Named in antiquity after the well that supplied the local people with an abundance of clear, pure water, Bradwell village now sits astride the A120 Trans-European highway linking Venice to Cork.
A reminder of the older slower pace of life is in the tranquillity of the Essex way – a path that stretches from Epping to Harwich – 81 miles of ancient lanes and footpaths that touch Bradwell close to its early 12th century Parish Church of Holy Trinity.
It is fitting that the A120 road is part of the highway between Italy and Ireland as it was once trodden by Caesar’s legions when marching to and from the Roman garrison in Colchester. Now it is a major Essex commuter route to the M11 motorway and London Stansted airport. Villagers depend on it to travel to the local market towns of Braintree and Coggeshall and the major shopping centre in Colchester.
Yet a short walk from the main road takes you through the comparative peace and quiet of The Street, past the village green and on to Church Road which leads you through countryside and farmland to the parish Church of Holy Trinity, where villagers chose to mark the new millennium with the planting of a young oak tree.
Modern and ancient, co existing side by side in harmony – the essence of Bradwell
Click here to view a map of the Bradwell area provided by Google
