Essex lies in the south east of England and covers an area of about 1,400 square miles. It contains Epping Forest - a former royal hunting ground, the marshy coastal headland known as the Naze and London's third airport - Stansted. Essex is close to London but far enough to be away from the hustle and bustle of the City. The western part of Essex backs onto the eastern suburbs of London where it is dotted with towns along the River Thames. Essex gets its name from the Old English for land of the east Saxons.
Inland Essex is a fairly flat county and has, with the exception of the odd hill like the one on which Colchester was built, very little in the way of heights. Essex's coastline is flatter still with slow flowing tidal water and shadowy mysterious bays whose shallow inlets attract many wading and shore birds. The north of the county is high exposed land with pretty villages. The Essex / Suffolk border is lush agricultural land broken up by large trees and wide farm fields.
Abberton Abbess Roding Alresford Althorne Ardleigh Arkesden Ashdon Asheldham Ashen Aveley Barling Barnston Basildon Battlesbridge Belchamp Otten Belchamp Saint Paul Belhus Berden Bicknacre Billericay Birch Birchanger Birdbrook Bishops Stortford Black Notley Blackmore Bobbingworth Bocking Churchstreet Boreham Borley Bowers Gifford Boxted Bradfield Bradwell Bradwell on Sea Braintree Brentwood Brightlingsea Broomfield Broxbourne Broxbourne (1) Broxted Buckhurst Hill Bulmer Bures Saint Mary Burnham on Crouch Canewdon Castle Hedingham Cavendish Chappel Chatley Chelmsford Chickney Chigwell Chipping Ongar Clavering Coggeshall Colchester Cold Norton Copford Coryton Cressing Danbury Debden Dedham Dengie Earls Colne East Hanningfield East Horndon Elsenham Enfield Lock Epping Epping Green Farnham Faulkbourne Feering Felsted Finchingfield Fingringhoe Fobbing Fordham Foulness Freyerning Fyfield Galleywood Gestingthorpe Good Easter Gosfield Grays Great Baddow Great Bardfield Great Bentley Great Braxted Great Bromley Great Burstead Great Canfield Great Chesterford Great Clacton Great Dunmow Great Easton Great Hallingbury Great Holland Great Horkesley Great Leighs Great Maplestead Great Oakley Great Parndon Great Saling Great Sampford Great Tey Great Totham Great Waltham Great Warley Street Great Wigborough Great Yeldham Greensted Hadleigh Hadstock Halstead Harlow Hatfield Broad Oak Hatfield Heath Hatfield Peverel Hawkwell Helion Bumpstead Hempstead Henham Heybridge High Easter High Ongar High Roding Hockley Hoddesdon Hoddesdon (1) Horndon on the Hill Hutton Ingatestone Ingrave Inworth Kelvedon Kelvedon Hatch Kirby Cross Laindon Langdon Hills Langford Langley Latchingdon and Snoreham Lawford Layer de la Haye Layer Marney Leigh-on-Sea Lexden Lindsell Little Baddow Little Bentley Little Bromley Little Burstead Little Canfield Little Chesterford Little Clacton Little Dunmow Little Oakley Little Wakering Little Walden Little Waltham Little Warley Little Wigborough Littlebury Loughton Low Street Maldon Manuden Margaret Roding Margaretting Marks Tey Markshall Matching Mayland Messing Middle Street Middleton Mile End Mistley Moreton Mount Bures Mountnessing Mundon Navestock Nazeing Nevendon Newport North Fambridge North Ockendon North Weald Norton Heath Orsett Ovington Panfield Parkeston Pattiswick Pebmarsh Peldon Pitsea Pleshey Potter Street Purfleet Purleigh Quendon Radwinter Ramsey Rawreth Rayleigh Rayne Rettendon Ridgewell Rivenhall Rochford Rowhedge Roxwell Roydon Saffron Walden Saint Lawrence Saint Osyth Salcott Shalford Sheering Shell Haven Shenfield Sible Hedingham South Benfleet South Hanningfield South Ockendon Southminster Stambourne Stanford le Hope Stanford Rivers Stansted Mountfitchet Stapleford Abbots Stapleford Tawney Stebbing Steeple Steeple Bumpstead Stifford Stisted Stock Stoke by Clare Strethall Sturmer Sutton Takeley Terling Thaxted Theydon Bois Thorpe le Soken Thorrington Thundersley Tilbury Juxta Clare Tillingham Tilty Tiptree Tollesbury Tolleshunt D'Arcy Tolleshunt Knights Tolleshunt Major Toppesfield Ugley Vange Virley Waltham Abbey Waltham Cross Waltham Holy Cross Weeley Wendens Ambo West Bergholt West Hanningfield Wethersfield White Notley White Roding Wicken Bonhunt Wickford Wickham Bishops Widdington Widford Willingale Doe Wimbish Wissington Witham Wix Woodham Ferrers Woodham Mortimer Wormingford Writtle
