Visit Essex unveils the county’s icons to celebrate Essex Day (26 October)

26th October 2024

The icons of Essex have been revealed to mark Essex Day (26 October), a day set to instil pride across the county, by showcasing Essex’s stunning culture, landscapes and attractions. 

The county’s tourism organisation, Visit Essex, is behind the event and aims to put Essex’s iconic culture and landmarks Embargo firmly on the map.   

The county is also much-loved by celebrities who grew up in the county. TV Presenter, Richard Madeley, is very proud of his roots. He says: “I almost don’t like telling people what a terrific county Essex is in case everyone moves here!
1) It’s one of the friendliest places you can hope to live. 
2) It has some of the sunniest, warmest weather in the UK. 
3) It has a busy, thrumming ‘London’ vibe in its south-west corner, and absolutely gorgeous countryside with beautiful villages, country pubs and ancient churches in the north-east.
4) It even has the sea!
“What’s not to shout about? Viva Essex!"

Influencer Olivia Bowen, who grew up in Chelmsford, is also keen to celebrate Essex. She says: “I love Essex because it really is the best of both worlds. There’s incredible restaurants, bars and entertainment but also beautiful woodlands, vast fields and stunning countryside to be explored. For me it’s the perfect mix of fun and tranquillity.”
“My favourite place to go in Essex is Hatfield Forest, we have the most amazing time there with our two-year-old son Abel. A gorgeous little cafe with acres and acres of woodland walks to be discovered. Den building is truly the most nostalgic feeling!”

THE ICONS OF ESSEX
To celebrate Essex Day, Visit Essex has compiled the top ten ‘Icons of Essex’: 
Seaside resorts – Southend and Clacton-on-Sea are iconic seaside resorts which almost top and tail the county’s 350-mile coastline. Much-loved by day-trippers, the resorts’ sandy beaches and adrenalin-filled rides are a must for families. 
Southend-on-Sea is also home to the world’s longest pleasure pier, where you can take a trip to the end of the pier by train! It’s also a great place to enjoy a yummy Rossi ice-cream. Visitors can also enjoy a day by the beach relaxing in a stylish beach hut that line the county’s promenades. 

Visitor Attractions – Essex has over 200 visitor attractions and surprisingly its top three paid-for attractions gain more visitors than any other in the East of England. Topping the list of ‘must places to visit’ is Colchester Zoo, which is home to 155 species set in 60 acres of parkland and lakes. Southend Pier is the second most visited attraction followed by RHS Hyde Hall, which offers a range of beautiful gardens from its wild ‘Sky Meadow’ to pretty rose garden.   

Constable Country, Epping Forest and the Gruffalo Trail – In the early 1800s, landscape painter John Constable brought romanticised views of Essex to the rest of the world. His famous works, centred around Dedham, illustrated a rural idyll. The countryside hasn’t changed much in over 200 years and visitors still enjoy a walk alongside the Stour or taking a row in ‘Constable Country’. 

At the other end of the county lies Epping Forest. The woodland is home to 55,000 trees and is famously known for being one of King Henry VIII’s royal hunting grounds. Queen Elizabeth I Hunting Lodge still remains in the forest and is now a visitor centre, which offers panoramic views from its top floor.  

Younger visitors to Essex love visiting the county’s network of country parks. A favourite is a walk with snake, owl and mouse at Thorndon Country Park on their Gruffalo Trail. Journey into the deep dark wood and go on an iconic adventure with creatures from Julia Donaldson’s favourite tale. 

Castles, Villages, a Church, House and Gardens – Colchester is Britain’s first city, where historic Roman walls and mosaics remain. Today, Colchester Castle, the largest Norman keep in Europe, built on the remains of the Roman Temple of Claudius, is home to a museum that contains thousands of years of history. Set in the castle park, it provides a stunning setting at the end of Colchester’s High Street. 

Essex is also home to some of the prettiest villages in England. Finchingfield’s village green and duck pond are known as the most photographed in the country. The ancient Flitch towns of Thaxted, Great Dunmow and Saffron Walden are jam-packed with mediaeval architecture and are a visitor’s paradise. 

The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall lies by the shore at Bradwell-on-Sea. It’s been a home to pilgrims for over a thousand years and the county’s Patron Saint, St Cedd, is thought to have founded the church in AD 654. 

Audley End House and Gardens in Saffron Walden is a stunning landmark building set within grounds designed by famed landscape architect, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. Today it’s owned by English Heritage and gives visitors a view of life above and below stairs. 

Essex saltmarshes – The swirling saltmarshes along the Essex coastline are much-famed since Dickens put pen to paper. His novels were full of scenes set on the misty marshes, and many a writer has since set their storyline by the county’s network of creeks. Recently ‘The Essex Serpent’, starring Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes, showcased the geographical feature to a global audience. Nowadays visitors and Instagrammers love to get drone footage of the patterned marshland. A trip to Tollesbury is the perfect place to view the saltmarshes and get a shot of a stunning red lightship. 

A golden banana and award-winning theatre – Essex is brimming with arts and culture, with a range of art galleries and museums across the county. Firstsite, the iconic curved building in Colchester, known as the ‘golden banana’, was designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly, following a worldwide design competition. The gallery is home to Michael Landy’s exhibition ‘Welcome to Essex’, which stands tall as a cliche of what was perceived as ‘Essex Man’ in the 1980s. From Firstsite in Colchester to Focal Point and Beecroft Galleries in Southend, galleries across the county host a range of interesting exhibitions. Theatre is also strong in Essex and Colchester’s Mercury Theatre is home to ‘the best dame in the country’ according to ‘British Theatre’!

A river runs through it – Rivers flow across Essex shaping the landscape as they go. From the Thames to the Stour, estuary life creates its own rhythm for the people of Essex. Whether its fishing, crabbing, paddleboarding or kayaking, the rivers of Essex provide the perfect backdrop for a whole range of pastimes. The rivers are also the secret ingredient in the county being announced as the ‘best place to grow wine in the UK’. Essex is the fifth largest grower of grapes in the country, and the Crouch Valley has become a wine-growing hotspot; the area has the greatest number of vineyards to area ratio than any other part of the UK. The vineyards benefit from the area’s dry sunny climes, closeness to the river and heavy clay soil.

Gastro Essex – Essex is world-renowned for its oysters,. From Roman times, people have tucked into this local delicacy and enjoyed fresh seafood from Mersea Island to Leigh-on-Sea. 

The world-famous Tiptree jam from Wilkin and Sons is based in Tiptree, Essex, and has been producing preserves since 1865. Across the county, visitors can also tuck into a special afternoon tea at one of the Tiptree tearooms. 

Maldon Sea Salt is another foodie icon, loved by top chefs the world over. The salt is harvested on Spring tides alongside the river Blackwater and evaporated over salt pans to create its unique salt crystals. 

Essex-lad, Jamie Oliver, helped put the county on the map for its culinary skills. Nowadays he can be spotted early on a Saturday morning checking out the freshest produce in Saffron Walden, which has become a hotspot for food producers right now. Saffron Walden Tourism Information Centre hosts food tours every Thursday to celebrate their local producers, from fine chocolatiers to on-trend ale houses. 
Thames Sailing Barges – Seascapes across Essex regularly benefit from the sight of a majestic Thames sailing barge on the horizon. These tall working ships were commonplace and ferried goods from London across the UK. Today, visitors can wonder at these beautiful ships along the harbourside in Maldon or take a cruise up the river Blackwater onboard a barge with Topsail Charters. 

Wild Essex – An unexpected highlight along the Essex coast is its colonies of grey and common seals. Take a boat from Harwich harbour and cruise to Hamford Water Nature Reserve where visitors can watch seals playing on the mudbanks. Essex is also home to migrating birds. Wallasea Island offers a RSPB reserve which offers mudflats, lagoons and saltmarshes and has become a haven for birdlife. Essex Wildlife Trust also provides a wide range of nature reserves where visitors can view migrating birds from Shoeburyness to Abberton, near Colchester. 

Councillor Mark Durham, Chairman of Visit Essex, is proud of what the county offers and reflects on its heritage. He said: “Essex Day marks the celebration of our Patron Saint, St Cedd, a seventh-century Anglo-Saxon bishop who played a key role in converting the East Saxons to Christianity. He founded a monastery in Bradwell-on-Sea in 654 AD, which is now known as St Peter-on-the-Wall. The church is one of the oldest Christian buildings in England. 

“Essex is home to so many unexpected places, from our 350-mile coastline to iconic landmarks, such as Colchester Castle and Audley End House and Gardens. We love where we live and would like to invite all to celebrate our county this Essex Day.”

To discover more about the Icons of Essex, visit (film hyperlink). To find things to do, head to www.visitessex.com.
ENDS

Notes to Editor:
PRESS TRIP OPPORTUNITIES
Come and Visit Essex and experience its iconic landscapes and attractions. Simply email Hilary Collins hilary@wearebigwavepr.co.uk and discuss your press trip needs. 

VISIT ESSEX
Visit Essex is the official tourism organisation and the only body specifically marketing the whole of the county to the visitor market. We work with visitor attractions, leisure/activity providers, accommodation establishments and other tourism related businesses (including the travel trade, media and wider partners), to ensure that the county remains a leading visitor destination.

Our work encompasses major marketing campaigns, high profile PR work, business support, and the management and promotion of the official Visit Essex brand. Visit Essex will ensure that the county gets the recognition it deserves as a desirable place to visit in the 21st century. We will work closely with partners to develop a sustainable tourism offering for the future, identify new markets and harness visitors at the county's major gateways of Stansted, Harwich, Southend and Tilbury.

For further information:
•    Hilary Collins, hilary@wearebigwavepr.co.uk, 01206 231807.
•    Xyra Speed, xyra@wearebigwavepr.co.uk