Hockley
Encyclopedia
Hockley is a large village
and civil parish in Essex
, England
located between Chelmsford
and Southend-on-Sea
. More specifically it lies between Rayleigh and Rochford. It came to prominence during the coming of the railway in the 1890s and at the 2001 census had a population of 13,616 people, many of whom commute to London. The parish of Hockley itself has a population of 8,909 (2001 census), while the urban area runs into the neighbouring parish of Hawkwell
. Hockley railway station serves the village.
Hockley is also home of a burial mound, Plumberow Mount, which was excavated in 1913, by Mr. E. B. Francis. At the time, there was a summer house on the top of the mound, and so trenches were cut on three sides. The excavation found a Roman coin
of Domitian and some Saxon
pottery which may indicate a secondary burial. The oval mound is 14 feet (4.3 m) high, and 76 feet (23.2 m) in diameter, with a flattened top, where the summerhouse was located. Since 2005, the mound has been surrounded by a metal fence to protect it from erosion, and a number of trees which were growing on or near it were cut down at the same time.
Plumberow Mount is also excellent for sledging in the winter and has proven popular with local children, although caution is needed because there is a children's park with a metal fence around it at the bottom of the mount which has resulted in a number of accidents.
There is also the newly formed Hockley Massive Project, which started in 2010 and is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings for 12-17 year olds. The youth club entered one of their members, Joshua Copeland, into the Essex Boys and Girls Clubs Table-Tennis Finals, which took place at Ingatestone Boys' Own Club in February 2011. The competition was strong but he came away as the overall winner of the under-19 boys group, which means he progresses into the table tennis finals, held in Cheshire later in the year. This is a huge achievement for him to represent the youth club at such a high level and with GB table tennis players in attendance at this tournament, competition will be nothing less than fierce. There is also the well established Hockley Lawn Tennis club, located down Folly Lane. The club captain is Trevor Paterson, and current head coach is Royston Kymberley.
Hockley is home to FC Hockley who were formed in 2006 and play in the Southend Sunday Sceptre League.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
located between Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
and Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
. More specifically it lies between Rayleigh and Rochford. It came to prominence during the coming of the railway in the 1890s and at the 2001 census had a population of 13,616 people, many of whom commute to London. The parish of Hockley itself has a population of 8,909 (2001 census), while the urban area runs into the neighbouring parish of Hawkwell
Hawkwell
Hawkwell is the second largest village and civil parish in the district of Rochford in Essex, England Rayleigh being the largest. The 2001 census gave a population for the parish of 11,231....
. Hockley railway station serves the village.
History
Hockley is an Anglo Saxon word meaning a small hill and today there is still a large wooded area named Hockley woods. Notable buildings in the village include the church of St Peter and Paul, which has a nave which was possibly built before the twelfth century, a thirteen century chancel and a fourteenth century tower, the upper half of which is octagonal and was built at a later date. The tower holds three bells, manufactured by Miles Gray in 1626, by James Bartlett in 1684 and by John Hodgson in 1657, and the building is Grade II* listed. The church is situated to the north-west of the village centre, where a grade II listed Victorian pump room is situated. The building was built as a spa to a design by John Lockyer in 1842, after Robert Clay found a medicinal spring in 1838. It was subsequently used as a Baptist chapel, and now houses a factory. Hockley is also the site of the Bullwood Hall men's prison, which was a women's prison until 2006.Hockley is also home of a burial mound, Plumberow Mount, which was excavated in 1913, by Mr. E. B. Francis. At the time, there was a summer house on the top of the mound, and so trenches were cut on three sides. The excavation found a Roman coin
Roman currency
The Roman currency during most of the Roman Republic and the western half of the Roman Empire consisted of coins including the aureus , the denarius , the sestertius , the dupondius , and the as...
of Domitian and some Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
pottery which may indicate a secondary burial. The oval mound is 14 feet (4.3 m) high, and 76 feet (23.2 m) in diameter, with a flattened top, where the summerhouse was located. Since 2005, the mound has been surrounded by a metal fence to protect it from erosion, and a number of trees which were growing on or near it were cut down at the same time.
Plumberow Mount is also excellent for sledging in the winter and has proven popular with local children, although caution is needed because there is a children's park with a metal fence around it at the bottom of the mount which has resulted in a number of accidents.
Culture and community
There are three well known pubs in Hockley, which are still in business- the Spa Hotel in the village, the Bull Inn, located in a timber framed and weatherboarded seventeenth century building and the White Hart Inn west of the village. The village green at the White Hart has hosted cricket games, bonfires on 5 November, and many other children's games in the past. In addition, the Hockley community centre has a members bar and provides a venue for numerous local groups and clubs.There is also the newly formed Hockley Massive Project, which started in 2010 and is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings for 12-17 year olds. The youth club entered one of their members, Joshua Copeland, into the Essex Boys and Girls Clubs Table-Tennis Finals, which took place at Ingatestone Boys' Own Club in February 2011. The competition was strong but he came away as the overall winner of the under-19 boys group, which means he progresses into the table tennis finals, held in Cheshire later in the year. This is a huge achievement for him to represent the youth club at such a high level and with GB table tennis players in attendance at this tournament, competition will be nothing less than fierce. There is also the well established Hockley Lawn Tennis club, located down Folly Lane. The club captain is Trevor Paterson, and current head coach is Royston Kymberley.
Hockley is home to FC Hockley who were formed in 2006 and play in the Southend Sunday Sceptre League.