District Tour
About the District
The Rochford District has its own charm and is richly steeped in
history and enchantment with a proud past and a bright future.
Within the 65 square miles of Rochford District you will find
plenty of character, miles of unspoilt coastline and attractive
countryside. The historic Hockley Woods (the remains of a royal
forest), the island of Foulness, internationally famous as a haven
for wildlife, and the Roach Valley Conservation Zone.
It boasts a large number of listed buildings, including Rochford
Hall, one time home of the Boleyn family and The Old House in South
Street, built in 1270 and allegedly haunted! The outlying town of
Rayleigh contains the site of a Norman castle, and Rayleigh
Windmill, built in 1798. In 1016 the Danes, led by King Canute, met
the Saxon army of Edmund Ironside in a very significant battle in
the Crouch Valley between Ashingdon and Canewdon, Canute was the
victor and later built a church at Ashingdon.
Rochford is close to the main line station to Southend and
London (which is less than an hour away) and part of the South East
Thames Gateway which covers broadly the area east of the M25,
bounded to the south by the Thames River and to the north by the
A13 as far as Basildon, then the A127 as far as Southend, spanning
the five districts of Basildon, Castle Point, Rochford,
Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. According to the census in 2001, some
455,000 people live within the wards of Thames Gateway South
Essex.
Recreation needs are fully catered for with 3 golf courses in
the District, and sports centres in Hawkwell, Rawreth and Great
Wakering.. Miles of open countryside, footpaths, sea wall and
woodlands offer a great range of recreation activities. The new 100
acre Cherry Orchard Jubilee Park provides a leisure facility of
natural woodland walks, lakes and bridleways, as well as creating a
valuable ecological resource. Sailing enthusiasts can find much
scope on the Roach and Crouch rivers, and there is a marina at
Wallasea Island.
If you visit Rochford on a Tuesday, which is a traditional
weekly market day ongoing since 1247, look out for the
commemorative plaque in the Square where John Simson was burnt at
the stake on the 10 November, 1555, for his Protestant convictions.
Lunch in one of the cafes or pubs and view the latest new
development of supermarket, library and Barratt Homes complex
appropriately named 'The Square' which will offer a variety of new
apartments for sale which will bring in new residents and
commuters.
The town centre contains one of the few remaining market town
cross patterns in England, comprising north, South, East and West
Streets.