100-522: Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex , England. Founded as a new town , it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire , and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upper Stort Valley , which has been made navigable through other towns and features a canal section near its watermill . Old Harlow is a historic village founded by the early medieval age and most of its high street buildings are early Victorian and residential, mostly protected by one of
200-472: A Mesolithic (circa 10,000 BC) hunting camp excavated by Davey in Northbrooks in the 1970s (Unpublished) closely followed by the large and unexcavated deposits of Neolithic flint beside Gilden Way. These deposits are mostly known because of the large numbers of surface-bound, worked flint. Substantial amounts of worked flint suggest an organised working of flint in the area. Large amounts of debitage litter
300-593: A biscuit factory, on the Pinnacles. Owned and run as a co-op, it provided employment to the town for over 50 years, before closing in 2002. It has since been demolished and the site now has small industrial units. At its peak, the factory employed over 500 people. Raytheon and GlaxoSmithKline both have large premises within the town. In July 2017 Public Health England had bought the vacant site from GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) hoping to move altogether 2,745 jobs there, of which about 500 are from Porton Down . Nortel had
400-476: A county, which will be ignored in the sorting process. Sewardstone in the south-west of the ceremonial county, was outside the former Essex postal county, being covered by the London post town ( E4 ). The deep estuaries on the east coast give Essex, by some measures, the longest coast of any county. These estuaries mean the county's North Sea coast is characterised by three major peninsulas, each named after
500-571: A court hearing in July 2020 Harlow Council withdrew the injunction. Harlow is served by two railway stations : Harlow Town and Harlow Mill ; both are served by trains between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge . Harlow Town is also a stop on the Stansted Express , providing frequent services between London and Stansted Airport. All trains serving both stations are operated by Greater Anglia . There are also frequent bus services from
600-422: A focal point for the town's extensive bus network and serves as a regional hub for the local area. The current site was constructed between 2001 and 2003, containing 15 stands and a small visitor information centre. In July 2022, Harlow Council unveiled plans to completely rebuild the bus station at a cost of £15m, along with the construction of a brand new integrated transport and cycle hub. Planning permission for
700-688: A force of around 30,000 men. At Colchester, the kings of 11 British tribes surrendered to Claudius. Colchester became a Roman Colonia , with the official name Colonia Claudia Victricensis ('the City of Claudius' Victory'). It was initially the most important city in Roman Britain and in it they established a temple to the God-Emperor Claudius. This was the largest building of its kind in Roman Britain . The establishment of
800-443: A high proportion of the population commute to London, and the wages earned in the capital are typically significantly higher than more local jobs. Many parts of Essex therefore, especially those closest to London, have a major economic dependence on London and the transport links that take people to work there. Part of the south-east of the county, already containing the major population centres of Basildon , Southend and Thurrock ,
900-817: A large expanse at Hamford Water , and it contains several large beaches. What is now Essex was occupied by the Trinovantes tribe during the Iron Age . They established a settlement at Colchester, which is the oldest recorded town in Britain. The town was conquered by the Romans but subsequently sacked by the Trinovantes during the Boudican revolt . In the Early Middle Ages the region was invaded by
1000-476: A large site on the eastern edge of the town, acquired when STC was bought in 1991, and it was here that Charles K. Kao developed optical fibre data transmission. Nortel still has a presence, but it is much reduced. The site now is host to electronics, education and housing companies. One of Europe's leading online golf stores, Onlinegolf, is based in Harlow. Unemployment is frequently around 10%, higher than
1100-478: A legal forest) and known as Epping Forest and Hainault Forest ). The Black Death significantly reduced England's population, leading to a change in the balance of power between the working population on one hand, and their masters and employers on the other. Over a period of several decades, national government brought in legislation to reverse the situation, but it was only partially successful and led to simmering resentment. By 1381, England's economic situation
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#17327932428731200-405: A multimillion-pound extension of the town's Harvey Centre. The Iranian-born entrepreneur, who presented his case in person, persuaded Mr Justice Richards to quash Harlow DC's grant of planning permission for the development. In his judgment he backed Mr Ghadami's claim of 'apparent bias or predetermination' in the decision, as a result of the continued participation of Michael Garnett, the chairman of
1300-409: A northern and southern bypass of the town, and significant expansion to the north, following the completed expansion to the east. The Harlow North plans, currently awaiting permission, involve an extension of the town across the floodplains on the town's northern border, into neighbouring Hertfordshire . The plan was supported by former MP Bill Rammell , all three political groups on Harlow Council, and
1400-459: A number of years. Following the schools closure, the site was demolished and redeveloped into a £23 million state of the art Academy which Passmores School and Technology College relocated to in September 2011 opening as Passmores Academy. In the 1980s, a further two secondary schools were closed, Latton Bush (now a commercial centre and recreational centre) and Netteswell (now forms part of
1500-433: A proliferation of new 'rabbit hutch'-sized flats, which are then let to London-borough waiting-list families. These are erected under permitted development rights which mean the local authority cannot refuse planning permission . A major feature of Harlow New Town is its green spaces; over one third of the district is parkland or fields containing public footpaths. One of the original design features of Gibberd's masterplan
1600-454: A secure base, which eventually became the Tower of London could be established in the city. While at Barking William received the submission of some of England's leading nobles. The invaders established a number of castles in the county, to help protect the new elites in a hostile country. There were castles at Colchester , Castle Hedingham , Rayleigh , Pleshey and elsewhere. Hadleigh Castle
1700-529: A small Royalist cavalry force from Essex, fought a battle with local parliamentarians at Bow Bridge , then crossed the River Lea into Essex. The combined force, bolstered by extra forces, marched towards Royalist held Colchester , but a Parliamentarian force caught up with them just as they were about to enter the city's medieval walls, and a bitter battle was fought but the Royalists were able to retire to
1800-577: A small number of routes. There is also a National Express coach service between Stansted Airport and Oxford via Luton and Milton Keynes . Essex County Council was involved in development to Harlow's First Avenue, which was intended to reduce congestion and create better transport connections between the Newhall housing developments. The scheme was implemented in two phases, each phase focusing on developing First Avenue on either side of Howard Way. Phase two had an estimated cost of £4.4 million and
1900-579: A variety of subjects relevant to local employers' needs. Essex Essex ( / ˈ ɛ s ɪ k s / ESS -iks ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England , and one of the home counties . It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the south, Greater London to the south-west, and Hertfordshire to
2000-612: A £20bn pledge by the government. Following Labour's victory at the 2024 United Kingdom general election , these plans have currently been placed under review. Harlow contains seven state-funded secondary schools: St. Nicholas School is a private school in the town while Harlow College provides sixth form and further education . St Mark's West Essex Catholic School and BMAT STEM Academy also provide sixth form education. Brays Grove Community School and Specialist Arts College closed down in June 2008 due to decreasing pupil numbers over
2100-498: Is Grade I listed and is a scheduled ancient monument . Kingsmoor House on Paringdon Road is a Grade II* listed building and dates from the 18th century. It was built as a gentleman's residence and owned by local families including the Risden , Houblon and Todhunter families. It was later used as a private school and council offices before falling derelict. It has since been restored and converted into residential apartments. Harlow
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#17327932428732200-551: Is Michael Neylan's pioneering development at Bishopsfield. The first neighbourhood, Mark Hall, is a conservation area. From 1894 to 1955 the Harlow parish formed part of the Epping Rural District of Essex. From 1955 to 1974, Harlow was an urban district . On 1 April 1974 the parish and urban district was abolished and it became an unparished area . The town centre, and many of its neighbourhood shopping facilities have undergone major redevelopment, along with many of
2300-476: Is based at Harlow Civic Centre at the Water Gardens in the town centre. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Harlow since the 2024 general election is Labour Chris Vince . He defeated Conservative candidate Hannah Ellis with a majority of 2,504 (5.8%). In 2015 Harlow was the first town in Britain to take out a district wide injunction against unauthorised encampments by Travellers. However following
2400-468: Is in the centre Netteswell ward and is between the town centre and the railway station, both of which are within walking distance of the park, which is a natural thoroughfare from the station to the town centre. There are only 12 parks with significant post-war element on the English Heritage 'Register of Parks'. With these Harlow is seen as one of the first examples of a civic scheme to marry
2500-538: Is largely rural. For local government purposes Essex comprises a non-metropolitan county , with twelve districts, and two unitary authority areas: Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea . The districts of Chelmsford, Colchester and Southend have city status. The county historically included north-east Greater London, the River Lea forming its western border. Essex is a low-lying county with a flat coastline. It contains pockets of ancient woodland, including Epping Forest in
2600-685: Is now a 300-year-old listed building and restaurant. The original village, mentioned in the Domesday Book , developed as a typical rural community around what is now known as Old Harlow , with many of its buildings still standing. This includes for instance the Grade II listed St Mary's Church in Churchgate Street. Its former Chapel is in a ruinous state in a field which was once the Harlowbury Abbey part of Old Harlow,
2700-485: Is only 10 miles from this major transport hub and therefore provides several hundred airport employees. The airport operator withdrew a planning application for a second runway after the General Election of 2010 , when all major political parties opposed it. Further plans to expand the airport to boost capacity were proposed in 2020, but were rejected by Uttlesford District Council . Harlow bus station provides
2800-490: Is that it derives from the Anglo-Saxon words 'here' and 'hlaw', meaning "army hill", probably to be identified with Mulberry Hill, which was used as the moot or meeting place for the district. The other theory is that it derives from the words 'here' and 'hearg', meaning "temple hill/mound", probably to be identified with an Iron Age burial mound, later a Roman temple site on River Way. The earliest deposits are of
2900-575: Is the Green Wedges in the town, designed to provide open space for wildlife and recreation and to separate neighbourhoods. 23% of the district is designated as Green Wedge. The Green Wedges are protected from inappropriate development, through the Local Plan. The town is entirely surrounded by Green Belt land, a land designation which originated in London to prevent the city sprawling, and 21% of
3000-591: Is within the Thames Gateway and designated for further development. Parts of the south-west of the county, such as Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell , are contiguous with Greater London neighbourhoods and therefore form part of the Greater London Urban Area . In rural parts of the county, there are many small towns, villages and hamlets largely built in the traditional materials of timber and brick, with clay tile or thatched roofs. Before
3100-665: The Bastard of Fauconberg . The Essex men joined with their allies in attempting to storm Aldgate and Bishopsgate during an assault known as the Siege of London . The Lancastrians were defeated, and the Essex contingent retreated back over the Lea with heavy losses. In 1588 Tilbury Fort was chosen as the focal point of the English defences against King Philip II's Spanish Armada , and
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3200-635: The City of London ), much of Hertfordshire and at times also the sub-Kingdom of Surrey . The Middlesex and Hertfordshire parts were known as the Province of the Middle Saxons since at least the early eighth century but it is not known if the province was previously an independent unit that came under East Saxon control. Charter evidence shows that the Kings of Essex appear to have had a greater control in
3300-578: The East of England Regional Assembly . It is opposed by Hertfordshire County Council, East Herts Council, Mark Prisk , MP for Hertford and Stortford in whose constituency the development would be, and all the parishes concerned. The opposition is coordinated by a local group based in neighbouring East Hertfordshire. An attempt to have Harlow North designated an "Eco Town" was rejected by the Minister for Housing, Caroline Flint MP, in April 2008. The south of
3400-530: The Forest of Essex was mostly farmland, and that the county as a whole was 20% wooded in 1086. After that point population growth caused the proportion of woodland to fall steadily until the arrival of the Black Death , in 1348, killed between a third and a half of England's population, leading to a long term stabilisation of the extent of woodland. Similarly, various pressures led to areas being removed from
3500-568: The Hundred based on the peninsula: A consequence of these features is that the broad estuaries defining them have been a factor in preventing any transport infrastructure linking them to neighbouring areas on the other side of the river estuaries, to the north and south. The pattern of settlement in the county is diverse. The areas closest to London are the most densely settled, though the Metropolitan Green Belt has prevented
3600-472: The M11 motorway , which runs from London to Cambridge . Junction 7 provides links to the southern areas of town, such as Church Langley and Potter Street. Junction 7a, located close to Old Harlow, began construction in 2020 and opened in 2022. The M11 motorway was planned originally to run to the west of Harlow, not to the east as it does today. Having planned for one of the two big industrial estates to be built to
3700-763: The Richborough area of Kent . After some initial successes against the Britons, they paused to await reinforcements, and the arrival of the Emperor Claudius . The combined army then proceeded to the capital of the Catevellauni-Trinovantes at Colchester , and took it. Claudius held a review of his invasion force on Lexden Heath where the army formally proclaimed him Imperator . The invasion force that assembled before him included four legions , mounted auxiliaries and an elephant corps –
3800-537: The River Stour ; with the North Sea to the east. The highest point of the county of Essex is Chrishall Common near the village of Langley , close to the Hertfordshire border, which reaches 482 feet (147 m). In England, the term county is currently applied to both the ceremonial counties (or lieutenancy areas) and the administrative (or non-metropolitan) counties . It can also be applied to
3900-793: The Saxons , who formed the Kingdom of Essex ; they were followed by the Vikings, who after winning the Battle of Maldon were able to extract the first Danegeld from King Æthelred . After the Norman Conquest much of the county became a royal forest , and in 1381 the populace of the county were heavily involved in the Peasants' Revolt . The subsequent centuries were more settled, and the county's economy became increasingly tied to that of London; in
4000-403: The market town of Harlow, now a neighbourhood known as Old Harlow , and the villages of Great Parndon , Latton , Tye Green, Potter Street, Churchgate Street, Little Parndon, and Netteswell. Each of the town's neighbourhoods is self-supporting with its own shopping precincts, community facilities and pubs . Gibberd invited many of the country's leading post-war architects to design buildings in
4100-575: The Colonia is thought to have involved extensive appropriation of land from local people, this and other grievances led to the Trinovantes joining their northern neighbours, the Iceni , in the Boudiccan revolt . The rebels entered the city, and after a Roman last stand at the temple of Claudius, methodically destroyed it, massacring many thousands. A significant Roman force attempting to relieve Colchester
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4200-563: The Conservation Areas in the district. In Old Harlow is a field named Harlowbury , a de-settled monastic area which has the remains of a chapel, a scheduled ancient monument . The M11 motorway passes through to the east of the town. Harlow has its own commercial and leisure economy. It is also an outer part of the London commuter belt and employment centre of the M11 corridor which includes Cambridge and London Stansted Airport to
4300-570: The Great granted freedom of worship to Christians in 313. Other archaeological evidence include a chi-rho symbol etched on a tile at a site in Wickford , and a gold ring inscribed with a chi-rho monogram found at Brentwood . The late Roman period, and the period shortly after, was the setting for the King Cole legends based around Colchester . One version of the legend concerns St Helena ,
4400-550: The Harlow College Campus) is a major further educational centre, covering GCSEs , A-Levels , and many vocational subjects including Hair and Beauty Therapy, Construction, Mechanics, ICT, and a new centre for engineering recently opened. The college is currently under major regeneration and is due to open a new university centre in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University , covering mostly Foundation degrees in
4500-474: The Trinovantes' identity persisted. Roman provinces were divided into civitas for local government purposes – with a civitas for the Trinovantes strongly implied by Ptolemy . Christianity is thought to have been flourishing among the Trinovantes in the fourth century, indications include the remains of a probable church at Colchester, the church dates from sometime after 320, shortly after the Constantine
4600-507: The additional name of Archer by Royal Licence in 1801. He was appointed High Sheriff of Essex , serving from 1801 to 1802 and elected a Member of Parliament for Essex in 1810, sitting until 1820. He married Mary Ann Bramston, the daughter of Thomas Berney Bramston of Skreens and sister of Thomas Gardiner Bramston , both MPs for Essex. Together, Mary Ann and John were the parents of ten sons and three daughters, including: Archer-Houblon died on 31 May 1831. Through his son Thomas, he
4700-604: The area and tools found include axe heads, hammers, blades, dowels and other boring tools and multipurpose flints such as scrapers. An organised field walk in the late 1990s by Bartlett (unpublished) indicates that most of the area, some 80 hectares, produced worked flint from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age with a smattering of Mesolithic. This indicates organised industry existed from 5000 BC to 2000 BC. The deposits are so large and dispersed that any major archaeological work in
4800-649: The area will have to take this into consideration before any ground work is started. Harlow was in Roman times the site of a small town (around Harlow Mill railway station ) with a substantial stone built temple. The entry in the Norman Domesday Book reads: Herlaua: St Edmunds Abbey before and after 1066; Geoffrey from Count Eustace; Thorgils from Eudo the Steward; Richard from Ranulf, brother of Ilger. Mill, 7 beehives, 8 cobs, 43 cattle, 3 foals. The mill
4900-514: The balance of power in southern England. The small kingdoms of Essex, Sussex and of Kent , previously independent albeit under Mercian overlordship, were subsequently fully absorbed into Wessex. The later Anglo-Saxon period shows three major battles fought with the Norse recorded in Essex; the Battle of Benfleet in 894, the Battle of Maldon in 991 and the Battle of Assandun (probably at either Ashingdon or Ashdon ) in 1016. The county of Essex
5000-536: The borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. Essex, London and the eastern counties backed Parliament in the English Civil War , but by 1648, this loyalty was stretched. In June 1648 a force of 500 Kentish Royalists landed near the Isle of Dogs , linked up with
5100-533: The capital and executed a number of their enemies, but the revolt began to dissipate after the events at West Smithfield on 15 June, when the Mayor of London, William Walworth , killed the rebel leader Wat Tyler. The rebels prepared to fire arrows at the royal party but the 15 year old King Richard II rode toward the crowd and spoke to them, defusing the situation, in part by making a series of promises he did not subsequently keep. Having bought himself time, Richard
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#17327932428735200-467: The core area, east of the Lea and Stort, that would subsequently become the county of Essex. In the core area they granted charters freely, but further west they did so while also making reference to their Mercian overlords. The early kings were pagan, together with much and perhaps by this time all of the population. Sledd's son Sebert converted to Christianity around 604 and St Paul's Cathedral in London
5300-534: The country is less certain. The name Essex originates in the Anglo-Saxon period of the Early Middle Ages and has its root in the Anglo-Saxon ( Old English ) name Ēastseaxe ("East Saxons"), the eastern kingdom of the Saxons who had come from the continent and settled in Britain. Excavations at Mucking have demonstrated the presence of Anglo-Saxon settlers in the early fifth century, however
5400-652: The creation of the county councils, county-level administration was limited in nature; lord-lieutenants replaced the sheriffs from the time of Henry VIII and took a primarily military role, responsible for the militia and the Volunteer Force that replaced it. Most administration was carried out by justices of the peace (JPs) appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant of Essex based upon their reputation. The JPs carried out judicial and administrative duties such as maintenance of roads and bridges, supervision of
5500-765: The current non-metropolitan county and the unitary authorities formerly part of it. Until 1996, the Royal Mail additionally divided Britain into postal counties , used for addresses. Although it adopted many local government boundary changes, the Royal Mail did not adopt the 1965 London boundary reform due to cost. Therefore, parts of post-1965 Greater London continued to have an Essex address. The postal county of Hertfordshire also extended deep into west Essex, with Stansted isolated as an exclave of postal Essex. In 1996, postal counties were discontinued and replaced entirely by postcodes , though customers may still use
5600-537: The destruction of London housing in the Second World War ; they have since been significantly developed and expanded. Epping Forest also prevents the further spread of the Greater London Urban Area . As it is not far from London, with its economic magnetism, many of Essex's settlements, particularly those near or within short driving distance of railway stations, function as dormitory towns or villages where London workers raise their families. In these areas
5700-413: The district is allocated as Green Belt. The National Planning Policy Framework states that one of the purposes of Green Belt land is to protect unrestricted sprawl from large built-up areas. Harlow Town Park , at a size of 71.6-hectares (just under 1 km), is one of the largest urban parks in the country. The multi-functional park has been used for recreation and enjoyment for over 50 years. This park
5800-572: The first of which was the "mini expansion" that was created by the building of the Sumners and Katherines estates in the mid-to-late seventies to the west of the existing town. Since then Harlow has further expanded with the Church Langley estate completed in 2005, and its newest neighbourhood Newhall has completed the first stage of its development, with the second stage underway in 2013. The Harlow Gateway Scheme, also completed, first involved
5900-400: The former historic counties and the former postal counties . Essex therefore, has different boundaries depending on which type of county is being referred to. The largest extent of Essex was the historic (or ancient) county, which included Metropolitan Essex i.e. areas that now lie within the London conurbation such as Romford and West Ham . This boundary of Essex was established in
6000-405: The further sprawl of London into the county. The Green Belt was initially a narrow band of land, but subsequent expansions meant it was able to limit the further expansion of many of the commuter towns close to the capital. The Green Belt zone close to London includes many prosperous commuter towns, as well as the new towns of Basildon and Harlow , originally developed to resettle Londoners after
6100-408: The intentions of the development. Harlow is served by the NHS Princess Alexandra Hospital , situated on the edge of The High, which is the main Town Centre area of Harlow. This hospital has a 24-hour Accident & Emergency and Urgent Care Centre. Plans for the hospital to be rebuilt were first put in place in 2019. In May 2023, it was announced that the facility would be rebuilt by 2030 as part of
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#17327932428736200-412: The kingdom in 527. The early kings of the East Saxons were pagan and uniquely amongst the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms traced their lineage back to Seaxnēat , god of the Saxons , rather than Woden . The kings of Essex are notable for their S-nomenclature, nearly all of them begin with the letter S. The Kingdom of the East Saxons included not just the subsequent county of Essex, but also Middlesex (including
6300-482: The large veteran army he had ordered to invade England. The English believed that the Spanish would land near the Fort, so Queen Elizabeth 's small and relatively poorly trained forces gathered at Tilbury, where the Queen made her famous speech to the troops . I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain , or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade
6400-458: The late Anglo-Saxon period, sometime after the larger former Kingdom of the East Saxons had lost its independence. It included the whole ceremonial county, as well as the three north-western parishes transferred to Cambridgeshire in 1889, other smaller areas (such as the Bartlow Hills transferred to neighbours at the same time, and the five London boroughs administered as part of Essex until 1965. The administrative county and County Council
6500-440: The legal Forest of Essex and it ceased to exist as a legal entity after 1327, and after that time Forest Law applied to smaller areas: the forests of Writtle (near Chelmsford ), long lost Kingswood (near Colchester), Hatfield , and Waltham Forest . Waltham Forest had covered parts of the Hundreds of Waltham, Becontree and Ongar . It also included the physical woodland areas subsequently legally afforested (designated as
6600-404: The modern science of town and country planning. Harlow was originally expected to provide a majority of employment opportunities in manufacturing, with two major developments of The Pinnacles and Templefields providing the biggest employers in the region; as with the rest of the country, this manufacturing base has declined and Harlow has had to adjust. The original manufacturing took the form of
6700-416: The mother of Constantine the Great . The legend makes her the daughter of Coel, Duke of the Britons ( King Cole ) and in it she gives birth to Constantine in Colchester. This, and related legends , are at variance with biographical details as they are now known, but it is likely that Constantine, and his father, Constantius spent time in Colchester during their years in Britain. The presence of St Helena in
6800-422: The national average in the UK. Harlow also has a large number of people in social housing, almost 30% of dwellings being housing association and local authority owned, and many more privately rented. There are two tiers of local government covering Harlow, at district and county level: Harlow Council and Essex County Council . The district council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since 2021. It
6900-408: The nineteenth century the railways allowed coastal resorts such as Clacton-on-Sea to develop and the Port of London to shift downriver to Tilbury . Subsequent development has included the new towns of Basildon and Harlow , the development of the Harwich International Port , and petroleum industry. Essex evolved from the Kingdom of the East Saxons , a polity which is likely to have its roots in
7000-444: The north. At the time of the 2011 Census, Harlow's population was recorded at 81,944 and its district had the third-highest proportion of social housing in England, 26.9%, a legacy of the 1947 commitment to re-house blitzed London families after World War II and provide a percentage of homes for other needy families who cannot afford market rents . There is some dispute as to where the place name Harlow derives from. One theory
7100-428: The orbital M25 motorway . Running through the town is the A414 , a major road between Hemel Hempstead and Maldon ; it links the town with the A10 to the west, which runs between London and King's Lynn . Another major road running from Harlow is the A1184, which leads to the nearby town of Bishop's Stortford via Sawbridgeworth . Bishop's Stortford is the closest large town to Stansted Airport , though Harlow
7200-487: The planning committee, in the planning process after he had attempted in telephone calls to persuade Mr Ghadami to consent to the scheme. In 2011, the government announced the creation of an enterprise zone in the town. Harlow Enterprise Zone consists of two separate sites under development, at Templefields and London Road, with the London Road site divided into north and south business parks. In 2022, Harlow Council
7300-962: The poor laws, administration of county prisons and setting the County Rate. JPs carried out these responsibilities, mainly through quarter sessions , and did this on a voluntary basis. John Archer-Houblon John Archer-Houblon (1 December 1773 – 31 May 1831) of Welford Park and Hallingbury Place was a British Member of Parliament . Houblon was the eldest son of merchant Jacob Houblon and his wife Susannah Archer of Hallingbury Place in Great Hallingbury . His younger sisters were Maria Houblon (wife of Rev. Ambrose Alexander Cotton) and Letitia Houblon (wife of Frederic Louis von Feilitzsch). His maternal grandparents were John Archer (son of William Archer , MP for Berkshire ) and Lady Mary Fitzwilliam (a daughter of John Fitzwilliam, 2nd Earl Fitzwilliam , and sister to Lady Anne Fitzwilliam,
7400-761: The project was granted in January 2023, with construction beginning in May 2024. Arriva Herts & Essex operate a large number of local routes within the town. key destinations outside of Harlow include Bishop's Stortford , Stansted Airport and Chelmsford . Arriva also operate the Greenline 724 route, providing a service between Harlow and Heathrow Airport via Hertford and Watford . Central Connect also operate several local services within Harlow, as well as connections to other nearby towns, such as Epping , Ongar , Cheshunt and Waltham Abbey . First Essex operate
7500-547: The relocation of the Harlow Football Stadium and the building of a new hotel, apartments and a restaurant adjacent to Harlow Town railway station . Phase 2 of this scheme involved the construction of 530 eco-homes on the former sports centre site and the building of the Harlow Leizurezone adjacent to the town's college in the early 2010s. Other major developments under consideration include both
7600-417: The rest heading to London, some directly – via Bow Bridge and others may have gone via Kent. A large force of Kentish rebels under Wat Tyler , who may himself have been from Essex, also advanced on London while revolt also spread to a number of other parts of the country. The rebels gained access to the walled City of London and gained control of the Tower of London . They carried out extensive looting in
7700-528: The second wife of Francis Godolphin, 2nd Baron Godolphin , and William Fitzwilliam, 3rd Earl Fitzwilliam ). His paternal grandfather was Jacob Houblon , MP, and grandson of Sir John Hynde Cotton, 3rd Baronet , MP and Treasurer of the Chamber . He was educated at Felsted School , Charterhouse School from 1784 to 1791, and Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1791. He succeeded his maternal grandfather in 1800, inheriting Welford Park , Berkshire and took
7800-461: The security of the walls. The Siege of Colchester followed, but ten weeks' starvation and news of Royalist defeats elsewhere led the Royalists to surrender. The ceremonial county of Essex is bounded by Kent , south of the Thames Estuary ; Greater London to the south-west; Hertfordshire , broadly west of the River Lea and the Stort ; Cambridgeshire to the northwest; Suffolk broadly north of
7900-634: The south-west, and in the north-east shares Dedham Vale area of outstanding natural beauty with Suffolk. The coast is one of the longest of any English county, at 562 miles (905 km). It is deeply indented by estuaries, the largest being those of the Stour , which forms the Suffolk border, the Colne , Blackwater , Crouch , and the Thames in the south. Parts of the coast are wetland and salt marsh, including
8000-578: The territory of the Iron Age Trinovantes tribe. In the Iron Age, Essex and parts of southern Suffolk were controlled by the local Trinovantes tribe. Their production of their own coinage marks them out as one of the more advanced tribes on the island, this advantage (in common with other tribes in the south-east) is probably due to the Belgic element within their elite. Their capital
8100-535: The town centre also underwent major regeneration, with the new Civic Centre being built and the town's famous Water Gardens being redeveloped in the 2000s, a landscape listed by English Heritage . Despite this development, the main shopping area of the town has been stagnating for some time, not helped by the closure of two of the Harvey Centre's anchor tenants - these being BHS and M&S. In 2004, Harlow businessman Mo Ghadami won his High Court case to block
8200-541: The town centre to Epping tube station , which is on London Underground 's Central line . In 2021, Harlow District Council proposed extending the Central line from its eastern terminus at Epping to Harlow. It argued this would reduce travel times to Epping and London, and help with efforts add 19,000 new homes to the town and expand the population to 130,000. However, no funding has been allocated for this proposed extension. Harlow can be accessed from junctions 7 and 7a of
8300-481: The town to the town centre and industrial areas. The cycle network is composed mostly of the original old town roads. The town's authorities built Britain's first pedestrian precinct, and first modern-style residential tower block , The Lawn, constructed in 1951; it is now a Grade II listed building. Gibberd's tromp-l'oeil terrace in Orchard Croft and Dawbarn's maisonette blocks at Pennymead are also notable, as
8400-504: The town's original buildings. Subsequently, many of the original town buildings, including most of its health centres, the Staple Tye shopping centre and many industrial units have been rebuilt. Gibberd's original town hall, a landmark in the town built in 1958, was demolished and replaced by Harlow Civic Centre and The Water Gardens shopping area in the 2000s. Since becoming a new town, Harlow has undergone several stages of expansion,
8500-418: The town, including Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya , Leonard Manasseh , Michael Neylan, E C P Monson, William Crabtree, Maxwell Fry , Jane Drew , Graham Dawbarn, H. T. Cadbury-Brown and Gerard Goalen . Goalen designed his first church in the town, Our Lady of Fatima , which is a Grade II* listed building . Harlow has one of the most extensive cycle track networks in the country, connecting all areas of
8600-651: The way in which these settlers became ascendent in the territory of the Trinovantes is not known. Studies suggest a pattern of typically peaceful co-existence, with the structure of the Romano-British landscape being maintained, and with the Saxon settlers believed to have been in the minority. The first known king of the East Saxons was Sledd in 587, though there are less reliable sources giving an account of Aescwine (other versions call him Erkenwine) founding
8700-449: The west of the town for easy motorway access, Sir Fredrick Gibberd was appalled when the motorway was eventually built to the east of the town instead, describing it as "just about the most monstrous thing to ever happen to me as a planner" during a 1982 interview. The M11 motorway places the town within a short distance of Stansted Airport , the A120 to Braintree via Great Dunmow , and
8800-429: The west. The largest settlement is Southend-on-Sea , and the county town is Chelmsford . The county has an area of 3,670 km (1,420 sq mi) and a population of 1,832,751. After Southend-on-Sea (182,305), the largest settlements are Colchester (130,245), Basildon (115,955) and Chelmsford (110,625). The south of the county is very densely populated, and the remainder, besides Colchester and Chelmsford,
8900-601: Was able to receive reinforcements and then crush the rebellion in Essex and elsewhere. His forces defeated rebels in battle at Billericay on 28 June, and there were mass executions including hangings and disembowellings at Chelmsford and Colchester. In 1471, during the Wars of the Roses a force of around 2,000 Essex supporters of the Lancastrian cause crossed Bow Bridge to join with 3,000 Kentish Lancastrian supporters under
9000-517: Was awarded £23.7 million from the government's Towns Fund to be used for several large investments in the town. These include the development of a new bus station and transport hub, regeneration of Broad Walk in the town and a new sustainable transport corridor between the town centre and Harlow Town station. The majority of these works are underway as of mid 2024, with completion of the programme expected by March 2026. A government policy to allow developers to convert office space to residential has led to
9100-600: Was destroyed in pitched battle, known as the Massacre of the Ninth Legion . The rebels then proceeded to sack London and St Albans , with Tacitus estimating that 70–80,000 people were killed in the destruction of the three cities. Boudicca was defeated in battle, somewhere in the west midlands, and the Romans are likely to have ravaged the lands of the rebel tribes, so Essex will have suffered greatly. Despite this,
9200-474: Was developed much later, in the thirteenth century. After the arrival of the Normans , the Forest of Essex was established as a royal forest , however, at that time, the term was a legal term. There was a weak correlation between the area covered by the Forest of Essex (the large majority of the county) and the much smaller area covered by woodland. An analysis of Domesday returns for Essex has shown that
9300-413: Was drawn up in 1947 by Sir Frederick Gibberd . The town was planned from the outset and was designed to respect the existing landscape. Sylvia Crowe , the landscape architect, worked on Harlow New Town between 1948 and 1958. A number of landscape wedges - which later became known as Green Wedges - were designed to cut through the town and separate the neighbourhoods of the town. The development incorporated
9400-521: Was due to be completed in early 2010, phase one is already complete and is listed as having had £3.6 million of funding from the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF). The scheme includes construction of a shared use cycleway and development to the bus service along First Avenue and into the Newhall development site where 'high quality bus' services between Harlow town centre and Harlow Town railway station are listed as part of
9500-767: Was established. On Sebert's death in 616 his sons renounced Christianity and drove out Mellitus , the Bishop of London . The kingdom re-converted after St Cedd , a monk from Lindisfarne and now the patron saint of Essex, converted Sigeberht II the Good around 653. In AD 824, Ecgberht , the King of the Wessex and grandfather of Alfred the Great , defeated the Mercians at the Battle of Ellandun in Wiltshire, fundamentally changing
9600-520: Was formed from the core area, east of the River Lea , of the former Kingdom of the East Saxons in the 9th or 10th centuries and divided into groupings called Hundreds . Before the Norman conquest the East Saxons were subsumed into the Kingdom of England . Having conquered England, William the Conqueror initially based himself at Barking Abbey , an already ancient nunnery, for several months while
9700-530: Was formed in 1889. The county was made a non-metropolitan county (a new type of adminsitrative county) in 1974, meaning the role of the administrative county was redefined, as part of the 1970s local government reorganisation . Its present boundaries were set in 1998 when Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea were separated from the non-metropolitan county to become unitary authorities. In 1997 the Lieutenancies Act defined Essex for ceremonial purposes as
9800-561: Was one of several towns to be built around a pre existing village,Harlow was designated a new town on 25 March 1947. It was one of several new towns built under the New Towns Act of 1946, passed after World War II to ease overcrowding in London and the surrounding areas due to the devastation caused by the bombing during the Blitz. Other post-war new towns included Basildon , Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead . The master plan for Harlow
9900-538: Was the oppidum (a type of town) of Colchester, Britain's oldest recorded town, which had its own mint. The tribe were in extended conflict with their western neighbours, the Catuvellauni , and steadily lost ground. By AD 10 they had come under the complete control of the Catuvellauni, who took Colchester as their own capital. The Roman invasion of AD 43 began with a landing on the south coast, probably in
10000-618: Was very poor due to the war with France , so a new Poll Tax was levied with commissioners being sent round the country to interrogate local officials in an attempt to ensure tax evasion was reduced and more money extracted. This was hugely unpopular and the Peasants' Revolt broke out in Brentwood on 1 June 1381. The revolt was partly inspired by the egalitarian preaching of the radical Essex priest John Ball . Several thousand Essex rebels gathered at Bocking on 4 June, and then divided. Some heading to Suffolk to raise rebellion there, with
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