Top 10 PRETTIEST Towns in ESSEX

What are the 10 prettiest towns in the county of Essex? To determine this, I visited them all. Here's what I found out.
As a disclaimer, this list is neither a social commentary, nor a guide on which are the nicest towns to live, but purely a judgement on the aesthetics of each respective town centre.
All footage is my own, and originates from my flagship channel, 4K Explorer, which you can check out here: -- / @4kexplorer
Thanks for watching, and be sure to tap that like button! And feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, whether you agree or disagree with the selections.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

CORRECTION: Colchester is Essex's 2nd largest settlement behind Southend-on-Sea! Also, there's been a lot of passion shown for Finchingfield, and I appreciate that. As per the rules I laid out, it doesn't qualify since it's a village, although I'm now tempted to make a separate video devoted to Finchingfield at some point in the future.

[@dannyharris1322]

I was born and still live in Southend on sea! Specifically Southend Central.

[@dwaynedibley997]

@@dannyharris1322Southend was in the turdtowns top 7 of worst places in Essex

[@MisterNeowl]

Was very pleasantly surprised that you opened the list with Halstead, since that's where I grew up. Having spent most of my youth there and in the surrounding towns, I can safely say you got one hell of a list, and really captured what I feel is the "real Essex". Great stuff!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

That's kind of you to say, thanks!

[@tristansayers6494]

Sudbury here ✋ I'd like to apologise for contributing to the constant traffic every time I need to get to London. I genuinely feel bad every time, it's so congested

[@MikeAG333]

Halstead!! You have got to be joking. It's just a series of big housing estates, with a dying main street, and some of the nastiest modern buildings you can imagine.

[@nemesis8626]

​@@MikeAG333 no it isnt its actually a very rural town, you have many river walks, box mill, broaks woods, if you just think its only housing estates do you even leave the house?

[@MikeAG333]

@@nemesis8626 I live outside Halstead, and have watched 3 huge new estates go up in the last 5 years........with the Whitehorse Ave and Ramsey Rd estates being somewhat older. That's in addition to all the Victorian estates spread along the Colchester road, Hedingham Rd, and Tidings Hill etc. Oh, and Broakes Wood is a mile out of Halstead.....closer to Gosfield. If you like it...great. But it is no longer a nice quiet little rural market town, and has a whole lot of new townies which have reduced its former sense of community.

[@iybjs5308]

I’m thaxted born and raised, and have many family still living there. I went to school in Saffron Walden and even spent a few years living in Dunmow. It’s wonderful to see so many places from my childhood represented in your lovely video. Thanks for making it

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks, that's nice to hear! :)

[@garethsalmon5864]

I'm a Newport boy❤, went to Newport free grammar school

[@CarsonClayOfficial]

County High? If so, Me too. Grew up in Saffron Walden

[@iybjs5308]

Sorry guys secret shame but I was a FSSW boy

[@CarsonClayOfficial]

@@iybjs5308 Friend's School? You make me sick. How do you live with yourself?

[@nickcolgan220]

Finchingfield is worth a spring /summer visit 😎👍

[@fallingdownalot]

Came to say this. Love a cream tea in Finchers.

[@cliveadams7629]

Pizza in The Lion!

[@rebbell308]

Lavenham , beautiful buildings, Parts used in Harry Potter, also some of the most amazing Antiques shops I've ever seen. Church is worth a look too.

[@iannicholls7476]

But thas Suffolk boy!

[@trudiegordon6327]

You hear too much negativity about Essex but it has amazing historical homes and green countryside. Colchester is a gem and truly one of my favourites. Bordering on Suffolk, close to London and the beautiful island of West Mersea and some great sandy beaches like Frinton but also near Stansted for flights to Europe and further. The castle and the park are beautiful and not sprawing like some towns or cities. It has a zoo and university and army base - diverse and beautiful.

[@dirkbogarde44]

Diverse in what sense? The population now?

[@mikethomas2138]

A gem of a video. I used to live in Steeple Bumpstead, so I’ve visited most of the towns featured, and make no disagreements with your placings.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

That's very kind of you to say, thanks!

[@krisjonesuk]

I’m a little surprised you left out West Mersea. It may not have the medieval architecture you pictured in your other chosen towns but it does have natural beauty and its history dates back to Roman times.

[@Golding247]

Essex is totally off my radar, I’m hoping to explore when I retire, it looks really lovely

[@paulclarke1207]

The north of the county is generally very nice. South Essex (Leigh-on-Sea notwithstanding) is best avoided however.

[@daniel72_751]

The border of Essex and Suffolk is where Constable and Gainsborough got their inspiration! Don’t leave it too long!

[@tracyforbes8616]

Essex is my adopted home, coming from Hampshire originally. As a county it has its lovely towns and villages but I still think Hampshire is Gods own county with some really pretty and historic villages and towns - be interested to see your top 10 Hampshire towns. Odiham should be up there!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Yeah I'm looking forward to making the Hampshire episode! The New Forest may feature in a couple of entries.

[@Kungfusue]

Great to see some of these quaint Essex towns. I came from an estate called Kensington’s, which was attached to a village called Aveley, this is certainly worth a look. I think it’s so important to keep the history of these villages etc. Thank you for showing Essex.

[@CaboloNero]

Aveley is a shithole mate 😅

[@paulm.7422]

Kenningtons

[@MissWizard]

Don’t you mean Kenningtons?

[@diannewheatleygiliotti8513]

A terrific series, Alex. Outstanding video selections as usual. Keep them coming, please.

[@alexgarratt8519]

Thanks for producing this video. I enjoyed watching that.

[@gregbeard6057]

Great video... How on earth is Finchingfield not here... And moreso, my village of Hatfield Broad Oak.

[@iroscoe]

I think its a village rather than a town .

[@davidborunsky6681]

Superb. What an outstanding presentation.

[@havingalook2]

That was a delightful and refreshing list. I would tend to agree with all your choices. Delighted to see Thaxted. My ancient family home, one of them at least is Horham Hall in Thaxted.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks, yeah aesthetically there aren't many towns that compare to Thaxted!

[@terryjacob8169]

I used to love Saffron Walden, which was home to my maternal grandparents. These days, however, I can't bring myself to visit as developers have ruined large parts of the town and its surroundings.

[@tonyford4170]

Great vid, well done, Essex has some beautiful towns, and some fabulous little villages and Hamlets too.

[@tonyford4170]

I have just browsed your vids list, and I can not see a vid of Cambridgeshire towns/villages?. I am a Essex lad who has lived in the Fens for 17 years, and there are some lovely towns and villages out here, Outwell, Upwell, Ramsey, Somersham, Chatteris, to name a few. Yes I know its flat, but I can see Ely Cathedral from my village, that is about 10 miles in a straight line

[@Jackdog011]

I grew up in Great Dunmow and never tired of its beauty.

[@mikesaunders4775]

A very good job Alex, Essex gets an undeserved reputation based on the activities of suburban East Londoners. This is the real Essex.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Ah, thanks very much!

[@8bitnitwit]

As a suburban East Londoner I can confirm my activities are deserving of such reproach. 😆

[@2JZilla342]

great video im a northener living in woodford all these places are near me can't wait to check them out!

[@SueWalker-e6b]

Agree Dedham deserves a mention.

[@johnmh1000]

Alex - what a great video, from an Essex man - thank you. Can I just add one bit of information regarding Thaxted? For many years my musical hero Gustav Holst lived in the village and, I believe, composed much of his Planets Suite here.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks, I appreciate it. And I didn't know that about Gustav Holst - seems very fitting somehow that he composed some of The Planets in Thaxted!

[@johnmh1000]

@@AlexinGreatBritain Indeed - thanks for your reply. Best wishes from Hockley, Essex.

[@glendryhurst8234]

Do not forget : Earls Colne, Finchingfield, Great Bardfield, Writtle, Stock, Billericay and Danbury, although some may be called villages. Also, Rayleigh, Ongar, Frinton on Sea, Mistley and Brentwood are pretty also.

[@easilydistracted1397]

Wivenhoe?

[@shaun2463]

You just named all the places that Basildon, Southend and Harlow drug dealers buy all their property 😂

[@NorthallertonMackem]

During my brief stay in Essex in the mid eighties, I lived in a rented house near Great Preston Farm on Great Preston Lane near Stock. It was lovely.

[@VickersDoorter]

9:15 I recall some thirty years ago spending the day in Thaxted with a friend who was filming an episode of Lovejoy (a ram raid scene on an antiques shop). A very charming and picturesque village.

[@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549]

I remember that being filmed

[@Nataly01010]

Great! Thanks for a nice walk.

[@stevew585]

All stunning, my favourites being Halstead and Thaxted

[@tamaracarter1836]

Absolutely gorgeous architecture

[@dirtydawg448]

I’ve lived in Coggeshall for 35 years and can’t imagine ever moving away

[@janicespiby2505]

Just great ❤️❤️❤️

[@R08Tam]

Very interesting. Some entries for my bucket list

[@TedsonJones]

I believe one of the listed buildings you showed in Saffron Walden was Cromwell's HQ during the Civil War. Cromwell is also said to haunt the Cross Keys. Cant say i noticed him when i stayed there.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Haha, I think he allegedly haunts a lot of timber-framed pubs!

[@MissWizard]

@@AlexinGreatBritain Him and Dick Turpin! 😂

[@julieblackstock8650]

I used to live in Leigh on Sea.. It used to be a lot nicer hence I moved to Suffolk which I highly recommend, Walton is quite nice for a short break, Frinton I think is better. Manningtree is lovely except parking is a night mare but they have some top notch charity shops. Coggleshall I think deserves the top spot though.

[@dazpoz]

No Finchingfield, the most photographed village in Britain?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

I'm not counting villages as part of this, so no. Also, most-photographed is a pretty poor metric in my personal opinion.

[@hoss1943]

I lived in Great Dunmow when I was stationed at Wethersfield..Address was 47 HighStreet.

[@runwiththerunners8152]

Great Dunmow? Did you venture onto the vast acres of new builds 🙂

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Well now you mention it, those parts do give off beginning of Harry Potter vibes!

[@christinehodge3608]

Very interesting video

[@Danpuffpuff65]

I live in Braintree and for me the the prettiest town/village in Essex is Finchingfield. Isn’t it funny how most of your choices are towards the north of the county and are away from London

[@scottkennedy6007]

Dunmow, Thaxted, Walden ❤ I used to live in Walden 🥲

[@oiputthatback7361]

I lived in Manningtree overlooking over the river Stour which I could see from the frontage of the house.Now I’m back in Colchester .😀

[@misfit2022]

I went to Saffron Walden and thought I was in Hertfordshire it was lovely and I thought at the time hard to believe it was Essex but since realised there is more to Essex than a night out in Basildon.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Haha, there is indeed!

[@misfit2022]

@Alex I did not know Essex at all but a company I was working for had a satellite not far from Basildon so those few miles between the M25, the company and Basildon where we went for a bite to eat and the occasional whiskey was my sum total of knowledge of Essex. I have never seen the reality TV programme but I have heard of the stereotype. I will have to visit some of the places on this list at some point.

[@sebfischer7830]

A bit of a trek from Cheshire but I'd love to visit all these places - especially their pubs as that's where I feel you get the true essence of the town. Cars really do blight the scene though.

[@mattstobbsskinn6775]

much love from manningtree and colchester hehe

[@Luxebarbie]

Thank you so helpful

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

Coggeshall has rich and varied moedern Histroy too - From the gangs in the 70s/80s - the public toilets, and Dr Jones - but then redeemed it'self when it became the main setting for the early series of Lovejoy. As for Halstead - I went to school there and so would not rate it at all that hill was a b45t4rd and the bottom used to regularl flood in the 80s. I went back there about 10 years ago and the weaving sheds are long gone and under a supermarket and most of the pubs we used to spend lunchtimes in playing video games gone a similar way. Suprised Finchingfield was nowhere in the list but then you were doing towns not villages.

[@OneEpicEric]

Colchester predates the roman arrival. It was founded by king coel and his granddaughter, st Helen was born there. Source information available if interested.

[@mancroft]

You missed out Jaywick. LOL

[@joline2730]

Man: 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@johnmh1000]

Really??? Still someone's got to live there...

[@charliesmith1984]

IM ON THE JURY FOR THE DUNMOW FLOTHC TRIALS THIS YEAR HAHAHAH

[@ringtail1401]

Trivia: Thaxted is the name of the part of Holst's Jupiter that features in the patriotic hymn 'I Vow To Thee My Country'. Holst lived in Thaxted. Trivia: 'I Vow To Thee My Country' should be the British national anthem.

[@geoffhalstead1811]

Guess the family moved from Halstead to Romford some time in the distant past. Now in Norfolk.

[@JesusLovesYou-nd1rz]

I live in Suffolk, but really close to Essex. I think possibly the most attractive town in Essex is Coggeshall or Saffron Walden (that is amongst the places I have visited personally). In Suffolk the nicest towns, in my opinion, are Bury St. Edmunds, Woodbridge, Clare, Aldeburgh, Southwold and Woodbridge.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Funny you should say that - my next video for this series is going to be Suffolk!

[@polythenewrappedme6102]

A good selection indeed. Never visited Finchingfield then ? Honourable mentions must go to Chipping Ongar, High Beech, Epping and Theydon Bois.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

To be honest, no I've not explored the villages of Essex. But I might just pay Finchingfield a visit, soon as I can find a discount train ticket to Braintree at some point!

[@polythenewrappedme6102]

Finchingfield. Imagine a village like the Cotswolds with thatched cottages, around a duck pond. Recommend Greensted Church near Ongar. The oldest wooden church in the world. Oldest bits date back to 654 AD. It is a wooden stave church. Open most days. They let you around. Note the crusader's grave from around 1200 AD. Note the lepers window. Overnight resting place of St Edmund. I think Epping is very nice. Some great history, fine buildings, fine views to the north across the green. Enjoy !

[@annmcevoy5686]

Alresford was a nice village in the 60's . Then some idiots burnt down the beautiful St Peters church and development came. Thw creek area is amazing, river colne, you can see Brightlingsea church across the water. Some of the film the Essex serpent was filmed there too. Spent many a happy school holiday messing about in the river, great big innertubes to float about in. The boys would jump off the old jetty! I had a lovely childhood. I feel so lucky to have lived there.

[@sirdudleynightshade8747]

When I was a native of Essex Saffron Walden was in the North East of the count. Good video though!

[@deepdiver51]

Sir Dudley, I’m sure they haven’t moved Saffron Walden. It has always been and will always be in the North West of Essex. The north east is above (north) of Colchester.

[@sirdudleynightshade8747]

@@deepdiver51 My sincere apologies.......my mistake - been away for over 50 years!

[@robn71]

Another fact about Great Dunmow is that the pond there "called the doctors pond" was the site for testing the self righting boat i.e the life boats (I was born and bread in Dunmow and surrounding area)

[@daniel72_751]

Great list … given the village of Coggeshall makes the cut of towns, then Finchingfild and Dedham should, and would be top of the list!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Except Coggeshall's had a weekly market ever since the 13th century, granted by Royal Charter, making it a town by definition.

[@isladurrant2015]

Essex born and bred... don't finish that sentence! I'm glad you didn't mention my lovely part of the county as we will fight x

[@DavidMckenna-wl9do]

Left out finchingfield which is very pretty

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

I'm excluding villages from this video series as there are just too many of them!

[@Chalky-t5c]

I'm not from Essex, but to miss out Finchingfield is criminal. I found it by accident after deciding to drive the scenic route home from a job I was doing in Haverhill, to north London where I lived at the time. The village is absolutely stunning.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

I'm fully on board with the sentiment, however for this series of videos I'm excluding villages. The two main reasons are firstly, there are loads of them so I'd never be able to make a fair comparison, and secondly, I'm aiming to highlight market towns specifically, as the whole notion of a 'town centre' often comes with some negative assumptions. And I'd like to show the other side of the coin, as it were.

[@Chalky-t5c]

@@AlexinGreatBritain to be honest I didn't know Finchingfield's status of that of a village. Absolutely beautiful none the less.

[@ireneyoung8696]

Great Bardfield is also rather beautiful..

[@dyt1801]

Great Bardfield is a village, though, not a town

[@ireneyoung8696]

@@dyt1801 oh thst is true.

[@paulpte]

Walton is the second longest pier. But it is the longest sea pier. Southend is an estuary pier.

[@charlottebayford]

Missed Harwich very pretty and very old xx

[@keithawhosoever5384]

I was born in Hornchurch in 1958 , and moved to Grays when I was three , living in 'the big white house' in Argent Street , that dad renovated along with the buildings on his private wharf , which he rented out to small private businesses , right next door to Hayes Wharf , and opposite to the Theobald's Arms pub . Grays back then wasn't particularly 'pretty' , but it had character and a certain charm . Over the years though , it's good character morphed into 'bad attitude' , when the council replaced the cottages I remember , with white cladded council houses and high rise flats by the rivers front 😮

[@MrMWRMWR]

I was quite fond of Grays when I travelled there to school in the 1960s. I didn't go back for a couple of decades only to find it wrecked by over development.

[@tristansayers6494]

Halstead is stunning but it's ruined by the traffic. I can sense a lovely town looming behind the noise and the stink, but whenever I pass through (often) all I can see is the heavy constant flow of congested traffic.

[@michaelportaloo1981]

I’ve a feeling you only wandered around the centres, especially in the case of Maldon.

[@kenco72]

What about shoebury

[@taffbanjo]

Not Finchingfield? I have to admit that we're spoiled for choice in this part of the world. Still a great video, though.

[@trevormillar1576]

Coggeshall used to have a somewhat nasty motocycle gang called the Coggeshall Bastards.

[@DaveyChops]

No mention of Dagenham?

[@clivemortimore8203]

Dagenham is in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

[@joline2730]

​@@clivemortimore8203 used to be in Essex ✔

[@clivemortimore8203]

@@joline2730 Until 1965, and so did the Tower Hamlets if you want to take history back far enough. And before the East Saxon Kingdom it was part of the lands controlled by the Catuvellauni tribe. Most of modern Essex was the lands of the Trinobantes, even ancient history puts Dagenham outside Essex.

[@ChingChangWallah.]

@@clivemortimore8203 Is that all of Tower Hamlets, or just certain boroughs in it? I wasn't aware Tower Hamlets existed as an entity until the 70's. I've heard of the Tower Hamlets trayned band of the Civil War.

[@clivemortimore8203]

@@ChingChangWallah. Tower Hamlets, collective name given to the settlements established outside the City of London Wall where the undesirables lived. Essex (and Middlesex both reached the city wall at one point in history.

[@ChrisW_Essex]

Is battlesbridge classed as a village?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

I believe it is, yeah.

[@petermetson-halsey1156]

Thaxted is breathtaking , and if your,e a lover of the Planets , Gustav Holst lived here in the 1920,s

[@janiceturton7756]

surprised Finchingfield not on list, but not visited for years so maybe its changed

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

I've excluded villages. That's the only reason why Finchingfield doesn't feature here.

[@Siasmummy]

I live in Thaxted, it is lovely but too many new houses being built here now and absolutely ruining it unfortunately

[@baronthorsteinn]

I spent 20 of the first 21 years of my life in Great Dunmow so I recognised it straight away - and I know Thaxted reasonably well as it was just up the road. Certainly makes a change from Turdtowns showing us the ugly side of the country, even if quite a few of his picks are thoroughly deserving of the title. We need to focus more on the positives. And while I'm never going to be able to afford to live in my former part of Essex ever again (barring extreme good fortune), have a look round Cambridgeshire some time and I'll see if you've picked up on anywhere near me... although the most likely candidate is in Norfolk.

[@hypercomms2001]

I lived in Basildon for about 18 months when I came from Melbourne, Australia to work at GEC Avionics in Christopher Road, in the mid 1980s.... not a positive experience that I wish to repeat..... I later move to Billericay... and that was a much better experience.....

[@easilydistracted1397]

Wivenhoe?

[@drewswallow6043]

Not even a consideration for clacton or jaywick then Alex?

[@Jamie-ne3nb]

wheres harlow

[@jamesreynolds2867]

What! no Basildon or Tilbury?

[@paulm.7422]

OOFF!

[@MissWizard]

That’s Turdtowns territory! 😂

[@casualken]

Where’s Harlow?

[@scottieessex2161]

I agree with with most of those choices however Leigh on sea & Walton are awful

[@alanhill4338]

I smiled when you said Walton On The Naze. I had a holiday or two there when I was kid. Please do not mention the beaches at Walton On The Naze. I now live in Brisbane. The beaches here are wonderful. With free barbecues and showers right on the edge of the beach. Usually with playgrounds and parks right there. The bins are emptied every day. Always clean and tidy. To attract the tourists. Down to the Gold Coast or up to Caloundra and heaps more in-between. Golden sands and blue warm water. The only thing missing is quaint historic buildings. But then you can't have everything can you.

[@hmack3900]

Maldon is beautiful

[@trevormillar1576]

And not a knock-off Armani suit, grey brick-sized mobile phone, or Ford XR3i TurboNutterBastard in sight!

[@jamiepiller77]

I'm Braintree, born and bred.

[@UnitedRoad1987]

Basildon

[@byelxzzie]

real

[@morxster]

can’t believe basildon harlow or jaywick didn’t make the list😂

[@woodenseagull1899]

You missed out Jaywick...

[@55alive]

The name OLMSTED-HALSTED

[@ElliottWright37]

I live in colchester and apart from all of the nice things you listed, its becoming a rundown place tbh

[@sonnyooo338]

All of these are right in the like outskirts of Essex and are closed to Suffolk etc

[@shaun2463]

Half of them aren't....

[@finneyp]

Shocked that Romford wasn’t on the list. Must’ve been 11th….

[@Garfie489]

Romford is not in Essex, so its unlikely to appear on any list of places in Essex

[@loisknott3763]

Essex hasnt always been chav inhabited it was a lovely county once upon a time

[@iroscoe]

The wockney cankers really only infest the south of the county .

[@maxmg01]

Colchester the biggest town in Essex??! Since when? 😂 Southend has been more populous for a long time! Where have you got this idea from?? Britains first city yes. But not largest town

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Alright, you got me there. I forgot about Southend! I'll make a correction as a pinned comment.

[@maxmg01]

@@AlexinGreatBritain Apart from that minor error, I think you did a grand job on the video mate 👏🏼👏🏼💪🏼 throughly enjoyed it!

[@Haberdashery22]

Stock.

[@marvinharris2709]

A little surprised Lavenham wasn’t included in the list.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Lavenham's a village in Suffolk though.

[@ChuckFickens1972]

Yeah, but why no Edinburgh? :)@@AlexinGreatBritain

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

@@ChuckFickens1972 Not until the Kent episode. ;)

[@tempest957]

the most beutiful town in Essex is Pitsea!

[@richardbarton2709]

Clacturd-on-Sea 🤣

[@iancharlton678]

One word….. Finchingfield 🇬🇧

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Nice village. What about it?

[@iancharlton678]

@@AlexinGreatBritain allegedly the most photographed village in the country, multi award winning ?? Bite your hand beautiful 🙂🇬🇧 Number one ?? Who knows, such things are subjective, but certainly in a top ten. Disclaimer. I don’t live in or remotely near Finchingfield.