Kelvedon
Encyclopedia
Kelvedon is a village and civil parish
in the Braintree District
of Essex
in England
, near to the town of Witham
. It has a population of 3,485.
- London
railway, making it a place to live yet get to work as train was the only fast method of transport. Victorian Kelvedon was set along one street - The High Street. In the 1930s, with the advent of the car the High Street became the A12, the main road through Essex. Ribbon development
saw houses sprawl along the road for miles. The village suffered major congestion until the bypass was built in the 1960s. Suburbanization started to take place in the 1980s - a large development called Riverside Park was constructed containing hundreds of homes.
Kelvedon is situated next to the village of Feering
and is separated by the River Blackwater
. The River Blackwater was spanned by a packhorse bridge
, built around 1750, which was an essential part of the main road carrying traffic from Norfolk and Suffolk to London and this feature was significant in making Kelvedon an important staging post on the main route to London, as could be seen from the numerous inns and hostelries which served the area.
In the late 19th Century, Kelvedon became famous for seed growing and the firm of Kings Seeds, now part of Associated British Foods, became famous for the production of flower seeds, notably sweet peas, and vegetable seeds. Perhaps the most recognisable vegetable seed developed by and still produced by Kings Seeds is the Kelvedon Wonder Pea
.
starts. Kelvedon contains a school called Kelvedon St Mary's
. The original school (Ayletts Foundation School) in Kelvedon was founded by Thomas Aylett in Maldon Road, Kelvedon in 1632 when he bequeathed the property along with £10 per annum to provide a salary for a master. The school closed in 1944 and was replaced by the Kelvedon St Mary's School located on the corner of High Street and Easterford Road (now the Kelvedon and Feering Health Centre) which was in turn replaced in 1977 by a new school located in Docwra Road. The Ayletts building still stands today and houses the Kelvedon Library and Museum.
is on the London Liverpool St. line with trains every 20 mins approximately. Bus services are provided by the 71 First Bus service Chelmsford
- Colchester
route and the Hedingham & District 91 service Tollesbury
- Witham
route. The A12 has links with the rest of East Anglia
& The North.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Braintree District
Braintree (district)
Braintree is a local government district in the English county of Essex. Its main town is Braintree.The main centres of population are Braintree, Witham and Halstead....
of 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...
in 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...
, near to the town of Witham
Witham
Witham is a town in the county of Essex, in the south east of England with a population of 22,500. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the larger towns of Chelmsford and Colchester...
. It has a population of 3,485.
Origins
The existing village of Kelvedon has been a settlement since the early Middle Ages, though it stands near (and partly on) the site of a Roman settlement, probably Canonium. Kelvedon expanded significantly in the Victorian era. The reason was the NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
- London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
railway, making it a place to live yet get to work as train was the only fast method of transport. Victorian Kelvedon was set along one street - The High Street. In the 1930s, with the advent of the car the High Street became the A12, the main road through Essex. Ribbon development
Ribbon development
Ribbon development means building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. Such development generated great concern in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and the 1930s, as well as in numerous other countries....
saw houses sprawl along the road for miles. The village suffered major congestion until the bypass was built in the 1960s. Suburbanization started to take place in the 1980s - a large development called Riverside Park was constructed containing hundreds of homes.
Kelvedon is situated next to the village of Feering
Feering
Feering is a village in Essex, England. Situated between Colchester and Witham, this village boasts three pubs, the oldest of which is The Old Anchor. However, on 14 July 2008 the Old Anchor pub suffered major damage caused by a fire which required 8 fire crews to contain and lasted over 3...
and is separated by the River Blackwater
River Blackwater, Essex
The River Blackwater is a river in England. It rises in the northwest of Essex as the River Pant and flows to Bocking, near Braintree, from where its name changes to the Blackwater. Its course takes it near Stisted, and then via Bradwell Juxta Coggeshall and Coggeshall and near Witham where it is...
. The River Blackwater was spanned by a packhorse bridge
Packhorse bridge
A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow masonry arches, and has low parapets so as not to interfere with the horse's panniers.Packhorse bridges were often built on the trade routes that...
, built around 1750, which was an essential part of the main road carrying traffic from Norfolk and Suffolk to London and this feature was significant in making Kelvedon an important staging post on the main route to London, as could be seen from the numerous inns and hostelries which served the area.
In the late 19th Century, Kelvedon became famous for seed growing and the firm of Kings Seeds, now part of Associated British Foods, became famous for the production of flower seeds, notably sweet peas, and vegetable seeds. Perhaps the most recognisable vegetable seed developed by and still produced by Kings Seeds is the Kelvedon Wonder Pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
.
Kelvedon today
The village is bounded to the north by the river Blackwater where the adjacent village of FeeringFeering
Feering is a village in Essex, England. Situated between Colchester and Witham, this village boasts three pubs, the oldest of which is The Old Anchor. However, on 14 July 2008 the Old Anchor pub suffered major damage caused by a fire which required 8 fire crews to contain and lasted over 3...
starts. Kelvedon contains a school called Kelvedon St Mary's
Kelvedon st mary's
Kelvedon St Mary's is a primary school located between Colchester and Chelmsford on the A12. Kelvedon St Mary's is a Church of England school. It was opened, in three stages, in 1977. It is equipped with a well-resourced library, and a large hall which is used for PE, Collective Workship and for...
. The original school (Ayletts Foundation School) in Kelvedon was founded by Thomas Aylett in Maldon Road, Kelvedon in 1632 when he bequeathed the property along with £10 per annum to provide a salary for a master. The school closed in 1944 and was replaced by the Kelvedon St Mary's School located on the corner of High Street and Easterford Road (now the Kelvedon and Feering Health Centre) which was in turn replaced in 1977 by a new school located in Docwra Road. The Ayletts building still stands today and houses the Kelvedon Library and Museum.
Transport
Kelvedon railway stationKelvedon railway station
Kelvedon is a railway station serving the villages of Kelvedon and Feering in Essex. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line. It is also the closest station to the large settlements of Coggeshall and Tiptree...
is on the London Liverpool St. line with trains every 20 mins approximately. Bus services are provided by the 71 First Bus service 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...
- Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
route and the Hedingham & District 91 service Tollesbury
Tollesbury
Tollesbury is a village in England, located on the Essex coast at the mouth of the River Blackwater. It is situated nine miles east of the historic port of Maldon and twelve miles south of Colchester....
- Witham
Witham
Witham is a town in the county of Essex, in the south east of England with a population of 22,500. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the larger towns of Chelmsford and Colchester...
route. The A12 has links with the rest of East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
& The North.
Notable residents
- C.H. Spurgeon known as the "Prince of Preachers" was born in Kelvedon on 19 June 1834. Charles Spurgeon was a powerful preacher of the Victorian era and boasted the largest congregation in London, to the extent that his weekly sermon was printed and sold in thousands. The Metropolitan Tabernacle was built for him. Charles Spurgeon never returned to Kelvedon to preach although he was invited in 1853 to do so in the new Independent Chapel built in the village, an invitation which he refused. There is a blue plaque on a building in Kelvedon High Street commemorating the place of his birth.