Essex
The County
Need a property search in the attractive and convenient home county of Essex? As your Recoco buying agent can tell you, county town Chelmsford is the only city, although there are numerous smaller dormitory towns and villages. The county borders Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, London, and Suffolk.
Buyers agents will tell you many Essex residents work elsewhere, particularly London. As our real estate buyers agent can explain, areas nearest London are most densely populated. Our buying agent can confirm that industry is mostly in the south; or ask the real estate buyers agent about engineering and the military. Our independent buying agents might also present properties close to centres for electronics, pharmaceuticals, and science.
Depending on your needs as a property buyer, our Recoco property finder may suggest new towns Basildon and Harlow, Tilbury, and Southend-on-Sea. Your property search company can also explain the Green Belt effect on preserving the landscape.
Transport
Our real estate buyers agent can reassure you proximity to London means excellent transport networks; let our property search company alert you to the busiest links. Your Recoco property finder can locate property near routes to Harlow, Stansted Airport, Cambridgeshire, Epping Forest district, Liverpool Street, Harwich. Or ask your independent buying agents about seaside destinations including Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.
Road links include the M11 to Stansted and Cambridge, A12 to East Anglia, Harwich, and Felixstowe in Suffolk, the A127 to Southend, the A13 to Southend, Tilbury, and London Gateway, and the A120 west. Our buyers agents can update you on Tilbury Port’s proposed extensions; branch lines already connect to the national rail network.
Our independent buying agents might mention airport links from Stansted or Southend, which has flights to Ireland, the Channel Islands, and European destinations. Or ask our Recoco property finder about possible flying lessons or pleasure flights: boutique buying agents can point you towards Stapleford Aerodrome, Earls Colne Airfield, or Clacton Airfield.
History
If your property search brings you here, your Recoco buying agent may mention the long, settled history. The local Iron Age Trinovantes tribe was thought to be particularly advanced due to their coin making in what is now Colchester. When the Romans invaded, as a “Colonia” Colchester was the most important city in Britain at first.
Our boutique buying agents might also outline how 9th century Essex, Sussex, and the Jutes of Kent became part of Saxland under the rule of Ecgberht, grandfather to Alfred the Great.
Essex is thought to originate from Easte seaxe, meaning “East Saxons”.
If you’re a property buyer interested in history, you’ll probably notice the numerous castles, evidencing the need for defence after the Norman Conquest. Ask our buyers agents about Rayleigh, Pleshey, or Hedingham as part of your property search. Or quiz our Recoco buying agent about Tilbury Fort, immortalised by Queen Elizabeth I: “I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a King of England too”.
Education
Three education authorities provide schools in Essex: Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea unitary authorities, and Essex County Council, with over 90 state schools in total. In more rural and western areas our boutique buying agents can suggest independent school options; your property buying agent can supply further details.
If higher education is important to your property search, the University of Essex lies just outside Colchester - additional campuses are in Southend-on-Sea and Loughton. Anglia Ruskin University has a Chelmsford campus, and Writtle University College specialises in land-based subjects.
Leisure and Events
Property buyer with an eye for sport? Colchester United and Southend United are the two local English Football League teams; National League South teams include Concord Rangers, Chelmsford City, Braintree Town, and Billericay Town. Cricket is popular, and other sporting options include ice hockey, basketball, volleyball, and horse racing at Chelmsford City Racecourse or greyhound racing at Harlow Stadium. If retail therapy appeals, ask our property buying agent about Lakeside Shopping Centre.
Celebrity Connections
The county has produced several celebrity chefs, including Jamie Oliver and the Galvin Brothers. Snooker star Steve Davis and Saskia Clark, Olympic sailing champion, have connections, and the county has appeared in famous works of art. In John Constable’s famous painting The Hay Wain, the Essex landscape is to the right.
Foodies’ Corner
Whether you’re looking for a genteel afternoon tea or a hearty fish and chip supper, Essex food and drink won’t disappoint. By some measures, Essex has one of the longest coastlines in Britain; its seafood offerings are especially good. It’s also excellent wine growing country, with first rate distilleries and microbreweries.
Fun Fact
Colchester is Britain’s oldest recorded town.