About

ABOUT OUR PARISH

Ashingdon is a rural parish, one of 14 parishes in Rochford District.

Ashingdon has its own parish council called Ashingdon Parish Council.

Ashingdon Parish comprises the 2 villages of :  Ashingdon and South Fambridge.

Ashingdon and South Fambridge have been in existence for more than one thousand years.

Ashingdon is located approximately 2 miles north of Rochford Town.

South Fambridge is located approximately 2 miles north of Ashingdon.

Ashingdon Parish lies between Canewdon to the east, Hawkwell, Hockley and Hullbridge to the west, Rochford and Hawkwell to the south and the River Crouch and Maldon District and 4 of its parishes to the north. Rochford is famous for Lord Rochford, Queen Anne Boleyn and RAF Rochford. Hockley is famous for the 360 acres Hockley Woods and its spa in the 1800s. Canewdon is famous for King Canute, the witches of Canewdon and its four 350 feet high Marconi radar towers during World War II. Hawkwell is famous for its 30 acres Belchamps Scout Centre. Hullbridge is famous for its riverside yacht moorings. The River Crouch was famous for its oysters and smuggling and now it is famous for fishing, waterskiing, sailing, marine birds and seals.

The 4 neighbouring parishes on the other side of the River Crouch which used to be accessible by ferry are North Fambridge, Stow Maries, Purleigh and Latchingdon. North Fambridge is famous for the old ferry to South Fambridge and its marina. Stow Maries is famous for one of the earliest Royal Flying Corps aerodromes and their Army aviation pioneers. Purleigh is famous for its New Hall Vineyard, one of the largest and best vineyards in England. Latchingdon is famous for its Bridgemarsh Island nature site.

Rochford District is located in the southeast of the County of Essex. Rochford is one of the ancient districts called a Hundred, which used to include the present day Rochford District, Southend on Sea Borough and Castle Point Borough.

Essex is a large rural county in the southeast of England, it is the sixth largest county in England. In the west, Essex meets the fringes of Greater London and Hertfordshire and it extends as far as the coast of the North Sea in the east. In the south, it has the River Thames as its boundary and is opposite Kent and it extends to Cambridgeshire and Suffolk in the north. Essex has a very indented coast providing 575 kilometres of tidal coastline. This means that Essex is the county with the longest coastline and it is the county with the largest number of islands in the United Kingdom.

Essex has the mildest and warmest climate in the United Kingdom which also provides the lowest UK rainfall and less cloud. This mild climate and low rainfall are derived from the County's position adjacent to the enclosed North Sea which has a warmer temperature than The Atlantic Ocean and the proximity and influence of the River Thames and several other rivers. The County is isolated geographically from the English Channel and the weather caused by the Atlantic Ocean. Several other rivers including The Rhine, The Maas and The Schelde flow into the North Sea and mingle with The Thames and other English rivers from Essex, Kent and Suffolk which help to ensure our consistantly warmer climate and mild weather patterns.

Essex County is in an ancient region known as East Anglia. In early Saxon times 1,500 years ago, The Kingdom of the East Angles comprised of present day Suffolk and Norfolk and Essex was its own Kingdom of The East Saxons. Much has changed since then and our Kingdom was absorbed along with the East Angles by the Mercians, another larger Saxon Kingdom who allowed our three counties to be ruled locally on their behalf. We survived many changes of ruler and remained the large rural county which the Romans found to be highly developed when they colonised Britain. Eventually, we became the East Anglian and East of England rural farming county which we still are with a broad rural East Anglian country accent which still survives today throughout most of our County of Essex.

We are now all part of the East of England Region, comprising Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. 

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