Coordinates: 51°39′04″N 0°36′45″E / 51.651°N 0.6124°E
| South Woodham Ferrers | |
  South Woodham Ferrers
South Woodham Ferrers shown within Essex |
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| Population | 16,629 approx. |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Chelmsford |
| Shire county | Essex |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHELMSFORD |
| Postcode district | CM3 |
| Dialling code | 01245 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Rayleigh |
| List of places: UK • England • Essex | |
South Woodham Ferrers is a civil parish in the borough of Chelmsford in Essex, England. It is approx 35 miles (56 km) from London. It had a population of 16,629 according to the 2001 census. The town is to the east of Fenn Creek, and near where it meets the River Crouch. South Woodham Ferrers is part of the Rayleigh constituency represented by Mark Francois.
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History
The railway station was originally built in the early 20th century to serve the small village of Woodham Ferrers, which lies a mile or so to the north of South Woodham Ferrers, above the valley where the railway runs. The town of South Woodham Ferrers itself grew up around the station, but underwent dramatic growth as part of a planned development in the late 1970s. The final phase of the town's development has occurred in the last two years with a new area of building near Fenn Creek.
Many street names in the south-western part of the town, developed as part of the second wave of building in the 1980s, are taken from the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, with names such as Gandalf's Ride, Gimli Watch, Rivendell Vale, Celeborn Street, Hobbiton Hill and Arwen Drive.
National press
South Woodham Ferrers appeared in the 2003 publication Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK, in which it was ranked 33rd. UK towns were nominated for their 'crapness' via the Idler Website, with the results being published in The Idler and in the book.
The town's Asda store was opened in 1978. In 1981 HM Queen Elizabeth II opened the town square, which is named after her.
In the summer of 2007 television star Michael Barrymore was taken to South Woodham Ferrers Police Station for questioning, but he was released without charge.
Bushy Hill (aka "Radar Hill")
Bushy Hill is known locally as "Radar Hill" due to having been visually dominated by a radar testing site. The site has been operated by a number of the former Marconi companies, Alenia Marconi Systems being one of them, and more recently/currently it is run by BAE Systems and is used in the process of developing radar technology, some of which is for military orientated projects. The hill is technically part of South Woodham Ferrers and lies to the north of the town. Online mapping services such as Google Maps clearly show the site in use, including a "H" pad is located there for the landing of helicopters. The public footpath around the site passes the entrance sign warning of "helicopters landing, danger of radiation" and other such dangers associated with a working radar testing site. The actual inner workings of the site are well secured with a security gatehouse, anti-climb harass fencing and a number of well placed CCTV cameras.
Mill Hill
Popular local folklore has long rumoured a "secret base" to be located underneath the nearby Bushy Hill radar testing site, although no evidence confirms or denies this. What is known is that approximately ¼ miles west of Bushy Hill is a long sealed former "secret bunker" on top of Mill Hill from 1991 and neighbours a road located near Bicknacre. This small bunker was part of the former Royal Observer Corps (ROC) network of bunkers, usually manned by up to 3 ROC volunteers during the Cold War for the monitoring of nuclear weapons use against the United Kingdom. The ROC post network comprised approximately 1,500 similar small underground bunkers, spaced ⅞ miles apart, containing instruments for the monitoring of activity in the event of a nuclear attack, and using secure, EMP protected, British Telecom phone lines to feed this information back to larger regional centres such as the "secret bunker" located at Kelvedon Hatch, Essex. The ROC was disbanded in the early 1990s following a government review on defence spending. The remaining ROC posts, including that at Mill Hill, were generally emptied of their contents and sealed. Research on the internet suggests a cult interest in exploring these and other such sites across the country. Their findings, with photographic proof, show each site had an identical layout - generally a surface hatch with a metal ladder leading down 30 feet or so into a small bunker, where the post observers could have survived for a period of time, carrying out their monitoring tasks following any nuclear attack on the country.
Schools
The main secondary school in the town is William de Ferrers School, the first intake of which was in 1982. The school is locally known as 'Willy De'. After leading the school since it opened, Mr. Parry left in July 2007. The new head is Russell Wayne Ayling.
South Woodham Ferrers is home to six primary schools: Chetwood, Collingwood, Elmwood, St. Josephs RC, Trinity St. Mary's C of E and Woodville. However, Chetwood School will close on 31 August 2009 [3], despite a campaign by parents and residents aimed at overturning the decision. The remaining pupils in the school will be reallocated places in the five remaining Primary Schools.
The site of Chetwood is likely to be turned into a residential area.
Town centre
The town centre consists of around 100 business units. Approximately 45% are retail premises, with the remainder being a combination of professional services (such as banks and estate agents) and dining locations such as cafes and restaurants.
The supermarket chain Asda is regarded as a key development partner for the town centre, opening a store in the town in late 1978 which made them the principal retailer in the town. In 2001 Essex County Council sold the freehold for the vast majority of the town to Asda, who in turn sold a package of land and property to SW Investments. As a result of these sales, Asda own the town's car parks, Queen Elizabeth II Square and approximately one third of the shop premises in the town centre. SW Investments owns most of the remaining areas in the town centre, including Market Square, with the remaining premises having a variety of private owners.
Because Asda is such a focus for the town centre, many perceive it as dominating the area. Sporadically the local newspapers carry letters from a small number of residents complaining about the situation, often accusing the company of charging excessive rents, abusing their position, and controlling the shops in the town. These letters often culminate in calls to boycott Asda, yet very few residents seem to take part in such proposed boycotts. Despite the complaints, a number of small businesses have existed in the town centre for significant periods, with a number closing for various reasons, the most commonly given being a lack of support from the local community.
Chelmsford Borough Council has recently entered a consultation period with a number of groups in the town, including the local business group, over the future development of the town centre.
The Village Hall
Home to the local football club and cricket team, the Village Hall is a well-known feature of the town. It offers special events such as monthly and weekly football and cricket matches.
Other
In Summer 2006, South Woodham Ferrers elected its first town mayor, Councillor Ian Roberts.
Media
On 3rd August 2009, South Woodham Ferrers was featured in the programme Trash To Cash by the BBC.
Transport
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South Woodham Ferrers has good road transport links: The A132 lies to the north of the town, which leads to the A130, a road linking Chelmsford to Canvey Island) and then into Wickford and to the A127 and A13 in Basildon. The B1012 road connects SWF with the Dengie peninsula, including the towns of Burnham and Maldon. The town is also served by South Woodham Ferrers railway station, (formally Woodham Ferrers station until May 2007) a station on the single track Crouch Valley Line which runs hourly trains between Wickford and Southminster. During rush hour however, trains continue on from Wickford to London Liverpool Street. The relative infrequency of the train service is due to the track being a single line over most of its distance to Wickford, meaning trains cannot pass each other, except for a 2 line passing point at Fambridge station. Notably, the branch line was more substantial in the past, operating a double line, but this was removed during the 'Beeching Axe' of British railways in the 1960s. It is thought however, that the line has also survived in part, remaining open in its current form due to its servicing of nearby but no longer operational Bradwell Power Station. A weekly train load of used or "spent" nuclear fuel replaced one of the timetabled passenger train services for many years. The material was taken by road from Bradwell to Southminster, and then by train for reprocessing, usually at Sellafield in Cumbria.
There are a number of bus routes connecting South Woodham Ferrers with towns in the surrounding area:
- Basildon via Wickford - Bus 237
- Chelmsford via Danbury, Bicknacre and Great Baddow - Bus 36 (run by First Essex, part of the First Group)
- South Woodham Ferrers Circular - Bus 37 (run by the bus company NIBS)
There are also other buses which serve a number of the villages in the Dengie Peninsula.
Due to the way the town is laid out, it is very easy to walk or cycle from one side of town to the other, and there is also a Golden Jubilee Walk, which was created in honour of Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Anniversary in 2002. A coastal path walk, providing an attractive view of the Crouch Valley/Estuary can be picked up from the Compass Gardens area, and either heads towards the nearby village of Fambridge in one direction, or Battlesbridge in the other.
Notable residents
- Comedian and television presenter Terry Alderton
- Reading midfielder, James Harper
- Magistrates (band)
Places of interest
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Places of interest include "The William De Ferrers Sports Centre", "Marsh Farm Country Park", "Tropical Wings" Butterfly & Animal/Bird Collection, "Compass Gardens", "Saltcoats Park" and the "Memorial Park". South Woodham Ferrers is also home to the Crouch Vale Brewery, whose ale won the 2005 and 2006 Champion Beer of Britain at the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Great British Beer Festival.
References
- Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK (ISBN 0-7522-1582-5)
- [1] Closure of Chetwood School
External links
Schools
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