129-661: The River Roach is a river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex . It is one of four main streams that originate in the Rayleigh Hills to the west, and flow east. They then flow towards the centre of the Rochford Basin, a circular feature which may have been caused by an asteroid impact in the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene periods. To the east of Rochford, the river becomes tidal, and
258-518: A ceremonial county, or be a district tier within a shire county , be a royal or metropolitan borough , have borough or city status , or be a unitary authority . At the community level, much of England is divided into civil parishes with their own councils ; in Greater London only one such parish, Queen's Park , exists as of 2014 after they were abolished in 1965 until legislation allowed their recreation in 2007. From 1994 until
387-630: A council chamber and committee rooms. A new County Hall was built between 1929 and 1939 between Market Road, Threadneedle Street and Duke Street in Chelmsford, adjoining the 1909 office block. The new County Hall included a council chamber, which was formally opened on 23 September 1938. The council's London premises at Finsbury Square were destroyed in the Blitz during the Second World War . Further extensions were added to County Hall in
516-512: A geographical frame of reference. Of these, 38 developed gradually since the Middle Ages ; these were reformed to 51 in 1974 and to their current number in 1996. Each has a Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff ; these posts are used to represent the British monarch locally. Some counties, such as Herefordshire , are only divided further into civil parishes. The royal county of Berkshire and
645-487: A north-easterly direction along the western boundary of Southend Airport to join the Noblesgreen Ditch at Rochford Golf Course. The Eastwood Brook has an Environment Agency monitoring station at Cherry Orchard Way. The Hawkwell Brook rises on the edge of Hockley Woods , to the north of the former HM Prison Bullwood Hall . It flows eastwards, through the woods and to the south of Great Bull Wood, and runs across
774-660: A profound and permanent effect on the English language. Subsequently, the House of Plantagenet from Anjou inherited the English throne under Henry II , adding England to the budding Angevin Empire of fiefs the family had inherited in France including Aquitaine . They reigned for three centuries, some noted monarchs being Richard I , Edward I , Edward III and Henry V . The period saw changes in trade and legislation, including
903-742: A separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union brought into effect a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland that created the Kingdom of Great Britain . England is the origin of the English language , the English legal system (which served as the basis for the common law systems of many other countries), association football , and the Anglican branch of Christianity; its parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into
1032-450: A struggle for hegemony between Northumbria and Mercia, which in the 8th century gave way to Mercian preeminence. In the early 9th century Mercia was displaced as the foremost kingdom by Wessex. Later in that century escalating attacks by the Danes culminated in the conquest of the north and east of England, overthrowing the kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia. Wessex under Alfred
1161-538: A water wheel as the tide fell. On spring tides, this gave around 7 hours of operation, which gradually decreased as the tides reduced, and at neap tides, the operation of the mill was entirely dependent on the flow from the upper river. Rankins, the millers, objected to plans by the Great Eastern Railway to build a dam and reservoirs in Rochford, as it would damage their operation, but a single reservoir
1290-492: A weir (see image) supplies a feeder channel to the 1.2 ha Cherry Orchard Lake. The stream flows under Cherry Orchard Way (B1013), past Southend Airport and on through Rochford Hundred Golf Course, where it is joined by Eastwood Brook, to reach Rochford . It passes under the Shenfield to Southend Line , and then over a weir, which ensures that water fills Rochford Reservoir, built by the Great Eastern Railway in 1904. Then it
1419-671: A westerly and south-westerly direction to become the Rayleigh Hills, in Rayleigh and Thundersley . The basin is approximately 3.7 to 4.3 miles (6.0 to 6.9 km) in diameter, and its base consists of London Clay covered by a layer of sands, gravels, and river brick-earths, dating from the Upper Pleistocene period. The hills also consist of London Clay in their lower levels, but are covered by Claygate Beds , between 56 and 75 feet (17 and 23 m) thick, and where they are highest, by Bagshot Beds . Four main streams drain from
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#17327803535491548-573: Is a non-departmental public body, established in 1995 and sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with responsibilities relating to the protection and enhancement of the environment in England. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the minister responsible for environmental protection, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in England. Essex County Council Essex County Council
1677-412: Is also applied to England in a more poetic capacity, though its original meaning is the island of Britain as a whole. The earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor , dating to about 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago. Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during
1806-492: Is damp relatively frequently and is changeable. The coldest months are January and February, the latter particularly on the English coast , while July is normally the warmest month. Months with mild to warm weather are May, June, September and October. Rainfall is spread fairly evenly throughout the year. Important influences on the climate of England are its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean , its northern latitude and
1935-605: Is governed by the Crouch Harbour Authority. It joins the River Crouch between Wallasea Island and Foulness Island. To the west of Rochford, there is some doubt as to which of the four streams is officially the Roach. At Stambridge, there was a tidal mill from at least the 1500s, although few details are known until it was rebuilt in 1809. A pound was filled by the incoming tide, and was released to drive
2064-641: Is governed directly by the Parliament of the United Kingdom , although other countries of the United Kingdom have devolved governments. There has been debate about how to counterbalance this in England. Originally it was planned that various regions of England would be devolved, but following the proposal's rejection by the North East in a 2004 referendum , this has not been carried out. In 2024, an England-only intergovernmental body, known as
2193-669: Is high moorland in upland areas, indented by fertile valleys of the region's rivers. They contain two national parks , the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District . In the West Country , Dartmoor and Exmoor of the Southwest Peninsula include upland moorland supported by granite. The English Lowlands are in the central and southern regions of the country, consisting of green rolling hills, including
2322-744: Is joined by the Roach, and the overflow from the reservoir empties into it soon afterwards. The Eastwood Brook is a 7.519 km watercourse comprising one of the tributaries of the River Roach. It has a catchment area of 1133.71 ha. It arises adjacent to the Weir roundabout (51°34'38"N 0°35'58"E), at an elevation of 200 ft above ordnance datum. It flows in an easterly direction to the north of Wyburns school, then south-east to Rayleigh Downs Road. It then runs south of, and parallel to, Rayleigh Road before flowing under Rayleigh Road, Whitehouse Lane, Western Approaches, Cherry Orchard Way and Aviation Way. It then flows in
2451-780: Is known as the lost colony after it was found abandoned on the return of the late-arriving supply ship. With the East India Company , England also competed with the Dutch and French in the East. During the Elizabethan period, England was at war with Spain. An armada sailed from Spain in 1588 as part of a wider plan to invade England and re-establish a Catholic monarchy. The plan was thwarted by bad coordination, stormy weather and successful harrying attacks by an English fleet under Lord Howard of Effingham . This failure did not end
2580-623: Is mostly found in the north and west, including Dartmoor , the Lake District , the Pennines , and the Shropshire Hills . The country's capital is London , the metropolitan area of which has a population of 14.2 million as of 2021, representing the United Kingdom's largest metropolitan area. England's population of 56.3 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated around London,
2709-458: Is part of the United Kingdom, a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system . There has not been a government of England since 1707, when the Acts of Union 1707 , putting into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union , joined England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain . Before the union England was ruled by its monarch and the Parliament of England . Today England
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#17327803535492838-496: Is shown on their charts. The Roach flows past Purdeys Industrial Estate, Rochford, which is very close to the threshold of Runway 24. Pilots returning from a flight north east of the airport would use the Roach to help align themselves with the runway. The Roach can be seen in the centre left of the photo. The runway can just be seen to the left of the Compass . The photo was taken 2.25 miles (3.62 km) or 1.96 nautical miles from
2967-472: Is similar to that of other areas in the British Isles with a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate life in a diverse range of habitats. National nature reserves in England are designated by Natural England as key places for wildlife and natural features in England. They were established to protect the most significant areas of habitat and of geological formations. NNRs are managed on behalf of
3096-691: Is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England . It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and has been under Conservative majority control since 2001. The council meets at County Hall in the centre of Chelmsford . It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association . Elected county councils were created under the Local Government Act 1888 , taking over many administrative functions that had previously been performed by magistrates at
3225-519: The 1535–1542 acts . There were internal religious conflicts during the reigns of Henry's daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I . The former took the country back to Catholicism while the latter broke from it again, forcefully asserting the supremacy of Anglicanism . The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor age of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I ("the Virgin Queen"). Historians often depict it as
3354-643: The Age of Discovery . Henry VIII broke from communion with the Catholic Church, over issues relating to his divorce, under the Acts of Supremacy in 1534 which proclaimed the monarch head of the Church of England . In contrast with much of European Protestantism , the roots of the split were more political than theological. He also legally incorporated his ancestral land Wales into the Kingdom of England with
3483-583: The Angeln region of what is now the German state of Schleswig-Holstein . The earliest recorded use of the term, as " Engla londe ", is in the late-ninth-century translation into Old English of Bede 's Ecclesiastical History of the English People . The term was then used to mean "the land inhabited by the English", and it included English people in what is now south-east Scotland but was then part of
3612-590: The Battle of Trafalgar confirmed the naval supremacy Britain had established during the course of the eighteenth century. The Napoleonic Wars fostered a concept of Britishness and a united national British people , shared with the English, Scots and Welsh. London became the largest and most populous metropolitan area in the world during the Victorian era , and trade within the British Empire – as well as
3741-536: The Battle of Watling Street . The author of one study of Roman Britain suggested that from 43 AD to 84 AD, the Roman invaders killed somewhere between 100,000 and 250,000 people from a population of perhaps 2,000,000. This era saw a Greco-Roman culture prevail with the introduction of Roman law , Roman architecture , aqueducts , sewers , many agricultural items and silk. In the 3rd century, Emperor Septimius Severus died at Eboracum (now York ), where Constantine
3870-676: The British Isles , but also from the Commonwealth , particularly the Indian subcontinent . Since the 1970s there has been a large move away from manufacturing and an increasing emphasis on the service industry . As part of the United Kingdom, the area joined a common market initiative called the European Economic Community which became the European Union . Since the late 20th century the administration of
3999-610: The Cotswold Hills , Chiltern Hills , North and South Downs ; where they meet the sea they form white rock exposures such as the cliffs of Dover . This also includes relatively flat plains such as the Salisbury Plain , Somerset Levels , South Coast Plain and The Fens . England has a temperate maritime climate : it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0 °C (32 °F) in winter and not much higher than 32 °C (90 °F) in summer. The weather
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4128-690: The Court of Appeal , the High Court of Justice for civil cases, and the Crown Court for criminal cases. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the highest court for criminal and civil cases in England and Wales . It was created in 2009 after constitutional changes, taking over the judicial functions of the House of Lords . A decision of the Supreme Court is binding on every other court in
4257-583: The Courts of England and Wales continued, under the Treaty of Union , as a separate legal system from the one used in Scotland . The general essence of English law is that it is made by judges sitting in courts, applying their common sense and knowledge of legal precedent – stare decisis – to the facts before them. The court system is headed by the Senior Courts of England and Wales, consisting of
4386-623: The Essex County Fire and Rescue Service . At the 2011 census Essex County Council served a population of 1,393,600, making it one of the largest local authorities in England. County council functions include social care, transport, education and many others. The council has had a Conservative majority since 2001. Political control of the county council since the reforms of the Local Government Act 1972 took effect on 1 April 1974 has been as follows: The leaders of
4515-736: The French Revolution , under George III and William Pitt the Younger . The regency of George IV is noted for its elegance and achievements in the fine arts and architecture. During the Napoleonic Wars , Napoleon planned to invade from the south-east ; however, this failed to manifest and the Napoleonic forces were defeated by the British: at sea by Horatio Nelson , and on land by Arthur Wellesley . The major victory at
4644-415: The Great Eastern Railway wanted to build a reservoir near Rochford railway station , by constructing a weir across the stream. They argued that it damaged their business. At spring tides, the mill pound filled to a depth of 4 feet (1.2 m) above the level of the cill, and this provided enough water to run the mill for 7 hours, but the level and the length of time the mill could be operated dropped off as
4773-735: The Labour Party , 116 from the Conservative Party , 65 from the Liberal Democrats , five for Reform UK and four for the Green Party of England and Wales . The English law legal system, developed over the centuries, is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States (except Louisiana ). Despite now being part of the United Kingdom, the legal system of
4902-556: The Latin word Anglii is used. The etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars; it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. How and why a term derived from the name of a tribe that was less significant than others, such as the Saxons , came to be used for the entire country is not known, but it seems this is related to
5031-722: The Mayoral Council for England , was established to bring together ministers from the UK Government , the Mayor of London and the leaders of combined authorities . In the House of Commons which is the lower house of the British Parliament based at the Palace of Westminster , there are 543 members of parliament (MPs) for constituencies in England, out of the 650 total. England is represented by 347 MPs from
5160-546: The Ministry of Justice , manages most prisons, housing 81,309 prisoners in England and Wales as of September 2022 . The subdivisions of England consist of up to four levels of subnational division , controlled through a variety of types of administrative entities created for the purposes of local government . Outside the London region, England's highest tier is the 48 ceremonial counties . These are used primarily as
5289-419: The Quarter Sessions . The first elections were held in January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889. The council held its first official meeting on 2 April 1889 at the Shire Hall in Chelmsford. The first chairman of the council was Andrew Johnston of Woodford , a Liberal , who held the post for 27 years until he stood down in 1916. The area governed by the county council (called
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5418-408: The Royal National Lifeboat Institution and an Essex fire service boat, which is also based at Burnham. The Environment Agency measure the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at
5547-518: The Severn is the longest river flowing through England. It empties into the Bristol Channel and is notable for its Severn Bore (a tidal bore ), which can reach 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. However, the longest river entirely in England is the Thames, which is 215 miles (346 km) in length. There are many lakes in England ; the largest is Windermere , within the aptly named Lake District . Most of England's landscape consists of low hills and plains, with upland and mountainous terrain in
5676-416: The South East , and conurbations in the Midlands , the North West , the North East , and Yorkshire , which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century. The name "England" is derived from the Old English name Englaland , which means "land of the Angles ". The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages . They came from
5805-479: The State Opening of Parliament by the British monarch when the doors of the House of Commons are slammed in the face of the monarch's messenger, symbolising the rights of Parliament and its independence from the monarch. With the founding of the Royal Society in 1660, science was greatly encouraged. In 1666 the Great Fire of London gutted the city of London, but it was rebuilt shortly afterward with many significant buildings designed by Sir Christopher Wren . By
5934-451: The Stuart dynasty England expanded in trade, finance and prosperity. The Royal Navy developed Europe's largest merchant fleet. After the parliaments of England and Scotland agreed, the two countries joined in political union , to create the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. To accommodate the union, institutions such as the law and national churches of each remained separate. Under the newly formed Kingdom of Great Britain, output from
6063-433: The Trinovantes . The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD during the reign of Emperor Claudius , subsequently conquering much of Britain , and the area was incorporated into the Roman Empire as Britannia province . The best-known of the native tribes who attempted to resist were the Catuvellauni led by Caratacus . Later, an uprising led by Boudica , Queen of the Iceni , ended with Boudica's suicide following her defeat at
6192-419: The Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years. After the last ice age only large mammals such as mammoths , bison and woolly rhinoceros remained. Roughly 11,000 years ago, when the ice sheets began to recede, humans repopulated the area; genetic research suggests they came from the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula . The sea level
6321-469: The Water Framework Directive . The water quality of the Roach system was as follows in 2019. The water quality improved after 2014, when all of the streams above Rochford had a chemical status of fail. However, like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good back to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and mercury compounds, none of which had previously been included in
6450-470: The canal age in Britain . In 1825 the world's first permanent steam locomotive-hauled passenger railway – the Stockton and Darlington Railway – opened to the public. During the Industrial Revolution , many workers moved from England's countryside to new and expanding urban industrial areas to work in factories, for instance at Birmingham and Manchester , with the latter the world's first industrial city. England maintained relative stability throughout
6579-435: The decline of the Roman Empire , Britain was left exposed by the end of Roman rule in Britain and the withdrawal of Roman army units, to defend the frontiers in continental Europe and partake in civil wars. Celtic Christian monastic and missionary movements flourished. This period of Christianity was influenced by ancient Celtic culture in its sensibilities, polity, practices and theology. Local "congregations" were centred in
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#17327803535496708-434: The golden age in English history that represented the apogee of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of great art, drama, poetry, music and literature. England during this period had a centralised, well-organised, and effective government. Competing with Spain , the first English colony in the Americas was founded in 1585 by explorer Walter Raleigh in Virginia and named Roanoke . The Roanoke colony failed and
6837-473: The jet engine led to wider air travel . Residential patterns were altered in England by private motoring, and by the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, providing publicly funded health care to all permanent residents free at the point of need. Combined, these prompted the reform of local government in England in the mid-20th century. Since the 20th century, there has been significant population movement to England, mostly from other parts of
6966-460: The " administrative county " until 1974) excluded county boroughs , which were towns considered large enough to provide their own county-level services. When the county council was established in 1889 there was one county borough within the wider county of Essex, at West Ham . Other county boroughs were subsequently created, removing them from the administrative county, being Southend-on-Sea in 1914 and East Ham in 1915. The administrative county
7095-450: The 1950s and 1960s, particularly along Market Road. Essex County Council operates a Youth Assembly, comprising 75 members aged between 11 and 19 who aim to represent young people across Essex. The initiative seeks to engage younger people in the county, with the youth councillors working with schools and youth centres to improve youth services in Essex and help voice concerns of younger people. The Youth Assembly also sends representatives to
7224-426: The 32 London Boroughs and the 25 Wards of the City of London . Geographically, England includes the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, plus such offshore islands as the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly . It is bordered by two other countries of the United Kingdom: to the north by Scotland and to the west by Wales. England is closer than any other part of mainland Britain to
7353-516: The 6th century. Contemporary texts describing this period are extremely scarce, giving rise to its description as a Dark Age . Details of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain are consequently subject to considerable disagreement; the emerging consensus is that it occurred on a large scale in the south and east but was less substantial to the north and west, where Celtic languages continued to be spoken even in areas under Anglo-Saxon control. Roman-dominated Christianity had, in general, been replaced in
7482-415: The Crouch Harbour. It is administered by the Crouch Harbour Authority, which was created by the Crouch Harbour Act 1974. It is a not-for-profit organisation and is based in Burnham-on-Crouch . As well as regulating all aspects of marine activity on the rivers, the Authority owns much of the river bed of the Crouch, and some parts of the Roach. The River Roach benefits from the Burnham inshore lifeboat run by
7611-448: The English kingdom of Northumbria . The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that the Domesday Book of 1086 covered the whole of England, meaning the English kingdom, but a few years later the Chronicle stated that King Malcolm III went "out of Scotlande into Lothian in Englaland", thus using it in the more ancient sense. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus , Germania , in which
7740-416: The European continent. It is separated from France ( Hauts-de-France ) by a 21-mile (34 km) sea gap, though the two countries are connected by the Channel Tunnel near Folkestone . England also has shores on the Irish Sea , North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The ports of London, Liverpool , and Newcastle lie on the tidal rivers Thames , Mersey and Tyne respectively. At 220 miles (350 km),
7869-403: The Great was left as the only surviving English kingdom, and under his successors, it steadily expanded at the expense of the kingdoms of the Danelaw . This brought about the political unification of England, first accomplished under Æthelstan in 927 and definitively established after further conflicts by Eadred in 953. A fresh wave of Scandinavian attacks from the late 10th century ended with
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#17327803535497998-430: The Grove Playing Fields, and past Rayleigh Sewage Works where its flow is augmented by the discharge from the reed-bed purification system. With an outflow of 179 litres/second or 15534 m/day, the sewage works is the largest flow into the ditch. It runs south of Rewreth Hall Wood, north of Grove Woods, and past New England Wood. From there, it flows through the Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park, past The Scrubs (wood) where
8127-496: The Horse and Groom public house. The River Roach then continues east, running through flood plain marshes before discharging into the northern arm of the River Roach at Stambridge Mills, 0.6 miles (1 km) downstream from the town. Just after this point, Sutton Wharf with jetties, slipways, a boatyard and moorings, is on the south bank. This is where its main tributary, the Prittle Brook from Leigh-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea joins as its southern arm. From Stambridge Mills eastwards,
8256-469: The Hunting Dogs". The River Roach was originally called the "Walfleet" or "Walflete" (Creek of the foreigners). It is believed that it was renamed the Roach in what is known as a back formation . This is where it is assumed that Rochford means ford over the River Roach, so they could have renamed the river to fit the theory. Until the 1900s, Oysters from the River Roach and sometimes from the River Crouch were called Walfleet (or Walflete) Oysters. Which one of
8385-439: The North, and the successful Norman Conquest in October 1066, accomplished by an army led by Duke William of Normandy invading at Hastings late September 1066. The Normans themselves originated from Scandinavia and had settled in Normandy in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. This conquest led to the almost total dispossession of the English elite and its replacement by a new French-speaking aristocracy, whose speech had
8514-408: The Pope. During the 14th century, the Plantagenets and the House of Valois claimed to be legitimate claimants to the House of Capet and of France; the two powers clashed in the Hundred Years' War . The Black Death epidemic hit England ; starting in 1348, it eventually killed up to half of England's inhabitants . Between 1453 and 1487, a civil war known as the War of the Roses waged between
8643-479: The Rayleigh Hills, and flow in a generally easterly direction until they reach the Rochford Basin. The southernmost is the Prittle Brook . Next comes the Eastwood Brook, and then the Noblesgreen Ditch. The fourth stream originates in Hockley Woods , and is joined by a fifth in Hawkwell , on the edge of the Rochford Basin. Once they enter the basin, they all flow towards its centre, and join up near Rochford. The way in which they are all roughly parallel until they reach
8772-423: The River Roach is tidal and becomes a wide river. It passes Great Stambridge Hall, Mucking Hall, Barton Hall and Roper's Farm. Barlinghall Creek joins Potton Creek and is called "The Violet" before it joins the Roach on the right bank. From here the Roach is about 440 yards (400 m) wide. It passes Paglesham , significant for its native oysters and the location of Charles Darwin 's HMS Beagle which lies under
8901-426: The River Roach. The Environment Agency , who are responsible for measuring the water quality of English rivers, label the third stream as the Noblesgreen Ditch, and the fourth stream, from Hockley and Hawkwell, as the Roach. However, the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment prepared for Rochford District Council includes a map of the tributaries of the Roach, on which the third stream is called Noblesgreen Ditch, and parts of
9030-685: The Royal Society and other English initiatives combined with the Scottish Enlightenment to create innovations in science and engineering, while the enormous growth in British overseas trade protected by the Royal Navy paved the way for the establishment of the British Empire . Domestically it drove the Industrial Revolution , a period of profound change in the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of England, resulting in industrialised agriculture, manufacture, engineering and mining, as well as new and pioneering road, rail and water networks to facilitate their expansion and development. The opening of Northwest England's Bridgewater Canal in 1761 ushered in
9159-459: The Shenfield to Southend Railway and then alongside it, to the junction on the north side of Rectory Road. Now officially the Roach, it turns to the south east, passing under Rectory Road, and continuing to Rochford, running broadly parallel to Ironwell Lane. It then crosses beneath the railway and Hall Road, running beside Bradley Way to reach its junction with Noblesgreen Ditch by Rochford Reservoir. At Salt Bridge it passes under South Street beside
9288-628: The Shoebury Artillery Range is not in operation before crossing the sands. The Roach passes eastwards between Foulness Island and Wallasea Island and then it turns northwards between them, where it widens to almost 660 yards (600 m) until it joins the River Crouch at Wallasea Ness on the Ness Hole. The combined rivers then flow eastwards past Holliwell Point and discharge into the North Sea at Foulness Point. At Stambridge,
9417-432: The United Kingdom has moved towards devolved governance in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England and Wales continues to exist as a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. Devolution has stimulated a greater emphasis on a more English-specific identity and patriotism. There is no devolved English government, but an attempt to create a similar system on a sub-regional basis was rejected by referendum . England
9546-555: The United Kingdom as part of the Allies . Two decades later, in World War II , the United Kingdom was again one of the Allies . Developments in warfare technology saw many cities damaged by air-raids during the Blitz . Following the war, the British Empire experienced rapid decolonisation , and there was a speeding-up of technological innovations; automobiles became the primary means of transport and Frank Whittle 's development of
9675-577: The area, the Beaker culture people made bronze , and later iron from iron ores. The development of iron smelting allowed the construction of better ploughs , advancing agriculture (for instance, with Celtic fields ), as well as the production of more effective weapons. During the Iron Age , Celtic culture , deriving from the Hallstatt and La Tène cultures , arrived from Central Europe. Brythonic
9804-493: The assessment. The Food Standards Agency imposed a ban on the catching of shellfish in March 2015, when extremely high levels of the pathogen E. coli were found in the reach at Barton Hall. The problem was traced to faulty plumbing at a number of homes, which resulted in raw sewage entering the river. Although Anglian Water were not responsible for the faulty workmanship, they rectified the problem, and carried out other work to
9933-767: The auspices of James VI and I the Authorised King James Version of the Holy Bible was published in 1611. It was the standard version of the Bible read by most Protestant Christians for four hundred years until modern revisions were produced in the 20th century. Based on conflicting political, religious and social positions, the English Civil War was fought between the supporters of Parliament and those of King Charles I , known colloquially as Roundheads and Cavaliers respectively. This
10062-435: The basin, and then change direction, together with the presence of a small chalk inlier near Stambridge Mill, when the chalk layer throughout the area is between 360 and 520 feet (110 and 160 m) below sea level, has led Stratford to suggest that the Rochford Basin may be the result of an impact by an asteroid in the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene periods. Rochford takes its name from Rochefort, Old English for "Ford of
10191-585: The conquered territories by Anglo-Saxon paganism , but was reintroduced by missionaries from Rome led by Augustine from 597. Disputes between the Roman- and Celtic-dominated forms of Christianity ended in victory for the Roman tradition at the Council of Whitby (664), which was ostensibly about tonsures (clerical haircuts) and the date of Easter, but more significantly, about the differences in Roman and Celtic forms of authority, theology, and practice. During
10320-541: The conquest of this united kingdom by Sweyn Forkbeard in 1013 and again by his son Cnut in 1016, turning it into the centre of a short-lived North Sea Empire that also included Denmark and Norway . However, the native royal dynasty was restored with the accession of Edward the Confessor in 1042. A dispute over the succession to Edward led to an unsuccessful Norwegian Invasion in September 1066 close to York in
10449-426: The council since 1996 have been: Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections up to July 2024, the composition of the council was as follows: The Canvey Island Independents, Green, Loughton Residents, Residents for Uttlesford, Rochford Residents and the three independent councillors all sit together as the "Non-aligned Group". The next election is due in 2025. Since the last boundary changes in 2005
10578-529: The council has comprised 75 councillors representing 70 electoral divisions , each electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years. The council is based at County Hall on Market Road in Chelmsford . From its creation in 1889 until 1938 the council met four times a year at Shire Hall in Chelmsford but met at other times at premises near Liverpool Street station in London , which
10707-454: The course of the fifth and sixth centuries, initially in the eastern part of the country. Their advance was contained for some decades after the Britons' victory at the Battle of Mount Badon , but subsequently resumed, overrunning the fertile lowlands of Britain and reducing the area under Brittonic control to a series of separate enclaves in the more rugged country to the west by the end of
10836-400: The creeks around Wallasea Island , Foulness Island, Potton Island , New England Island , Havengore Island and Rushley Island . The tidal flow around the creeks between those latter islands considerably affects the tides in the River Roach. Those creeks and tidal flows also enhance the River Roach's habitat and conditions for oyster cultivation and fish spawning. The River Roach is part of
10965-883: The custom of calling the Germanic people in Britain Angli Saxones or English Saxons to distinguish them from continental Saxons (Eald-Seaxe) of Old Saxony in Germany. In Scottish Gaelic , the Saxon tribe gave their name to the word for England ( Sasunn ); similarly, the Welsh name for the English language is Saesneg . A romantic name for England is Loegria , related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr , and made popular by its use in Arthurian legend . Albion
11094-637: The early 2010s England was divided for a few purposes into regions; a 1998 referendum for the London Region created the London Assembly two years later. A failed 2004 North East England devolution referendum cancelled further regional assembly devolution with the regional structure outside London abolished. Ceremonially and administratively, the region is divided between the City of London and Greater London ; these are further divided into
11223-482: The four main streams draining the Rayleigh Hills and entering the Rochford Basin is the Roach is ambiguous. Modern Ordnance Survey maps, and all historical editions since they were first published, do not name any of the streams to the west of Rochford. Essex County Council , who publish a 16-page walking guide to the Roach Valley Way, a 23-mile (37 km) route around the district, label the third stream as
11352-486: The fourth stream are called the Hawkwell Brook and River Roach. This usage has been followed here. Noblesgreen Ditch rises in the hill near The Gattens and Nelson Road, which are either side of Hockley Road, Rayleigh. The stream is joined by several others, and then runs south, under Bull Lane, beside then under The Chase where it turns to run east behind Milton Close and Bramfield Road East. It then passes north of
11481-538: The hierarchy, which must follow its directions. The Secretary of State for Justice is the minister responsible to Parliament for the judiciary , the court system and prisons and probation in England. Crime increased between 1981 and 1995 but fell by 42% in the period 1995–2006. The prison population doubled over the same period, giving it one of the highest incarceration rates in Western Europe at 147 per 100,000. His Majesty's Prison Service , reporting to
11610-453: The metropolitan counties have different types of status to other ceremonial counties. The second tier is made up of combined authorities and the 27 county-tier shire counties . In 1974, all ceremonial counties were two-tier; and with the metropolitan county tier phased out, the 1996 reform separated the ceremonial county and the administrative county tier. England is also divided into local government districts. The district can align to
11739-707: The mid-to-late 17th century, two political factions had emerged – the Tories and Whigs . Though the Tories initially supported Catholic king James II , some of them, along with the Whigs, during the Revolution of 1688 invited the Dutch Prince William of Orange to defeat James and become the king. Some English people, especially in the north, were Jacobites and continued to support James and his sons. Under
11868-493: The mill pond in 1858, bought the mill for £4,500 when it came up for sale in 1867. The Rankin family owned and ran the mill until 1962. A steam-powered mill was built to supplement the tide mill in 1872, but it burnt down in 1878. It was replaced by a five-storey building, constructed of brick, which became the mainstay of the business. The tidal pound gradually silted up, but the tide mill continued to be used until around 1951. The tidal pound covered around 3 acres (1.2 ha) and
11997-432: The modern river transforms from a fairly small channel to a wide tidal estuary. This was once the site of a tide mill . The earliest records for such a mill at Stambridge date from 1500, but apart from the fact that it was rebuilt in 1762, few other details from this period are known. However, in 1809, a new four-storey timber-framed mill was erected on the site. William Hugh Rankin leased the mill in 1824, and after enlarging
12126-569: The monastic community and monastic leaders were more like chieftains, as peers, rather than in the more hierarchical system of the Roman-dominated church. Roman military withdrawals left Britain open to invasion by pagan, seafaring warriors from north-western continental Europe, chiefly the Saxons, Angles , Jutes and Frisians who had long raided the coasts of the Roman province. These groups then began to settle in increasing numbers over
12255-588: The mud near Paglesham . The Paglesham Reach is also significant for its native oysters. The River Roach flows across the Rochford Basin, a nearly circular topographical basin, with Rochford near its centre. To the south is the River Thames, and to the north, the River Crouch, but the basin is surrounded on three sides by the low hills of Canewdon , Ashingdon , Hockley , Eastwood , Westcliff-on-Sea , Prittlewell and Southend-on-Sea . These continue in
12384-560: The mud west of Paglesham's boatyard and slipway. After being retired from the Royal Navy in 1845, the vessel was used by the Coast Guard as a watch ship. It was moved to the centre of the river near Paglesham in 1850, eventually becoming Watch Ship No. 7 . Its condition deteriorated, and it was moved to the shore in 1863, to be sold for breaking up in 1870. A six-year archaeological investigation ending in 2008 concluded that much of
12513-611: The nation, many by Natural England themselves, but also by non-governmental organisations, including the members of The Wildlife Trusts partnership, the National Trust , and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds . There are 221 NNRs in England covering 110,000 hectares (1,100 square kilometres). Often they contain rare species or nationally important populations of plants and animals. . The Environment Agency
12642-644: The north and Wales to the west, and is otherwise surrounded by the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, the Celtic Sea to the south-west, and the Irish Sea to the west. Continental Europe lies to the south-east, and Ireland to the west. At the 2021 census , the population was 56,490,048. London is both the largest city and the capital . The area now called England
12771-613: The north and west of the country. The northern uplands include the Pennines , a chain of uplands dividing east and west, the Lake District mountains in Cumbria, and the Cheviot Hills , straddling the border between England and Scotland. The highest point in England, at 978 metres (3,209 ft), is Scafell Pike in the Lake District. The Shropshire Hills are near Wales while Dartmoor and Exmoor are two upland areas in
12900-760: The northern end of Belchamps Scout Centre. It is culverted under Elmwood Avenue, and re-emerges to pass under the B1013 Main Road and Thorpe Close in Hawkwell. From this point it is designated as a main river, and is therefore the responsibility of the Environment Agency. It flows to the south of the Clements Hall Sports Complex, to be joined by the Hockley Brook, which rises near Southbourne Grove, Hockley, flows under
13029-416: The quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish, and chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations. Chemical status is rated good or fail. All of the tributaries above Rochford are designated as "heavily modified", which means that the channels have been altered by human activity, and the criteria for this designation are defined by
13158-555: The runway threshold. [REDACTED] Media related to River Roach at Wikimedia Commons England – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the United Kingdom (green) England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It is located on the island of Great Britain , of which it covers about 62%, and more than 100 smaller adjacent islands . It has land borders with Scotland to
13287-450: The settlement period the lands ruled by the incomers seem to have been fragmented into numerous tribal territories, but by the 7th century, when substantial evidence of the situation again becomes available, these had coalesced into roughly a dozen kingdoms including Northumbria , Mercia , Wessex , East Anglia , Essex , Kent and Sussex . Over the following centuries, this process of political consolidation continued. The 7th century saw
13416-470: The sewage system. The fishing ban was lifted in February 2017, when pathogen levels had returned to safe levels. Download coordinates as: Light aircraft based at Southend Airport use the Roach as a navigation aid to guide them back to the runway . When flying visually the visibility is not always good enough to see long distances, so pilots use geographic features to confirm their position with what
13545-477: The signing of Magna Carta , an English legal charter used to limit the sovereign's powers by law and protect the privileges of freemen. Catholic monasticism flourished, providing philosophers, and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge were founded with royal patronage. The Principality of Wales became a Plantagenet fief during the 13th century and the Lordship of Ireland was given to the English monarchy by
13674-565: The south and defines the western edge of Foulness Island. The Middleway creek splits to pass either side of Rushley Island, and becomes Havengore Creek once the two channels rejoin. Shallow-draughted boats can use Havengore Creek to access the river, but the route needs careful preparation, as there is a lifting bridge carrying the road to Foulness Island, which is only opened for a limited period either side of high tide. In addition, Havengore Creek opens out onto Maplin Sands, and boaters must check that
13803-636: The south-west of the country. The approximate dividing line between terrain types is often indicated by the Tees–Exe line . The Pennines, known as the "backbone of England", are the oldest range of mountains in the country, originating from the end of the Paleozoic Era around 300 million years ago. Their geological composition includes, among others, sandstone and limestone , and also coal. There are karst landscapes in calcite areas such as parts of Yorkshire and Derbyshire . The Pennine landscape
13932-547: The standing of the British military and navy – was prestigious. Technologically, this era saw many innovations that proved key to the United Kingdom's power and prosperity. Political agitation at home from radicals such as the Chartists and the suffragettes enabled legislative reform and universal suffrage . Power shifts in east-central Europe led to World War I; hundreds of thousands of English soldiers died fighting for
14061-491: The threat: Spain launched two further armadas, in 1596 and 1597 , but both were driven back by storms. The political structure of the island changed in 1603, when the King of Scots , James VI , a kingdom which had been a long-time rival to English interests, inherited the throne of England as James I, thereby creating a personal union . He styled himself King of Great Britain , although this had no basis in English law. Under
14190-428: The tides reduced, and at neap tides, the mill was wholly dependent on water from the upper river. The water wheel was of the breastshot type, and there was a drop of another 4 feet (1.2 m) between the cill and low water level in the river. The wheel was stated to be 10 feet (3.0 m) wide (which seems more realistic than Charlier and Finkl's 32 feet (9.8 m)), the floats were 12 inches (30 cm) deep, and
14319-803: The two branches of the royal family, the Yorkists and Lancastrians . Eventually it led to the Yorkists losing the throne entirely to a Welsh noble family the Tudors , a branch of the Lancastrians headed by Henry Tudor who invaded with Welsh and Breton mercenaries, gaining victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field where the Yorkist king Richard III was killed. During the Tudor period , England began to develop naval skills , and exploration intensified in
14448-550: The vessel still lies beneath 21 feet (6.4 m) of mud near to the Paglesham hard. Further east, it meets Paglesham Pool on the north bank, a creek which separates Wallasea Island from the mainland, although it is no longer an island, as a causeway has been built across the creek to carry the road onto Wallasea. At Potton Point on Devil's Reach, the Middleway creek, which separates the islands of Potton and Foulness, joins from
14577-541: The warming of the sea by the Gulf Stream . Rainfall is higher in the west, and parts of the Lake District receive more rain than anywhere else in the country. Since weather records began, the highest temperature recorded was 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) on 19 July 2022 at Coningsby , Lincolnshire , while the lowest was −26.1 °C (−15.0 °F) on 10 January 1982 in Edgmond , Shropshire. The fauna of England
14706-508: The wheel was not shrouded. The streams supplied some 950,000 imperial gallons (4,300 m) of water per day to the pound, based on a catchment area of 7,650 acres (3,100 ha) and an average rainfall of 20 inches (510 mm) per year. The railway would not extract any water if the flow was below 130,000 imperial gallons (590 m) per day, but could take up to 500,000 imperial gallons (2,300 m) per day if flows were sufficient. The solicitors acting for Rankins stated, however, that there
14835-550: The world's first industrialised nation. England is home to the two oldest universities in the English-speaking world: the University of Oxford , founded in 1096, and the University of Cambridge , founded in 1209. Both universities are ranked among the most prestigious in the world. England's terrain chiefly consists of low hills and plains , especially in the centre and south . Upland and mountainous terrain
14964-486: Was also opposition from Rochford District Council . They drew water from the stream to water the streets, and feared that this supply would be lost. The Railway Company obtained an Act of Parliament in 1904, which allowed them to build the weir and one of the reservoirs. It can still be seen beside the Bradley Way bypass. The River Roach is part of the River Crouch and Roach tidal river system which includes all of
15093-576: Was an interwoven part of the wider multifaceted Wars of the Three Kingdoms , involving Scotland and Ireland . The Parliamentarians were victorious, Charles I was executed and the kingdom replaced by the Commonwealth . Leader of the Parliament forces, Oliver Cromwell declared himself Lord Protector in 1653; a period of personal rule followed. After Cromwell's death and the resignation of his son Richard as Lord Protector, Charles II
15222-546: Was authorised in 1904. The river channels are designated as "heavily modified" from their natural state by the Environment Agency , who measure the water quality. This is moderate for most of the tributaries, and the chemical status has improved since 2013. Charles Darwin 's HMS Beagle was moored on the river from 1850 as a Coast Guard watch ship. It was sold for breaking, but an archaeological survey concluded in 2008 that much of it still remains buried beneath
15351-440: Was considerable leakage through the mill head, and the unshrouded wheel made their case much weaker. The wheel suffered from subsidence in 1951, which prevented further use, and the mill burnt down in 1964, two years after Rankins sold the operation to Associated British Foods. The Great Eastern Railway initially wanted to construct two reservoirs and a weir, but in addition to opposition from Rankins, who claimed compensation, there
15480-423: Was divided into 14 non-metropolitan districts at the same time, forming a lower tier of local government. In 1998 two of the districts, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock were made unitary authorities , removing them from the area controlled by Essex County Council and transferring county-level services to those councils. For certain services, Essex, Southend and Thurrock co-operate through joint arrangements, such as
15609-502: Was established with the Bill of Rights in 1689. Among the statutes set down were that the law could only be made by Parliament and could not be suspended by the King, also that the King could not impose taxes or raise an army without the prior approval of Parliament. Also since that time, no British monarch has entered the House of Commons when it is sitting, which is annually commemorated at
15738-479: Was filled by the rising tide through a set of gates similar to those on a lock . As the tide fell, the gates closed. Water from the pound was fed along a short mill-stream, to drive a wheel which was around 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter. The central shaft was wooden, and was connected to three sets of millstones. Tidal water in the pound was supplemented by the flow from the upper river, particularly at neap tides, when high tide levels were lower. Rankins objected when
15867-547: Was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic . It takes its name from the Angles , a Germanic tribe who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had extensive cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery , which began during the 15th century. The Kingdom of England , which included Wales after 1535, ceased to be
15996-532: Was further reduced in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 which transferred Barking , Chingford , Dagenham , Hornchurch , Ilford , Leyton , Romford , Walthamstow , and Wanstead and Woodford to Greater London . The county was reconstituted in 1974 as a non-metropolitan county under the Local Government Act 1972 , which reformed the council's powers and responsibilities and saw it regain jurisdiction over Southend-on-Sea. The county
16125-588: Was invited to return as monarch in 1660, in a move called the Restoration . With the reopening of theatres, fine arts, literature and performing arts flourished throughout the Restoration of the "Merry Monarch" Charles II. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, it was constitutionally established that King and Parliament should rule together, though Parliament would have the real power. This
16254-572: Was lower than the present day and Britain was connected by land bridge to Ireland and Eurasia . As the seas rose, it was separated from Ireland 10,000 years ago and from Eurasia two millennia later. The Beaker culture arrived around 2,500 BC, introducing drinking and food vessels constructed from clay, as well as vessels used as reduction pots to smelt copper ores. It was during this time that major Neolithic monuments such as Stonehenge (phase III) and Avebury were constructed. By heating together tin and copper, which were in abundance in
16383-430: Was more accessible by train to the majority of councillors. In 1909 the council built itself an office building on Duke Street in Chelmsford with a view to later extending the building to include a council chamber, before deciding against the extension on grounds of cost. The council's London premises moved several times, finally settling in 1931 at a building called Essex House at 26 Finsbury Square, which included offices,
16512-620: Was subsequently proclaimed emperor a century later. There is debate about when Christianity was first introduced; it was no later than the 4th century, probably much earlier. According to Bede , missionaries were sent from Rome by Eleutherius at the request of the chieftain Lucius of Britain in 180 AD, to settle differences as to Eastern and Western ceremonials, which were disturbing the church. There are traditions linked to Glastonbury claiming an introduction through Joseph of Arimathea , while others claim through Lucius of Britain. By 410, during
16641-517: Was the spoken language during this time. Society was tribal; according to Ptolemy 's Geographia there were around 20 tribes in the area. Like other regions on the edge of the Empire, Britain had long enjoyed trading links with the Romans. Julius Caesar of the Roman Republic attempted to invade twice in 55 BC; although largely unsuccessful, he managed to set up a client king from
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