The village of Writtle lies a mile west of 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...

, Essex, England, it has a traditional village green, complete with duck pond and a Norman

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 church; and was once described as: 'one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravishing variety of ancient cottages'. The village is now home to Writtle College

Writtle College

Writtle College is one of the largest land-based university colleges in the UK; it is also one of the oldest. Writtle, previously known as Writtle Agricultural College, is a Partner Institution of the University of Essex and teaches FE and HE programmes.- Writtle :The college has diversified over...

, one of the UK's oldest and largest land-based colleges and a partner institution of the University of Essex

University of Essex

The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...

, the grounds of which once housed a Royal hunting lodge, later the possession of the De Brus and De Bohun families.