In Focus – Writtle

20th December 2018

The focus of this month is Writtle and all it has to offer.

Situated just to the west of Chelmsford, this quaint little village has plenty of character and history.

Despite its rural surroundings, Writtle is far from remote, being less than 2 miles from Chelmsford station, which will get you into London Liverpool Street within 30 minutes. It is also on the same mainline as Shenfield, the Eastern Hub for the soon to commence Crossrail service.

In terms of the road network, to the east, the A12 will take you south to the M25 at J28 and to the north to Suffolk and Norfolk. The A414 on the southern tip of Writtle on the other hand will take you directly onto the M11 at J7 about 14 miles away with Stansted Airport about another 12 miles further on.

Centred around a pretty duck pond and large village green, it's a great place for families too with a host of things to do and places to see; from an award winning Italian family run restaurant Olios, a pottery studio, quaint tearooms, doctor's surgery, supermarket and three pubs. Throughout the year there is always something going on, with the annual Writtle Jazz Festival taking place on the green to the All Saints Christmas Tree Festival in December and The Essex Young Farmers Show hosted in nearby Roxwell.

Just to the south of Writtle lies the Hylands Estate with its stunning historic house sitting amidst nearly 600 acres of parkland. The estate hosts a huge number of events throughout the year from entertainment to markets.

Culturally Writtle is full of history, there has been speculation that Robert the Bruce was actually born in the Essex village whilst more concrete history is evident of a Roman presence with artefacts being discovered in the area as well as being mentioned in the Domesday Book. More recently it was the site of Marconi's experimental radio station in the early 1920s which has now been re-erected with replica equipment at Sandon Mill Museum.

In addition to the amenities and culture, Writtle has an excellent choice of schools and colleges within the village and the surrounding area. The agricultural college located on the outskirts of the village is one of the oldest specialist institutions in the UK.

A couple of miles away, the city of Chelmsford is a major retail centre with a recent expansion that has brought in even more major brands, including John Lewis. There's also a huge choice of eateries as well as entertainment venues.

For more information about Writtle and the surrounding areas, please contact our Writtle Sales Office.