'Essex' Category
Bulphan, Essex
It is thought that the ‘phan’ part of the village name derives from ‘fen’, lying as it does in the Thurrock fenland north of the Thames. The Bull is the only component of this ’sign’ in what is a relatively quiet village just off the A128.
Bulphan on Wikipedia
Bulphan History
Bulphan History - White’s Directory
Bulphan Church
Thurrock Local [...]Blackmore, Essex
Blackmore is associated with Henry VIII - he used to stay at Jericho House, the priory was demolished at his command. The church here is Norman but has one of the largest timber belfries in the county. It consists of three pagoda-like stages, as seen on the sign.
Blackmore Village Website
Blackmore on Wikipedia
Blackmore Parish Council
Blackmore Parish [...]Abridge, Essex
Unsurprisingly, this sign shows the bridge over the River Roding after which the village is named. The bridge has been an important crossing point on the river for many centuries, pointed out by the Roman(?) helm on the sign. The church spire shown on the sign appears to be that of nearby St Mary’s [...]
Canewdon, Essex
Lying close to Ashingdon, Canewdon shares it’s history, particularly with regard to King Canute, who is shown on the sign. Nearby earthworks suggest that this is where Canute made camp before his victorious battle over Edmund, and that the village name originated from that event (Canute’s Dun).
The impressive church tower is said to have been [...]Ashingdon, Essex
This sign commemorates two major events in Ashingdon’s history. In 1016, King Canute (or Cnut) was in retreat and met Edmund Ironside, King of England in battle here. Thanks to the failings of one of Edmund’s men, Canute won a great victory. Edmund was forced to partition the country, giving the north to Canute. [...]
Woodford Green, Essex
Not so much a village as a suburb of London these days, the sign depicts various local images: cows grazing on the Green (which was originally part of the great Epping Forest), Sir Winston Churchill - who for many years was the local MP here, plus the stalwarts of many other village signs - a [...]
Thorrington, Essex
The waterwheel shown, on what looks to be a fairly new sign (in 2005), refers to the Tide Mill, built in 1831 on nearby Alresford Creek.
Thorrington Parish Council
Thorrington on Wikipedia
Thorrington, OS Grid Ref: TM 088 203Theydon Bois, Essex
Some nice wrought ironwork scrolling, supporting a simple shield design. The three trees represent Epping Forest, the remains of which lie a short distance to the west of the village. The forest was a favourite haunt of highwaymen in the 18th Century.
One highwayman, Jack Rann, was also known as Sixteen String Jack, and a local [...]Thaxted, Essex
Thaxted is a small country town with a recorded history which dates back to before the Domesday Book. The arms of the town are supported by a wheatsheaf and flowers and two members of the Thaxted Morris. The crossed swords on red appear to be derived from the arms of the Cutlers’ Company of London. [...]
Takeley, Essex
The cross of St George is the obvious motif here. Takeley is very close to Stansted Airport, so there’s possibly an element of ‘Welcome to England” here?
Close to the sign is a large sarsen stone, extremely unusual in Essex and labelled as a glacial erratic, discovered during excavations for the airport expansion. Evidence has been [...]