diverse and beautiful.

@dirkbogarde44

3 ай бұрын

Diverse in what sense? The population now?

Great to see some of these quaint Essex towns. I came from an estate called Kensington’s, which was attached to a village called Aveley, this is certainly worth a look. I think it’s so important to keep the history of these villages etc. Thank you for showing Essex.

@CaboloNero

4 ай бұрын

Aveley is a shithole mate 😅

@paulm.7422

4 ай бұрын

Kenningtons

@MissWizard

4 ай бұрын

Don’t you mean Kenningtons?

Great to see all these lovely towns on your list. I’m very fortunate to have lived in Maldon and now live in Leigh. Surprised Burnham on Crouch or Danbury weren’t on this list.

@simonr6553

4 ай бұрын

Also more surprised that Wivenhoe isn't on the list, when I walked through it in beautiful February sunshine last year while doing a series of walks by the whole of the Colne it was an instant top 10, and coming back in the summer my opinion didn't change.

Alex - what a great video, from an Essex man - thank you. Can I just add one bit of information regarding Thaxted? For many years my musical hero Gustav Holst lived in the village and, I believe, composed much of his Planets Suite here.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Thanks, I appreciate it. And I didn't know that about Gustav Holst - seems very fitting somehow that he composed some of The Planets in Thaxted!

@johnmh1000

4 ай бұрын

@@AlexinGreatBritain Indeed - thanks for your reply. Best wishes from Hockley, Essex.

All stunning, my favourites being Halstead and Thaxted

Most of these filmed North Essex locations - apart of the coastal seasides - could well be in the same town, they're so alike. I've been to all of them many times as I spent pretty much all of my first 40 years living in mid-Essex. Some of the villages are even prettier...... Finchingfield was once voted the most romantic village in the UK. The tv series 'Lovejoy' was on location there back in the day.

Agree Dedham deserves a mention.

Pleased to say that I have found a few extra lovely places around North Essex. A whole slot on Colchester would be lovely if you have time. Dedham is lovely and right on the border. Loads of flooding along the river these days though. Walking to Flatford is harder than it used to be.

Essex is my adopted home, coming from Hampshire originally. As a county it has its lovely towns and villages but I still think Hampshire is Gods own county with some really pretty and historic villages and towns - be interested to see your top 10 Hampshire towns. Odiham should be up there!

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Yeah I'm looking forward to making the Hampshire episode! The New Forest may feature in a couple of entries.

I used to love Saffron Walden, which was home to my maternal grandparents. These days, however, I can't bring myself to visit as developers have ruined large parts of the town and its surroundings.

9:15 I recall some thirty years ago spending the day in Thaxted with a friend who was filming an episode of Lovejoy (a ram raid scene on an antiques shop). A very charming and picturesque village.

@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549

4 ай бұрын

I remember that being filmed

Essex is a much maligned county but this video shows just what beautiful towns the county has to offer. I often enjoy visits to Colchester and Manningtree for example and there is a wealth of history in Harwich. I live in Norfolk, close to the Suffolk border, and in recent years many people have moved here from Essex. Watching this video, it makes you wonder why.

@hod2116

4 ай бұрын

Because of the people moving out of London and wanting to make it like the shit hole they left

@MissWizard

4 ай бұрын

@@hod2116 I totally agree. It’s the Londoners who have ruined Essex, well certainly south Essex. Hopefully they won’t venture too far from Brentwood!

@peterharper3861

4 ай бұрын

Having escaped Essex any years ago (also to South Norfolk), parts of Essex are still wonderful. The issue is that the southern part (originally from Grays myself) was ruined by becoming entirely commuter belt, and ending up being a dormitory for people fleeing London. The estuary is a wasteland now, and has absolutely no community as everyone just travels to London every day. It's lost it's soul. The northern part - from probably Witham northwards - has escaped the worst of this at least, and is where you can find some absolute gems.

@simonr6553

4 ай бұрын

@@peterharper3861 There are some bits of Essex further south that are really nice as well, ironically the area in Epping Forest just outside London is one of my favourite parts of the county - quite hilly with some very nice scenic drives, largely rural but with some attractive (if I'd imagine quite expensive) suburban bits - Chigwell, Abridge, Stapleford Abbots, Bournebridge, Theydon Bois. Even Brentwood has a nice setting with attractive more rural looking houses among the newer ones and has lots of green belt - the district of Brentwood has some lovely countryside and large country parks in both Brentwood and Warley. Also just about anywhere in the southeast corner just north of Southend is well worth visiting, from the whole of the Dengie Peninsula (especially Burnham-on-Crouch) through Rochford to some very nice villages just a few miles from Southend (Barling and the Wakerings) with some stunning water scenery in places. And aside from Harlow, most of the areas west/southwest of Chelmsford above the M25/A12 are at least nice (Roydon, Epping, the Ongars and Rodings).

The so called reality TV programmes have nothing in common with most of Essex, although the county has been painted with the same brush.. Much of the negativity stems from the areas with close proximity to London, what l suppose is what is referred to as urban sprawl. The Thames Corridor, Its all very congested.. Move out to small towns and villages where London has minimum influence and there is, as you have highlighted, a very different Essex...l grew up in a village on the Thames Estuary and have been to all the places on your list, mostly by motorcycle... Great to view all those towns/villages of my youth...because l'm now retired to España...

@AlexinGreatBritain

5 ай бұрын

Yeah I was genuinely surprised by how it begins to more closely resemble Suffolk than East London as you go out. But then why wouldn't it, I suppose? Suffolk seems to have better PR than Essex for whatever reason, perhaps in part due to that particular reality TV series!

@SecretOfMonkeyIsland784

4 ай бұрын

I dont think parts of Southend, Basildon, Jaywick help the county either sadly. If you want to look out on a nice water view Burnham-On-Crouch is nice and id take that over sitting outside the 'Smack' in Old Leigh with its railway line next door and muddy water line anyday.

I lived in Manningtree overlooking over the river Stour which I could see from the frontage of the house.Now I’m back in Colchester .😀

Thanks!

@AlexinGreatBritain

9 ай бұрын

Thanks Dianne, much appreciated! :)

Great Dunmow? Did you venture onto the vast acres of new builds 🙂

@AlexinGreatBritain

5 ай бұрын

Well now you mention it, those parts do give off beginning of Harry Potter vibes!

Stunning towns. I had no idea.

I lived in Great Dunmow when I was stationed at Wethersfield..Address was 47 HighStreet.

Can you please recommend some pubs and restaurants too?

much love from manningtree and colchester hehe

Do not forget : Earls Colne, Finchingfield, Great Bardfield, Writtle, Stock, Billericay and Danbury, although some may be called villages. Also, Rayleigh, Ongar, Frinton on Sea, Mistley and Brentwood are pretty also.

@easilydistracted1397

4 ай бұрын

Wivenhoe?

@shaun2463

4 ай бұрын

You just named all the places that Basildon, Southend and Harlow drug dealers buy all their property 😂

A very good job Alex, Essex gets an undeserved reputation based on the activities of suburban East Londoners. This is the real Essex.

@AlexinGreatBritain

5 ай бұрын

Ah, thanks very much!

@8bitnitwit

4 ай бұрын

As a suburban East Londoner I can confirm my activities are deserving of such reproach. 😆

duff info for Leigh on sea , what was shown in the vid is what is knowm as "Old Liegh" ,you have to climb up the hill to the top to find leigh High Street ,or better known as Liegh Broadway

@AlexinGreatBritain

7 ай бұрын

Oh I know that - it's just that Broadway and the surrounding streets are less photogenic, being more modern and all, so I mostly used clips of Old Leigh. Not the main commercial centre, granted, but still part of the town as a whole.

Hope your going to include Grays and Tilbury

So beautiful and charming! As an American, I can only dream of living in a place like this.

What about Finchingfield? Very picturesque as I recall from my time at RAF Wethersfield.

I used to live in Leigh on Sea.. It used to be a lot nicer hence I moved to Suffolk which I highly recommend, Walton is quite nice for a short break, Frinton I think is better. Manningtree is lovely except parking is a night mare but they have some top notch charity shops. Coggleshall I think deserves the top spot though.

You placed Coggeshall ahead of Thaxted, I struggle to see how, but I did grow up in the the Big Red House (Clarance House) opposite the rather large Church in Taxted.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

I think the only downside to Thaxted visually is its geographic size, as after a short walk, you've essentially seen it all whereas in Coggeshall there are a few streets where the historic buildings just keep on coming. But that's just my opinion of course, and it was a very fine margin!

@presstodelete1165

4 ай бұрын

@@AlexinGreatBritain So your view is becuase you failed to walk a little further to find all the stuff you missed, OK thats a viewpoint I guess,

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

@@presstodelete1165 I saw the entirety of the town centre, but if you're going to start making false assumptions to the contrary then there's nothing else I need to add to the discussion.

Great/Little Wakering is quite nice, also fun trivia its the warmest town in the UK and the driest

Dunmow, Thaxted, Walden ❤ I used to live in Walden 🥲

A bit of a trek from Cheshire but I'd love to visit all these places - especially their pubs as that's where I feel you get the true essence of the town. Cars really do blight the scene though.

You missed out Jaywick. LOL

@joline2730

5 ай бұрын

Man: 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@johnmh1000

4 ай бұрын

Really??? Still someone's got to live there...

I was born and bred Coggeshall. It was a lovely place to grow up in.

Guess the family moved from Halstead to Romford some time in the distant past. Now in Norfolk.

No Finchingfield, the most photographed village in Britain?

@AlexinGreatBritain

9 ай бұрын

I'm not counting villages as part of this, so no. Also, most-photographed is a pretty poor metric in my personal opinion.

I’ve lived in Coggeshall for 35 years and can’t imagine ever moving away

Can’t believe Finchingfield didn’t get a mention! Good video tho

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

It's had plenty of mentions in the comments though! I've excluded villages, hence why it doesn't appear, but now I'm thinking of making a separate video at some point all about Finchingfield.

I believe one of the listed buildings you showed in Saffron Walden was Cromwell's HQ during the Civil War. Cromwell is also said to haunt the Cross Keys. Cant say i noticed him when i stayed there.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Haha, I think he allegedly haunts a lot of timber-framed pubs!

@MissWizard

4 ай бұрын

@@AlexinGreatBritain Him and Dick Turpin! 😂

Outside the London Thurrock Southend corridor Essex is a lovely county

I'm an Essex 'girl' (61 years old now LOL) living in Spain and it was lovely to see this video and the beautiful towns of Essex. Essex often gets a bad press because people don't think of places like these, they often only associate us with Basildon, Grays, Tilbury and other not so attractive Essex towns.

@AlexinGreatBritain

Ай бұрын

Thanks, yeah it's crazy how little attention some of the prettier towns of Essex get!

Another fact about Great Dunmow is that the pond there "called the doctors pond" was the site for testing the self righting boat i.e the life boats (I was born and bread in Dunmow and surrounding area)

Essex is quite a large county compared to many others and borders London, so we need to cut it some slack as both those factors increase its odds of having a higher % of undesirable bits.

Chigwell. What's it like? Is it glamorous in the way they dress? As I need to pack & no idea what to wear lol

My home town of Epping in Essex is dreadful nowadays. Great selection, Thaxted is lovely.

@SC-qv7nv

2 ай бұрын

I disagree, I live in Epping and love it. But if they keep building at the current rate it will ruin it.

I went to Saffron Walden and thought I was in Hertfordshire it was lovely and I thought at the time hard to believe it was Essex but since realised there is more to Essex than a night out in Basildon.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Haha, there is indeed!

@misfit2022

4 ай бұрын

@Alex I did not know Essex at all but a company I was working for had a satellite not far from Basildon so those few miles between the M25, the company and Basildon where we went for a bite to eat and the occasional whiskey was my sum total of knowledge of Essex. I have never seen the reality TV programme but I have heard of the stereotype. I will have to visit some of the places on this list at some point.

I was told many years ago by the warden of Saffron Walden church, that it was built so big because it was supposed to be designated as a cathedral.

Colchester predates the roman arrival. It was founded by king coel and his granddaughter, st Helen was born there. Source information available if interested.

great vid, although i would of thought Finchingfield would of been up there...

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Thanks! Finchingfield's a village so doesn't qualify under the rules I set out. However, a lot of people have mentioned it actually so I'm tempted to do a video devoted specifically to Finchingfield at some point.

@oODJFriendlyOo

4 ай бұрын

@@AlexinGreatBritain voted number 1 I believe.. Coggeshall is also a village though and used to live there... good content man, subbed...

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

@@oODJFriendlyOo It's interesting you say that because I did notice some signage in Coggeshall referring to it as a village. But it's got a weekly market, and has had one ever since the 13th century which would make it a town by definition.

@oODJFriendlyOo

4 ай бұрын

@@AlexinGreatBritain yeah fair enough but i thought Finch. would be up there... looking forward to vid

When I was a native of Essex Saffron Walden was in the North East of the count. Good video though!

@deepdiver51

5 ай бұрын

Sir Dudley, I’m sure they haven’t moved Saffron Walden. It has always been and will always be in the North West of Essex. The north east is above (north) of Colchester.

@sirdudleynightshade8747

5 ай бұрын

@@deepdiver51 My sincere apologies.......my mistake - been away for over 50 years!

Why did you leave out Wivenhoe? It is a small gem of a town, or maybe village, close to Colchester

@AlexinGreatBritain

5 ай бұрын

It's got nice riverside views for sure, but for me the competition is just too strong in regard to the overall town. Same with Burnham-on-Crouch.

@shanecle

5 ай бұрын

I used to live in Wivenhoe as a university student. I loved living there.

@brianperry

5 ай бұрын

@@AlexinGreatBritainIts a hard choice, Apart from traveling to all the places mentioned, l used to love a motorcycle ride to Finchingfield, Burnham-on-Crouch, another favourite..When people watch reality TV about Essex they come away with completely the wrong impression of Essex as a whole.....Essex Boy and Girl is now a very derogatory term because of it....l get it here in Spain from 'Northerners' here in Spain....

@ColumbusDixon

5 ай бұрын

Hi @brianperry, here’s a Geordie boy who loves Burnham-on-Crouch and the surrounding area and refers to it by name😊 I love the BIG sky - I’m only 200 and odd miles north, same side of the country but totally different sky or is it the light? Whatever. It’s great.

@easilydistracted1397

4 ай бұрын

I only went to Wivenhoe for the weekend.....

Great list … given the village of Coggeshall makes the cut of towns, then Finchingfild and Dedham should, and would be top of the list!

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

Except Coggeshall's had a weekly market ever since the 13th century, granted by Royal Charter, making it a town by definition.

Coggeshall has rich and varied moedern Histroy too - From the gangs in the 70s/80s - the public toilets, and Dr Jones - but then redeemed it'self when it became the main setting for the early series of Lovejoy. As for Halstead - I went to school there and so would not rate it at all that hill was a b45t4rd and the bottom used to regularl flood in the 80s. I went back there about 10 years ago and the weaving sheds are long gone and under a supermarket and most of the pubs we used to spend lunchtimes in playing video games gone a similar way. Suprised Finchingfield was nowhere in the list but then you were doing towns not villages.

Trivia: Thaxted is the name of the part of Holst's Jupiter that features in the patriotic hymn 'I Vow To Thee My Country'. Holst lived in Thaxted. Trivia: 'I Vow To Thee My Country' should be the British national anthem.

A good selection indeed. Never visited Finchingfield then ? Honourable mentions must go to Chipping Ongar, High Beech, Epping and Theydon Bois.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

To be honest, no I've not explored the villages of Essex. But I might just pay Finchingfield a visit, soon as I can find a discount train ticket to Braintree at some point!

@polythenewrappedme6102

4 ай бұрын

Finchingfield. Imagine a village like the Cotswolds with thatched cottages, around a duck pond. Recommend Greensted Church near Ongar. The oldest wooden church in the world. Oldest bits date back to 654 AD. It is a wooden stave church. Open most days. They let you around. Note the crusader's grave from around 1200 AD. Note the lepers window. Overnight resting place of St Edmund. I think Epping is very nice. Some great history, fine buildings, fine views to the north across the green. Enjoy !

Alresford was a nice village in the 60's . Then some idiots burnt down the beautiful St Peters church and development came. Thw creek area is amazing, river colne, you can see Brightlingsea church across the water. Some of the film the Essex serpent was filmed there too. Spent many a happy school holiday messing about in the river, great big innertubes to float about in. The boys would jump off the old jetty! I had a lovely childhood. I feel so lucky to have lived there.

There are many pretty villages as well

To be fair to Colchester you should've done 4 as one of Colchester's great landmarks is visible through the Balkerne Gate. Jumbo.

Ahh I straight away recognise my old home town of Saffron Walden at the start... what a beautiful town. And worth noting that all the villages and towns from Walden to Sudbury are beautiful (Bar haverhole)! PS - no way Dunmow above Walden in the list, if you walk around both towns Walden wins that one IMO! Thaxted is beautiful but has literally nothing there, and is much much smaller! I have been to everywhere on the list bar Coggeshall - looks like I need to visit.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

I hear you. If Walden's town hall was real tudor, I reckon I'd have given it a podium finish, but it's all fine margins.

@iroscoe

4 ай бұрын

@@AlexinGreatBritain Walden has a stately home adjacent to it you can access the grounds from the Swan Meadow Car park .

I live in Braintree and for me the the prettiest town/village in Essex is Finchingfield. Isn’t it funny how most of your choices are towards the north of the county and are away from London

Walton is the second longest pier. But it is the longest sea pier. Southend is an estuary pier.

I was born in Hornchurch in 1958 , and moved to Grays when I was three , living in 'the big white house' in Argent Street , that dad renovated along with the buildings on his private wharf , which he rented out to small private businesses , right next door to Hayes Wharf , and opposite to the Theobald's Arms pub . Grays back then wasn't particularly 'pretty' , but it had character and a certain charm . Over the years though , it's good character morphed into 'bad attitude' , when the council replaced the cottages I remember , with white cladded council houses and high rise flats by the rivers front 😮

@MrMWRMWR

4 ай бұрын

I was quite fond of Grays when I travelled there to school in the 1960s. I didn't go back for a couple of decades only to find it wrecked by over development.

How could you possibly leave out Tilbury?

@ChilledoutDevil

4 ай бұрын

because it's the shite part of essex, like basildon and harlow

Left out finchingfield which is very pretty

@AlexinGreatBritain

9 ай бұрын

I'm excluding villages from this video series as there are just too many of them!

Missed witham, market town since the 8th century and originally chipping hill then some new land given to a knights templar and he built his house, now in Newlands Street Witham doesn't have a high Street.

@AlexinGreatBritain

3 ай бұрын

Witham was a close call for me, but just missed out.

Essex born and bred... don't finish that sentence! I'm glad you didn't mention my lovely part of the county as we will fight x

Halstead is stunning but it's ruined by the traffic. I can sense a lovely town looming behind the noise and the stink, but whenever I pass through (often) all I can see is the heavy constant flow of congested traffic.

I'm not from Essex, but to miss out Finchingfield is criminal. I found it by accident after deciding to drive the scenic route home from a job I was doing in Haverhill, to north London where I lived at the time. The village is absolutely stunning.

@AlexinGreatBritain

4 ай бұрын

I'm fully on board with the sentiment, however for this series of videos I'm excluding villages. The two main reasons are firstly, there are loads of them so I'd never be able to make a fair comparison, and secondly, I'm aiming to highlight market towns specifically, as the whole notion of a 'town centre' often comes with some negative assumptions. And I'd like to show the other side of the coin, as it were.

@WhiteAngloSaxonMan

4 ай бұрын

@@AlexinGreatBritain to be honest I didn't know Finchingfield's status of that of a village. Absolutely beautiful none the less.