Great Horkesley is a village approximately 3 miles north of

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

in the county of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, UK, and is part of the borough of Colchester. Horkesley is located in what is known as "Horkesley Heath", which is a combination of two villages: Great Horkesley and, to the north, Little Horkesley which is an entirely different

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

. Horkesley is a modern name for the original Saxon name of "Horkaslay" which means "farm land for herds" (mainly sheep) though now it has many fields growing a variety of crops from corn to hemp. A few years ago an archaeological dig was made in woods on Coach Road, where a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

bronze smelting pit was found. Much Of Great Horkesley was a marsh, with very boggy ground, until it was drained by farmers. This is the reason why the main road is called "The Causeway" as it was a firm, and safe route of passage. Development in the north of Colchester threatens to encroach on Great Horkesley. Housing targets set by the

East of England Regional Assembly The East of England Regional Assembly was the regional chamber for the East of England region of the England. It was based at Flempton, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The assembly was created as a ''voluntary regional chamber'' in 1998 by the ...

have led

Colchester Borough Council Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colchest ...

to plan more than 2,200 new homes on the remaining green space between town and village along the A134 by 2021. The Church of England has 2 churches in the parish. There is a thriving Residents Association in the parish. Great Horkesley Cricket Club was reformed in 1975 and played its home matches at The Chantry at the northern end of the village. Its origins can be traced back to at least 1861 when they were bowled out for 6 in the first innings against Layer Breton CC - home games then were played at Horkesley Park. Due to uncertainty over development plans for the area, the club has temporarily moved its games to Mile End Playing Fields just a short distance from the village. In 2014, Great Horkesley Cricket Club and Lexden Cricket Club merged to form a new club called Great Horkesley & Lexden Cricket Club and will have two teams playing in Division Two and Five of the North Essex Cricket League. They will play first team games at Mile End, and second team games at Spring Lane, Lexden. The village has good bus links into

, with services every 30 minutes from both

Arriva Colchester Arriva ColchesterCompanies House extract company no 3506989
...

’s route 2 and

First Essex First Essex is a bus company operating services in the county of Essex. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. History First Essex arose from an amalgamation of Eastern National and Thamesway Buses. First Essex was originally part of the Eas ...

’s route 87.

Transport

References

External links

Great Horkesley Parish Council Community websiteCommunity website opposing large-scale development in North Colchester and Great HorkesleyThe Rose and Crown, the community's beloved local bar and restaurant.
Villages in Essex Borough of Colchester {{Essex-geo-stub