This is a list of places of interest in the British county of Essex. See List of places in Essex for a list of settlements in Essex.
Basildon
Name Image Location Description Barleylands Farm Museum Billericay Museum dedicated to rural life, including the Discovery Centre, home to vintage tractors and interactive exhibits, the Craft Village, offering a range of craft workshops and individually owned business, and Barleylands Farm Park, featuring farmyard animals, birds of prey, two indoor playbarns and outdoor play areas. Church of St. Mary Magdalen, Billericay Billericay 15th-century Anglican church which is the centrepiece of the historic centre of Billericay. Grade II* listed building. Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead Billericay 12th-century Anglican church in Great Burstead. Grade I listed building. Dale Farm Crays Hill Plot of land formerly used as an illegal encampment of travellers, which had been established without planning permission within the Green Belt. It was the largest such site in Europe before a clearance order was executed in October 2011 after 10 years of contention. Historic Centre of Billericay Billericay Historic town founded as lodging town on pilgrimage route from London to Canterbury. New Town of Basildon Basildon New town created after Second World War in 1948 to accommodate the London population overspill. Norsey Wood Billericay Mixed coppice woodland with over 4,000 years of history. Scheduled monument, Site of special scientific interest and local nature reserve.
Braintree
Name Image Location Description Alderford Mill Sible Hedingham 18th-century watermill. Grade II* listed building. All Saints Church, Terling Terling Early 13th-century Anglican church with major elements dating from 19th-century restoration. Grade II* listed building. Bocking Windmill Bocking Restored post mill built in 1830. Grade I listed building. Braintree Museum Braintree Museum dedicated to local history, industry, textiles, ceramics and art, featuring The Essex Model House, designed by St Osyth Mahala Wood. Braintree railway station Braintree Victorian railway station opened in 1848. Braintree Town Hall Braintree Town hall built in 1926 by Vincent Harris and supported by the wealthy Courtauld family. Colne Valley Railway Castle Hedingham 1 mile-long heritage railway with fully reconstructed station, signal box and railway yard. Cressing Temple Cressing Group of three 13th-century timber-framed barns which were amongst the first possessions of the Knights Templar in England, one of which is the oldest timber-framed barn in the world. Grade I listed buildings. Duck End Mill, Finchingfield Finchingfield Restored 18th-century post mill. Grade II listed building. Gibraltar Mill, Great Bardfield Great Bardfield Restored tower mill built c. 1704 which has been converted to residential use. It is the oldest surviving windmill in Essex. Grade II listed building. Hedingham Castle Castle Hedingham Norman motte-and-bailey castle with a stone keep which was for four centuries it was the primary seat of the de Vere family, Earls of Oxford. The castle dates from the 11th century whilst the keep dates from the 12th century. Grade I listed building. Historic Centre of Castle Hedingham Castle Hedingham Historic village that developed around Hedingham Castle. Historic Centre of Finchingfield Finchingfield Historic village and home of Dodie Smith. Holy Trinity Church, Halstead Halstead Redundant Anglican church built in 1843 by George Gilbert Scott in Early English style. Grade II* listed building. Moyns Park Steeple Bumpstead Elizabethan country house that was the home of the Gent family until the late 19th century. Grade I listed building. Spains Hall Finchingfield Elizabethan country house built c. 1570. Former home of the de Ispania, Kempe and Ruggles families. Grade I listed building. St. Peter-ad-Vincula Church, Coggeshall Coggeshall 15th-century Anglican church. One of a group of oversized churches built following the success of the early wool-trade in the East Anglia area. Grade I listed building. Terling Windmill Terling Restored smock mill, built c. 1818, which has been converted to residential use. Grade II listed building. Warner Textile Archive Braintree Collection of textiles, designs and paper records opened in 1993. It is the second largest collection of publicly owned textiles in the United Kingdom, consisting of some 100,000 items.
Brentwood
Name Image Location Description Brentwood Cathedral Brentwood Roman Catholic cathedral built in 1861 in a gothic style, before being expanded from 1989 to 1991 in an Italianate Classical style by Quinlan Terry. It is the seat of the Diocese of Brentwood. Brentwood Railway Station Brentwood Victorian railway station opened in 1840. Chapel of St. Thomas Becket, Brentwood Brentwood Ruins of a 12th-century chapel dedicated to Thomas Becket which became a popular stopping point for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Great Warley Great Warley Anglican church built in 1902, notable for its art nouveau interior designed by William Reynolds-Stephens. Grade I listed building. Fryerning Mill Mill Green Restored post mill built in 1759. Grade II* listed building. Ingatestone Hall Ingatestone 16th-century manor house built by Sir William Petre, whose descendants live there to this day. It hosted Elizabeth I on her royal progress of 1561. Grade I listed building. Ingatestone Railway Station Ingatestone Victorian railway station opened in 1843. Grade II listed building. Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker Kelvedon Hatch Large underground bunker maintained during the Cold War as a potential regional government headquarters. Since being decommissioned in 1992, the bunker has been open to the public as a tourist attraction, with a museum focusing on its Cold War history. Mountnessing Windmill Mountnessing Post mill built in 1807 that has been restored to working order. Grade II* listed building. Thorndon Hall Ingrave Georgian palladian country house built in 1764 by James Paine. Former seat of the Petre family, who now live at Ingatestone Hall. Grade I listed building. Warley Barracks and Essex Regiment Chapel Warley Series of military buildings constructed after the local common was used as a military camp in 1742, before becoming the East India Company's barracks in 1842 and then later the British headquarters of Ford Motor Company. The chapel was built in 1857 and now contains displays of regimental history, memorials, heraldry and regimental colours. Grade II listed building. West Horndon Railway Station West Horndon Victorian railway station opened in 1886.
Castle Point
Name Image Location Description Canvey Island Transport Museum Canvey Island Museum featuring various historic modes of transport, public road transport artefacts and a model train layout, located in a converted bus depot. Dutch Cottage Museum Canvey Island Museum containing a variety of exhibits that illustrate the history of Canvey Island. Hadleigh Castle Hadleigh Ruined medieval castle built after 1215 by Hubert de Burgh, before later being remodelled by Edward III, who turned it into a grander property, designed to defend against potential French attack. Grade I listed building. Hadleigh Farm Hadleigh Educational working farm and cross-country cycling venue which hosted the men's and women's mountain biking events of the 2012 Olympic Games. Labworth Café Canvey Island Pioneering modernist International style reinforced concrete building designed by Ove Arup from 1932 to 1933. It is the only building solely designed by the distinguished engineer in existence. Grade II listed building.
Chelmsford
Name Image Location Description Anglia Ruskin University Chelmsford Campus Chelmsford One of the central campuses of Anglia Ruskin University, founded as a university in 1992. Battlesbridge Antiques Centre Battlesbridge A number of antiques centres and shops, one of which is a former mill. Battlesbridge Motorcycle Museum Battlesbridge Motorcycle museum featuring a number of classic motorbikes. Chelmsford Cathedral Chelmsford Anglican cathedral built c. 1200 that is the seat of the Diocese of Chelmsford. Grade I listed building. Hanningfield Reservoir South Hanningfield Eleventh largest reservoir in England. Hylands House and Park Chelmsford Neoclassical villa situated in a large park best known as one of the locations of the annual V Festival. The house was built in 1730 by Sir John Comyns, with the neoclassical facade added in 1814 by Pierre Cesar Labouchere. Grade II* listed building. RHS Garden, Hyde Hall Rettendon One of four public gardens run by the Royal Horticultural Society, receiving around 130,000 visitors per year. Stock Windmill Stock Preserved tower mill built in c. 1816. Grade II* listed building.
Colchester