Rochford
Rochford is an old market town, which has for centuries
been the centre of trade for outlying villages, such as Canewdon,
Paglesham and Wakering. The Lord of the Manor, Sir Guy de
Rocheforte was granted a charter in 1247 to hold a weekly market,
which still takes place every Tuesday morning in the picturesque
market square.
The town centre contains one of the few remaining market town
cross patterns in England, comprising north, South, East and West
Streets.
Nearly 300 years later the Manor of Rochford was acquired by Sir
William Boleyn, whose granddaughter, Anne, was eventually to become
one of Henry VIII's wives and the mother of one of Britain's
greatest queens, Elizabeth I. The original stone manor house was
demolished and James, Earl of Ormond built the mansion that took
its place, in the early 15th century. Some years later it was
partly burned down, but restored by Sir Thomas Boleyn, Anne's
Father, and considerably improved by Lord Riche, Lord Chancellor of
England in Henry VIII's time.
The Hall again suffered the ravages of fire in 1760, but
eventually the Elizabethan windows were removed and modernised and
the Tudor brickwork encased in plaster. The Hall is now partly
residential and partly the home of the Rochford Hundred Golf
Club.
But Rochford isn't only about history! The town square and
nearby streets offer a wide variety of local shops and services.
There are also many recreational opportunities for fishing,
sailing, riding and walking. You might even find romance, as Oliver
Cromwell did, he met his future wife while walking in Rochford.