Birch is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
City of Colchester
The City of Colchester is a local government district with city status in Essex, England, named after its main settlement, Colchester. It is, with 194,394 people according to Office of National Statistics estimate for mid 2022, the most populous ...
district of
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, England. It is located approximately south-west of
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''.
Colchester occupies the ...
and north-east of the county town of
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
. The village is in the parliamentary constituency of
North Essex. There is a
parish council.
The parish incorporates the hamlet of
Heckfordbridge.
It is only from
Abberton Reservoir.
The parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul is a Grade II listed building, but has been derelict since it closed in the late 20th century. In 2023 it is threatened with demolition as the Church of England cannot afford to repair it.
According to the 2001 census, Birch had a population of 817, increasing to 873 at the 2011 Census.
[
]
Governance
Birch forms part of the electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
called Birch and Winstree. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 5,651.
References
External links
Birch Parish Council Web Site
Birch C of E Aided Primary School, Home Page
Birch History and pictures from Mersea Museum
Mainly about the villages of Birch, Layer Breton and Layer Marney near Colchester, Essex
Villages in Essex
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