Explore Wix In Essex

In the Tendring district of Essex, lies Wix about a mile or so south of the Stour Estuary. The town formerly lay on the crossroads to Harwich but has since been bypassed and is today a very quiet, rural part of the county. The village is ideally situated for travellers going on to the port of Harwich or wishing to visit other parts of the county or unique Suffolk villages across the border. Despite its quiet and gentle appearance today, Wix has not been without its fair share of interesting historical occurrences. Wix is mentioned in the Domesday Book and many significant events occurred here. The village was owned in 1066 by Queen Editha who was Edward the Confessor's wife. In 1204 Wix was granted a weekly market by King John. In 1250 a Deer Park Estate was created covering an area now known as The Dairy House Farm and Wix Lodge Farm. In 1331 villagers attacked the priory during the Peasants Revolt. In 1731 a local benefactor, Robert Clark of Clays Farm, left £5 annually in his will for the vicar to teach village children to read and write. This still exists and is known as Clark's Charity. In 1848 a local woman, Mary May, was hanged at Chelmsford for poisoning her half brother with arsenic! When World War 2 broke out, Eustace Hooks formed the Wix Home Guard. And in 1975 there was an attempt to steal the bell from the cage in which it stands in the churchyard. Consequently Mr Roger Paskell built a new cage free of charge. Today Saint Mary's Church is of historical interest and still has just the one bell. A large stone coffin containing a skeleton was discovered in 1961 by a farmer. The coffin was dated to around 1140 by archaeologists and was thought to be of Alexander de Wix, the founder of the Priory, which previously occupied the grounds of the church. The Wagon at Wix is the local pub. The pub is home to an historic cockfighting pit which is one of only two in the UK. To the north of the village is Wix Abbey, built on the former site of a Benedictine nunnery. Wix makes an ideal base from which to explore the local area. The village runs parallel to the A120. There are local amenities including a primary school, the Wix Equestrian Centre and a shop. Larger facilities such as banks, post office, secondary school, library and shopping centre can be found at nearby Manningtree which also has a main line railway station fed from both the Harwich and Norwich lines and providing a mainline service to Liverpool Street, London. There are open countryside views in all directions from Wix and many people choose to stay here in bed and breakfast accommodation in order to visit the local area. This part of Essex is very rural and in and around Wix are many small establishments selling local meats, chutneys and other locally produced food. Altogether Wix is a charming rural village where one can get away from it all and yet still be within easy reach of larger towns and villages as well as the coast.

If you are looking to Buy a House in Wix then please visit Countrywide