Historic towns and villages in Essex

A delightful historic town on the River Blackwater with a wealth of pretty timber-framed buildings. On the southern bank is a medieval tithe barn and remains of an associated abbey. On West Street is Paycocke's, a medieval merchant's house now owned by the National Trust, while the parish church of St Peter ad Vincula is one of the finest Perpendicular Gothic churches in Essex, a testament to the wealth of local wool merchants in the 15th century.
Coggeshall, Essex, England

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Heritage Highlight: Paycocke's, with its superb carved ceilings

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Called Camulodunum by the Romans, and the first capital of Roman Britain. Long stretches of the Roman town wall still stand, with the earliest surviving Roman gate in the UK. William the Conqueror built his first stone castle here (now a museum). See the 15th-century gate of St John's Abbey and the ruins of St Botolph's Priory, the first Augustinian monastery in Britain. There is history everywhere you look in Colchester.
Colchester, Essex, England

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Heritage Highlight: Colchester Castle and the oldest Roman town walls in Britain

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Dedham is a very attractive village on the River Stour, in the very heart of Constable Country. The artist attended school here and painted Dedham on dozens of occasions. Paths lead across the fields to Constable's birthplace at East Bergholt, and to the National Trust's Flatford Mill.
Dedham, Essex, England, CO7 6AB

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Heritage Highlight: The heart of Constable Country

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The site of a pivotal 10th-century battle between Saxons and Danes, Maldon is a picturesque hilltop town with a multitude of historic buildings, including a medieval moot hall, three medieval churches - one with an unusual triangular tower - a historic quayside and a memorial to Brythnoth, the Saxon hero of the Battle of Maldon.
Maldon, Essex, England

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Heritage Highlight: 15th-century Moot Hall and All Saints church triangular tower

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One of the prettiest market towns in East Anglia, Saffron Walden boasts a wealth of attractive historic buildings, including the Jacobean mansion of Audley End House. St Mary's church is a Perpendicular Gothic gem, and in the grounds of the nearby museum stand the ruins of a Norman castle.
Saffron Walden, Essex, England

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Heritage Highlight: The stunning Jacobean manor of Audley End House

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Easily one of the most picturesque towns in England, Thaxted is blessed with a fabulous collection of medieval and Georgian houses, one of the finest late medieval churches in East Anglia, a restored 19th-century windmill, and a 15th-century Guildhall.
B184, Thaxted, Essex, England

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Heritage Highlight: Fantastic Perpendicular church and nearby almshouses

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