The Landscape of Ashingdon Parish
LANDSCAPE
The landscape of Ashingdon Parish is very beautiful, green, rural and undulating. From many elevated vantage points, one can see beautiful views of farmland, woods and the River Crouch and its valley. One can see the sails of yachts on the River Crouch and the hills on the other side. Elsewhere, one can see the hills of Hockley from Lower Road and from Footpath 4 and views of Southend on Sea and even Southend Airport are visible from Rectory Avenue.
The highest elevation in the parish is 55 metres (180 feet) on Footpath 16 which crosses a field above The Chase. Another steep hill is inside and beside Beckney Wood where it about 50 metres (164 feet). The height at St Andrew’s Church on another hill is about 40 metres (135 feet). Much of the southern part of the parish is about 30 metres (100 feet).
The roads with hills are: Ashingdon Road with a long gentle hill leading from Brays Lane up to the village and a very steep hill leading into the village from Hockley between Canewdon Road and Church Road; Greensward Lane has a hill from near Trinity Wood Lane towards the Hockley boundary and another in the opposite direction; The Chase has a steep Hill up its left hand fork to Rouncefall House and also up its right hand fork, previously called Red Lane; Church Road has a steep hill leading towards St. Andrew’s Church; Trinity Wood Road and two other lanes off Greensward Road are very steep; Rectory Avenue has a long hill leading towards Ashingdon Heights.
RIVER CROUCH
The tidal River Crouch forms the northern boundary of Ashingdon Parish. The part of the River Crouch in Ashingdon Parish is about 3.9 km (2.4 miles) long from the west to east boundary limits of our Parish. The river is quite straight here and approximately 300 metres wide for most of this distance. It is a great natural amenity for bird watching, fishing, wind-surfing, rowing, sailing, water skiing and motor boating.
The River Crouch is famous for sailing and especially famous for the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at Burnham on Crouch.
At the western end, the Brandy Hole Saltings marsh was used for harvesting oysters and producing marine salt. There was a small jetty west of South Fambridge and a Ferry from South Fambridge to North Fambridge. Shellfish were reared and harvested and fish were caught along the river reaches.
The Crouch supports a wide variety of plants, fish, shellfish, marine birds, insects, and mammals including otters and seals. The largest fish species include dogfish, flatfish, rays and porpoises. It is one of the largest UK habitats for brent geese and many other migratory and over-wintering marine birds.
The River Crouch is about 46km (28 miles) long from its source near Stockwell Hall in Little Burstead, southwest of Billericay. Its various origins are fed by springs and streams from the Burstead, Dunton, Langdon and Ramsden Hills. The first 15km (9.3 miles) are fresh water. This part is protected by The River Crouch Trust. It becomes tidal at the railway bridge between Runwell and Battlesbridge, where the river becomes the property and responsibility of the Crouch Harbour Authority. The River Crouch and River Roach tidal river system has a total coastline of 243 km (151 miles), out of a total of 565 km (350 miles) for Essex.
The River Roach is a tributory of The Crouch and some of our streams flow into the Roach, then into the Crouch before going out to sea.
The River Crouch is steeped in history. It was an important harbour for cargo vessels arriving from across the North Sea. Burnham on Crouch was the arrival port for pilgrims visiting England en route to Our Lady of Walsingham's shrine in Norfolk. Many would also visit Saint Helen's shrine in Colchester and Saint Edmund's shrine in Bury St Edmunds. The River Crouch was the convenient point of arrival for invading forces, particularly visits by the Angles, Saxons, Danes and Vikings. King Canute of Denmark, who was also King of England, used Canewdon and Ashingdon as his base before the epic Battle of Ashingdon. It is said and widely believed that the place where he is supposed to have sat by the waters edge and ruled that the tide shall not rise to cover his feet - was on the banks of the River Crouch near Canewdon, 1 to 2 miles from Ashingdon. Contrary to popular myth, he did not arrogantly rule that the waves should not rise. Instead, he was demonstrating to his flattering barons and courtiers that he was not an all powerful ruler capable of all that he desired, but that it was God alone who was all powerful. His endeavours with the rising tide demonstrated that adequately - that it was God who was all powerful and that he as king was merely God’s servant on Earth ruling his kingdom.
HILLS
There are three hills in Ashingdon Parish. Two in the heart of Ashingdon village and one in our Parish near Hockley. They are :
Church Hill - it is the 40 metres high hill with Ashingdon Minster - Saint Andrew's Parish Church on its peak.
Round Hill - it is the 55 metres high hill above The Chase and Trinity Wood Road - with Footpath 16 crossing its peak.
Beckney Wood Hill - it is the 50 metres high hill on the southern edge of Beckney Wood.
STREAMS
There are several small streams running through Ashingdon Parish. Some appear to be no more than a trickle in the summer and some look like a ditch. The most important are :
Hawkwell Brook - It has its source near Marylands Wood in Hockley. It then runs mostly underground past Plumberow School, then enters Ashingdon, it runs under the Harrogate and Broadlands Estates, then it can be seen running east through beautiful countryside beside woods and Footpath 15 until it enters Hawkwell at Footpath 7 and continues on through Hawkwell and joins The River Roach in Rochford beside the Bradley Way Lake, where it continues to join the tidal River Roach at Stambridge Mills.
Beckney Brook - It has its source in Ashingdon Common near Cavendish Road and Beckney Wood. It runs through fields near Woodside Road, under Clarendon Road and Granville Road, northwards alongside Lower Road where it is our Parish boundary with Hockley Parish, then beside the road to Beckney Farm, where it is our Parish boundary with Hullbridge Parish, and it continues north to the tidal Brandy Hole saltings marshland, where oysters used to be cultivated and harvested. It runs through there to the The River Crouch.
Fambridge Brook - It has several sources between Ashingdon and South Fambridge from Lowlands Farm, Rochelles Farm and near All Saints Church. They flow werstwards, south of Fambridge Road and Brenham Farm, then northwards where it flows into The River Crouch 625m (675yds) west of South Fambridge.
Trinity Brook - It has its source below Trinity Wood and flows under the Fambridge Road and Canewdon Road junction, then runs beside Fambridge Road, passes behind the old Rectory Farm, then it ran north to The River Crouch 2.25km (1.40 miles) east of South Fambridge. But, now it also has a diversion into The Old Fleet.
The Old Fleet - This is a river which has its source in Ashingdon near Moons Close. It runs east, then passes under our Recreation Ground, then under Canewdon Road. It then runs north along our Parish boundary with Canewdon Parish before it enters Canewdon Parish and runs past Pudsey Hall, Upper Raypits, Lower Raypits, then past the old Lion Wharf - where boats used to load and unload cargos - to Lion Creek and into the tidal River Crouch.
WOODS
There are about a dozen woods in Ashingdon Parish and about as many more spinneys. A great number of properties in our Parish have wooded gardens. There have always been woods in Ashingdon and some are mentioned in The Domesday Book survey in 1086. In particular, Beckney Wood which was a detached part of Beckney Manor and its farm. The manor owned Beckney Wood and the road from the manor ran as it does now southward from near the River Crouch shore, past Beckney Manor (now Beckney Farm) along a short stretch of Lower Road, then along the green lane past the house now called Westonbridge into the Wood. Beckney Woodis a bluebell wood - a sea of blue and full of rich fragrance.
The woods in Ashingdon Parish make up a total area of nearly 33 hectares or about 80 acres and vary from the largest – Beckney Wood at 14 hectares (35 acres) to the woods beside St Andrew’s Churchyard at 0.25 hectare (0.6 acre). The spinneys and the wooded gardens are in addition to those areas and add about another 20 hectares (50 acres).
Beckney Wood - is an ancient wood. It has an area of 14 hectares (35 acres). It is a bluebell wood. It used to be part of the ancient manor of Beckney, mentioned in The Domesday Book. For some time until the 1800s, Beckney Wood belonged to the Parish of Kew in Middlesex, west of London.
Trinity Wood - is an ancient wood. It has an area of 4.5 hectares (11 acres). It is a bluebell wood which belonged to Trinity College, Cambridge.
Boundary Wood - is a more recent wood. It has been cut and regrown many times. It has an area of 1.5 hectares (3.5 acres). It lies alongside our Footpath 2 / Footpath 7 and beside Hawkwell's Magnolia Park. It is in our Parish and it is surrounded by the Hawkwell Parish boundary on 3 of its 4 sides.
Kangle Wood - was another ancient wood in Hockley and Ashingdon. It was still in in existence in the 1700s. It was larger than Beckney Wood and possibly as large as 20 hectares (50 acres). It was south of Greensward Lane and probably belonged to the Chamberlains Manor which has long since gone. Chamberlains was north of Greensward Lane in the area south of Beckney Wood near Harrogate Farm. Chamberlains Manor occupied the Leamington, Harrogate and Tonbridge Roads housing area. Kangle Wood was south of Greensward Lane in the area now partly occupied by the Broadlands Estate and it extended over the area of Footpaths 7, 14 and 15 towards the east. Two small woods still exist in Ashingdon which must have been part of Kangle Wood - the wood between Footpaths 14 and 15 at TQ852929; and the wood opposite it, north of Footpath 15 at TQ853930.
There is one more nearby remnant of wood opposite and southeast in Hawkwell Parish at TQ854927. That may also have been part of the large lost Kangle Wood.
This example of our lost ancient Kangle Wood must illustrate the importance of preserving woods, because once the woods are cleared they are difficult to restore and once they are occupied, they are lost forever. Those important woods provide habitat for wildlife, they support biodiversity, they give out oxygen, they absorb carbon dioxide, they are beautiful and they provide recreation, tranquility and peace. Whether ancient or more recent, if the woods are not cared for and preserved, they can be lost forever.
WOODS NEAR ASHINGDON
There are several woods near Ashingdon's Parish boundary within easy walking distance. All those listed are accessible, or have paths alongside. The distances are from the nearest point of our Parish. They are :
Hyde Wood, Canewdon, 5 metres (5.5 yards) from our Parish. Area : 3.0 Ha (7.4 acres).
Magnolia Park, Hawkwell - is a wildlife nature reserve which lies beside our Parish boundary. A tiny part is in our Parish. It has extensive areas of woods, clearings, scrubland and ponds supporting a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Marylands Wood, Hockley, 800 metres (875 yards) from our Parish. Area : 4.9 Ha (12 acres).
Plumberow Mount Wood, Hockley, 350 metres (383 yards) from our Parish. Area : 5.3 Ha (13 acres).
Betts Wood, Hockley, 1400 metres (1515 yards) from our Parish. Area : 2.2 Ha (5.4 acres).
Crabtree Wood, Hockley, 1220 metres (1335 yards) from our Parish. Area : 1.6 Ha (3.8 acres).
Hockleyhall Wood, Hockley, 1375 metres (1500 yards) from our Parish. Area : 32 Ha (13 acres).
Hockley Woods, Hockley, Hawkwell and Rayleigh, 1400 metres (1530 yards) from our Parish. It is an enormous group of woods with an area of 111 Ha (270 acres) comprising :
Beeches Wood, Hockley, 2250 metres (2460 yards) from our Parish. Area : 31 Ha (75 acres).
Great Bull Wood, Hockley, 1625 metres (1780 yards) from our Parish. Area : 25.25 Ha (62 acres).
Hawkwell Great Wood, Hawkwell, 1550 metres (1700 yards) from our Parish. Area : 44.6 Ha (109 acres).
Little Bull Wood, Hockley, 2700 metres (2950 yards) from our Parish. Area : 1.5 Ha (3.7 acres).
Parsons Snipe Wood, Hawkwell, 2100 metres (2300 yards) from our Parish. Area : 3.7 Ha (9.1 acres).
Whitbred's Wood, Rayleigh, 2625 metres (2875 yards) from our Parish. Area : 3.6 Ha (8.8 acres).
Winks Wood, Hockley, 2800 metres (3060 yards) from our Parish. Area : 1 Ha (2.6 acres).
Belchamps Wood, Hawkwell, next to Hockley Woods, 1250 metres (1365 yards) from our Parish. Part of it is in The Scouts Camp Site.
Dark Wood, Rochford, 2.50 kilometres (1.55 miles) from our Parish. Area : 2.25 Ha (5.5 acres).
Gusted Hall Wood, Rochford, 2.10 kilometres (1.30 miles) from our Parish. Area : 5.9 Ha (14.4 acres).
New England Wood, Rayleigh, 3.20 kilometres (2 miles) from our Parish. Area : 4.0 Ha (9.9 acres).
Primrose Wood, Rochford, 2.75 kilometres (1.70 miles) from our Parish. Area : 1.23 Ha (3.2 acres).
Rawreth-Hall Wood, Rayleigh, 3 kilometres (1.85 miles) from our Parish. Area : 2.3 Ha (5.7 acres).
The Scrubs Wood, Rochford, 2.40 kilometres (1.49 miles) from our Parish. Area : 10 Ha (24.5 acres).
Cherry Orchard Country Park, Rochford, is a nature reserve, 2.85 kilometres (1.77 miles) from our Parish.
OLD BUILDINGS
Fine old buildings in Ashingdon include : Ashingdon Minster known as Saint Andrew’s Church built in 1020 and Ashingdon Hall in the heart of the village; Rouncefall is in The Chase; Along the road to Fambridge there are Rectory Farm House, All Saints Church built in 1846, South Fambridge Hall, Brickhouse Farm, The Old Ferry House, Coach House, a row of Victorian cottages and two rows of cottages of fascinating design in South Fambridge. The Anchor Inn was demolished for flats in 2004; New Hall, Linden Lea, Beckney Wood House, Beckney Farm and Uguess are in or near Lower Road; Brooks Cottages, Old Farm House, Smithey’s Cottage and The Forge are found along Greensward Lane; Also in Greensward lane are the ruins of a beautiful mediaeval thatched cottage which was destroyed by fire about 1995; Moon’s Cottages, now one house, are in Canewdon Road; and, Hydewood Farm and a few fine old houses are in Hyde Wood Lane. Local people call it “Hydie” Wood Lane, pronouncing the final “e” in Hyde.
FARMS
Some of the farms shown on the map in Ashingdon still work as farms and a few have lost their function as a working farm. The farms of Ashingdon are : Beckney Farm, Brenham Farm, Brickhouse Farm, Homefield Farm, Hydewood Farm, Lowlands Farm, Moons Farm, New Hall Farm, Pulpits Farm, Rectory Farm, Rouncefall Farm, South Fambridge Hall Farm and The Mink Farm. Some farmers in neighbouring parishes farm in Ashingdon Parish or own fields here, they include Little Doggetts Farm in Hyde Wood Lane, Scaldhurst Farm and others.
The several farms, small holdings and nurseries within the parish, produce arable root and corn crops, garden plants, potatoes, vegetables, cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. Among the agricultural products suppliers, there is a potatoes and eggs supplier, a pigs and rare eggs suppliers whose eggs have every colour from white, grey, blue, green, pink, brown, etc. and a goat farm selling goat products. Nurseries in Ashingdon produce and sell bedding and house plants, vegetable seedlings, trees and shrubs.
