Top 32 Historical Things To Do In Essex in 2023

Essex, lying in the East is one of England’s home counties. Essex lies between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, the North Sea, Hertfordshire, and Kent. Greater London is conveniently close, just south of Essex.

Essex was a county already in the 12th century, with political and administrative powers lent through close links to London. Going back to the days of the Romans, what is now the county town of Colchester was the capital of Britain.

Of particular interest is Essex’s historical links to The Tudors, particularly Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Chelmsford Cathedral

Chelmsford Cathedral in the city of Chelmsford is one of the more modern cathedrals in England, becoming a cathedral only in 1914. It has however stood for eight hundred years or more since the town started but was rebuilt in the 1400s and 1500s.

Colchester Castle

William I ordered a stone castle be built on the strategic route between East Anglia and London, and so the building of the castle started in 1076. Norman builders plundered Roman Colchester to build their keep over the ruined Roman Temple of Claudius, incorporating the temple’s base into the foundations of the great tower.

Colchester Gaol was contained within Colchester Castle by the 13th century when it took on the role of prison probably until 1835. The Castle did enjoy brief respites from being a goal, though, during this period. In the 17th century, it came under private ownership and was very nearly demolished. In 1860 it was restored as Castle Museum, housing archaeological treasures until this day. Colchester Castle provides entertainment for the whole family with things to do for children and adults.

Hollytrees Museum

Hollytrees Museum on the beatific grounds of Castle Park is hosted within a 1718 Georgian townhouse. Inside this social history museum, 300 years of local vintage toys and games, costumes, clocks, and decorative arts are on display. 

Set in this authentic home, visitors get to be voyeurs of the typical family life of the wealthy and impoverished of the day. The renowned Hollytrees Dolls House depicts 18th-century household activities in this mansion. If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, this is where you’ll find out as well as learn about its connection to Colchester.

St. Botolphs Priory

Among England’s first Augustinian religious houses, founded between 1093 and 1100, the priory of St Julian and St Botolph had the authority to correct abuses, inflict punishments and prescribe regulations throughout the orders in the country. Although powerful, it was substantially less so than St John’s Abbey just a few hundred yards to the south, and substantially impoverished. 

The Priory fell victim to King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, and its worldly possessions were granted to the Lord Chancellor. Up until 1648 which saw the siege of Colchester, part of the remaining church was still used as a parish church. The attack saw the church of early Norman architecture largely destroyed by cannon fire. It was never repaired and is in the care of English Heritage. 

St. John’s Abbey Gateway 

Sadly, the Gateway is all that remains today of a Benedictine Monastery, looking over Colchester from St.Johns Green. This monastery refused to bend to Henry VIII’s Dissolution, surrendering only under extreme duress when its Abbott was executed for treason. St. Johns Gateway remains in the care of English Heritage.

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Having pride of place in a Victorian building along Lexden Road is the school that was granted its two charters by Henry VIII in 1539 and Elizabeth I in 1584. It is only open to the public during the annual Heritage Open Days in September. 

Bourne Mill

The National Trust owns this building originally built during the reign of Elizabeth I in 1591 to be Sir Charles Lucas’ fishing lodge. Around 1640 saw it was used as a fulling mill. Between the 1840s and the 1930s, it was a corn mill. Set on scenic grounds, the mill with its working watermill, millpond, and a babbling stream, is open to the public throughout summer.

Tymperleys

In the centre of Colchester on Trinity Street, set back in the gardens behind an arch is Tymperleys, a Tudor merchant’s house built around 1490. This home was built for true Elizabethan, William Gilberd, the “father of electricity” and Queen Elizabeth I’s medical adviser.

He worked on magnetism and coined the word ‘electricity’. The Charrington family restored it as a restaurant, furnishing it with Colchester-made clocks and artwork lent to them by the Victor Batte-Lay Trust. Pop in for breakfast, lunch, or tea.

Layer Marney tower

The tallest Tudor Gatehouse in the United Kingdom calls Essex home located as it is near Colchester. The 80 feet tall building stands proudly on its magnificent grounds on the shores of the Blackwater River. It was initiated in the 1520s by a close friend of Henry VIII, Lord Henry Marney as the main gateway for a magnificent palace, which was never built. 

The Tudor Gatehouse, Layer Marney tower, is now a family-run venue giving guests and visitors a unique glimpse into the luxurious aspirations of a 16th-century lord, including Tudor-themed events.

Lexden Earthworks and Bluebottle Grove

Banks and ditches of late Iron Age fortifications guarding the western side of Camulodunum may be observed in pre-Roman Colchester. Pre-Roman graves are also hereabouts, and this is thought to be the burial place of the British chieftain Cunobelinus. The best known of these is the Lexden Tumulus which lies within the ditch itself. Lexden Earthworks formed the western boundary and Bluebottle Grove the southern boundary of the site. Gryme’s Dyke forms the outermost rampart and is today the most impressive. It is named after the Devil, ‘Gryme’, who was credited with many ancient earthworks. The large gravel pit, King Coel’s Kitchen, is thought to be where the Roman roads from Cambridge and London converged back in time to cross this dyke.

Firstsite Colchester

Opening in 2011, this visual arts organisation in Colchester’s Cultural Quarter holds exhibitions on a rolling six-monthly basis, having no permanent art collection of its own. It was recognized as the National Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2021. Visitors are free to view a vibrant programme of exhibitions, films, learning activities, and events and can browse its café and shop.

Hadleigh Castle

King John awarded the land known as the manor of Hadleigh in southeast Essex to his trusted follower and chief minister, Hubert de Burgh, in 1215. When Henry III was a youngster, Hubert was effectively ruler of England, and he built this imposing turreted castle as a show of his power. After falling out with the king, he had to relinquish Hadleigh in 1239. Edward III, celebrated by the Tudors as the Warrior King, favoured Hadleigh as a retreat in his old age. 

Rayleigh Windmill

Rayleigh Windmill, built-in 1809 for timber merchant Thomas Higgs, is a six-storey tower mill in the market town of Rayleigh, a civil parish in Essex. This popular tourist attraction and educational site allow for eager brides and grooms to marry here and hosts exhibitions and special events throughout the season. Visitors are welcome to dress up in traditional costumes and learn about the Castle that once stood on Rayleigh Mount. 

The Chapel of St. Peter On the Wall

This simple church in Bradwell-on-Sea on the Dengie Peninsula of Essex is said to have got its unusual name when St. Peter sat on the wall of the abandoned Roman fort, Othona, on which the church was founded. It has stood since St. Cedd struck it up in 654 using Roman bricks and stones. The two-foot thick walls have withstood fires, King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, homing by bovines, and heavy bombing during World War II. 

As a pilgrimage site, contemporary pilgrims journey the pleasant 45-mile route steeped in history along St. Peter’s Way from Chipping Ongar.

Prittlewell Priory

Languish a while in the 45 acres of tranquil gardens and ponds of Priory Park, for a picnic or to be entertained by the sounds of a classical band on the bandstand. Unfortunately, visitors get to see only the ruined remains of the nave, however, this hidden gem of historic sites has indescribable visual appeal.

Historically, Priory Park offers a look back to medieval 12th century Essex and the Prittlewell Priory which is the oldest continuously occupied building in the South end in the centre of Colchester. 

Back in1100AD, Prittlewell Priory housed monks from the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras. Probably up until 1536 when King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries, and it was summarily destroyed. Some original features survived to home families for centuries once the Priory was privatised. 

In 1922, Prittlewell Priory became South End’s very first museum, exhibiting the 19th-century Scrattons who resided here for over 200 years. The entire site is under the care of English Heritage and is open to respectful exploration. With 900 years of history, there is much to see: a Victorian wing, a 12th-century refectory, and a wildlife room animated with artefacts and exhibits representing centuries of transformation under different owners. 

Leigh Heritage Centre

The Smithy building in the centre of Leigh Old Town along with two old cottages numbered 13A in the High Street were rescued from disrepair to become the Leigh Heritage Centre Museum.  

Cressing Temple Barns

The medieval monks of the Knights Templar founded these vast wooden barns situated neatly between Witham and Braintree, and it is after them that the two buildings are named. Cressing Temple Barns were gifted to the Knights Templar in 1137 and are among the oldest timber barns in England. 

Displays inside the Barns give a historic outline of the site and the Templars while the Walled Garden, one of its many gardens, depicts a true Tudor pleasure garden. The Barns Tea Room serves teas and visitors have an option of picnicking in Cressing Temple’s gardens.

The East Anglian Railway Museum

The East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station in Essex lies on the former Great Eastern Railway branch line between Marks Tey and Sudbury. The museum was initially established as the Stour Valley Railway Preservation Society on 24 September 1968. In the museum is a collection of restored and unrestored locomotives and rolling stock. Short demonstration tracks host steam or diesel train rides operated on event days. During the annual Winter Beer Festivals in late February/early March and the Summer Beer Festivals in September, festival-goers can take advantage of special late-evening trains on the Sudbury Branch Line. 

Other events hosted here include Classic Car rallies, the forties, and fifties day events, SteamPunk fairs, model railway events, plays, and musical performances, and “Days out with Thomas” events featuring Thomas The Tank Engine.

Hedingham Castle

The Colne Valley near Halstead takes pride in being the location of the most iconic building in Essex. The motte and bailey castle was built 900 years ago and Hedingham Castle is now home to the Lindsay family, descendants of the de Veres, the Earls of Oxford, who built the castle. 

Visitors can see the best-preserved keep in England and take in the widest Norman arch in domestic architecture in Western Europe. Or simply admire the gardens that change with the seasons, and enjoy jousts, car shows, theatre, vintage fairs, outdoor cinema, and medieval sieges.  

Naze Tower

The Naze Tower is a historic octagonal navigation tower on the cliffs at the Naze that is instrumental in the country’s maritime history. It stands 86 feet high, with more than eight floors served by a spiral staircase made up of 111 stairs. Built by Trinity House in 1720 it is the only building of its type and era in the country. 

Visitors can take in the exhibitions in the art gallery and peruse the museum, dine in the tea rooms, and take in the finest views over Essex and Suffolk from the open-top roof viewing platform. Besides just looking at the scenery, the natural coastal location offers much to explore: beach, cliff and seawall walks, a nature reserve, and two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, the Naze Cliffs rich in fossils, and the saltmarsh locale of Hamford Waters.

Mountfitchet Castle

This unique open-air museum experience allows visitors to experience life as the medieval locals once did in and around Motte and Bailey castle. The medieval Castle and Norman Village is the only such site in the world to be reconstructed where it once stood 900 years ago. Explore the Castle, roam the Norman village behind the castle walls, and pop into houses to take in the ambience of a bygone lifestyle. Visit the rescued animals roaming the 10-acre grounds.

This is the ideal outing in Essex for things to do in inclement weather since it offers an all-weather fun outing for the whole family. The all-in-one heritage entertainment complex combines prehistory, history, and nostalgia. Experience The Haunted Manor, The House on the Hill Museum housing the world’s largest toy collection, the Showbiz Collection, the Rock ‘n’ Roll exhibition, and a WWI & WWII Blitz and Battle of Britain display. 

Dine in the visitor’s centre or make use of the expansive outdoor picnic spots, browse for treats, gifts, and souvenirs in the shops or seek out rare collectables in the antique centre.

Southend Pier

The Southend Pier in Southend-on-Sea extends for 1.34 miles into the Thames Estuary, earning it esteem as the longest pleasure pier in the world. The iron pier replaced the timber one, to open in August 1889. The first pier railway in the country, the Southend Pier Railway, opened early in the 1890s. The pier featured in both world wars, taking on a new name, HMS Leigh, in the Second World War when it was commandeered by the Royal Navy.

Audley End House and Gardens

Audley End House has deep associations with the Tudors. Henry VIII dissolved the Benedictine monastery of Walden Abbey that occupied the site during the dissolution of the monasteries. The Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas Audley was gifted it in 1538 by Henry VIII and the abbey was converted and renamed Audley Inn, to be his domestic house. Elizabeth I stopped her during her Summer Progress of 1578. 

Visitors get to explore life above and below stairs at this decadent mansion as well as venture out to see the horses in the stable block, its parterre gardens, and the Organic Kitchen Garden. The Garden boasts more than 120 varieties of apples, 40 types of pears, and 60 kinds of tomatoes.

For those looking for things to do with children in Essex, the children’s play area, café, and shop make it ideal for a family outing.

Pleshey castle

This man-made motte and bailey castle in Pleshey in Essex is one of the best-preserved such castles in the country, originating in the 11th century. It consisted of a wooden palisade and tower on a high man-made hill (motte) surrounded by two baileys (castle yard or ward). In its early years, it would have stood within a moat. Queen Elizabeth I sold the castle around about 1559. Viewing is by appointment. 

Waltham Abbey Gatehouse and Bridge

The historic market town of Waltham Abbey houses the remnants of one of the great monastic foundations of the Middle Ages. What was once the largest Augustinian abbey in the country was the site used for many religious functions since its origination early in the 11th century. It is also the final resting place for King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. The Waltham Bible later had pride of place here. Waltham Abbey Gardens lure visitors with peaceful rose gardens, benches, and picnic tables. 

The abbey was the last of the monastic houses in England to be surrendered to the Crown, in 1540, after Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries. The 14th-century gatehouse, bridge, and the walls of the post-medieval house built after its dissolution remain to be viewed today.

Grange Barn

This historic timber-framed barn in Coggeshall in Essex was built by the Cistercians to serve Coggeshall Abbey in the 13th century. Despite the dissolution of the Abbey following Henry VIII’s orders in the 1530s, the barn was still used for agriculture up until 1960 after which it became derelict. It was restored by the Braintree District Council and the public can now hire the premises for special events and view its collection of farm wagons and woodworking tools.

Paycocke’s House and Gardens

This National Trust Property, a half-timbered merchant’s house with intricate carved woodwork and panelling was constructed in 1509. It was built for Thomas Paycocke with funds from the cloth trade in Coggeshall and in Essex. Due to demolition, the locals rescued it and it was restored and is now open to the public. 

Hatfield Forest

Hatfield dates from the time of the Norman kings and is thought to have been established as a Royal Forest sometime between 1086 and 1225. Henry III retained hunting rights when he gave the land and trees to Isobel of Huntingdon, daughter of the Earl of Chester, in 1238. Hatfield is the only remaining intact Royal Hunting Forest.

Hatfield Forest in Essex is a 403.2-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, as well as a National Nature Reserve and a Nature Conservation Review site. A medieval warren in the forest is a Scheduled Monument and both it and the forest are owned and managed by the National Trust. The many miles of walks within Hatfield Forest are open at all times to those on foot.

Ingatestone Hall

Back in 1535 when Henry VIII started the process that would lead to the dissolution of the monasteries. He duly tasked Thomas Cromwell with this, who in turn tasked his assistant, William Petre, a young lawyer from Devon to visit the monastic houses of southern England. He was to record their possessions and persuade them to surrender to the King. Petre was so taken by the manor of Ynge-atte-Stone (Ingatestone) that he bought the land and built Ingatestone Hall. 

It is still owned by the same family and the gardens are open to the public during the summer. Re-enactment days allow visitors a full Tudor experience. This is a fun outing for the family looking for things to do in Essex. 

Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge 

Henry VIII built this hunting lodge in 1543 in the heart of the Royal Forest, being that he was an avid hunter. Today it is open at no admission fee as a museum run by the City of London which also owns Epping Forest. 

Copped Hall

Copped Hall is a restored 18th-century mansion house built on the remains of a Tudor house. Lore has it that Henry VIII walked back and forth along the tree-lined path still present today while waiting to hear the signal from the Tower of London that Anne Boleyn had been beheaded. The house and gardens are regularly open to the public on Sundays.

Coggeshall

Rural North Essex boasts the legacy of the wealth of the East Anglian wool trade of the Medieval and Tudor periods. More than a few timber-framed buildings can be seen in the village of Coggeshall on the Roman road of Stane Street. The village is home to as many as 300 listed buildings and is well known for its extensive antique trade.