Alresford is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is located 9 km (5.6 mi) southeast of Colchester

Colchester

Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...

 and is 39 km (24.2 mi) northeast from the county town of Chelmsford

Chelmsford

Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...

. The village is in the district of Tendring

Tendring

Tendring is a local government district in North East Essex, England. It extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south, with the coast to the East and the town of Colchester to the west. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea. Towns in the district...

 and in the parliamentary constituency of North Essex

North Essex (UK Parliament constituency)

North Essex was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2010...

.
The local primary school is Alresford Primary School (~150 pupils, ages 4–11). A pre-school also meets there.

Population

According to national census figures for April 2001, there were 2,125 inhabitants in 842 households, with an almost even gender balance. The percentage of the population above the age of 45 is higher than the national average.

Geography

The village, 9 km (5.6 mi) southeast of Colchester

Colchester

Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...

, lies above Alresford Creek, a tributary to the River Colne

River Colne, Essex

The River Colne is a small river that runs through Colchester, England. It is not a tributary of any other river, instead having an estuary that joins the sea near Brightlingsea.-Source:...

.

The village has Alresford railway station on the Colchester to Clacton Line

Colchester to Clacton Line

The Sunshine Coast Line is the marketing name of what was The Tendring Hundred Railway Line, a railway line linking Colchester to Walton-on-the-Naze and via a branch line to Clacton-on-Sea. Passenger services are run by National Express East Anglia...

, connecting the Alresford to the rail network that serves of the east of England. The rail service's operator is National Express East Anglia. Buses from Colchester are the 74 and 78 services.

Culture

The village contains the ruins of an old Anglican church (St Peter's), built about 1300, by Anfred de Staunton, which burnt down in 1971, replaced by the 1975 essex-barn style church of St Andrew's. There is a thriving congregation of 70 adults with a children's and youth ministry. This is also used by local groups, including scramblers (for toddlers), Razmatazz (for 5 -11) and Police liaison meetings. The Rector is Rev Pauline Scott (since July 2009). St Andrew's is also the home of P@STA - Alresford's own puppet company.

Close to the church is the Village Hall that is used for many other local activities including the local Scout Group, indoor bowling, weddings, photographic club,luncheon club and for elections. Behind the church and village hall is the recreation ground, with a children's playground and space for football pitches used by Alresford Colne Rangers F.C. who have a club house with changing rooms attached to the Village Hall. There are also two bookable, flood-lit all-weather pitches.

A mile to the south of the village, past the ruins of St Peter's, is the picturesque Alresford Creek. Here are fifty yacht moorings managed by the Alresford Creek Boat Owners Association. (The ford is no longer passable by 4x4 vehicles due to the amount of mud at the bottom of the creek. Although it is still marked as fordable on GPS and paper maps.)

External links

• St. Andrew's Church website
• http://www.essexchurches.info - Alresford Church on Essex Churches website

Neighbouring Wards/Towns/Features

Northwest: Colchester Colchester Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...	North: Elmstead Market Elmstead Market Elmstead Market is a village in the Tendring district of Essex. It lies 3 km northeast of Wivenhoe and 6 km east of Colchester. It is on the A133 road which until a few years ago was the main road to Clacton, Frinton and Harwich...	Northeast: Frating Frating Frating is a village and small civil parish of the Tendring district of Essex. It is about east of Colchester and northwest of Clacton-on-Sea. The parish includes the settlements of Frating Green and Hockley....
West: Wivenhoe Wivenhoe Wivenhoe is a town in north eastern Essex, England, approximately south east of Colchester. Historically Wivenhoe village, on the banks of the River Colne, and Wivenhoe Cross, on the higher ground to the north, were two separate settlements but with considerable development in the 19th century the...	Alresford	East: Great Bentley Great Bentley Great Bentley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of North East Essex, England, located midway between the towns of Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea. It is home to the largest village green in the country, at a size of and has won 'Village of the Year' several times...
Southwest: River Colne River Colne, Essex The River Colne is a small river that runs through Colchester, England. It is not a tributary of any other river, instead having an estuary that joins the sea near Brightlingsea.-Source:...	South: Brightlingsea Brightlingsea Brightlingsea is a coastal town in the Tendring district of Essex, England, located between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, situated at the mouth of the River Colne, on Brightlingsea Creek. It has an estimated population of 8500....	Southeast: Thorrington Thorrington Thorrington is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England. It lies 5 km east of Wivenhoe and 3 km north of Brightlingsea. The striking medieval flint church is dedicated to Mary Magdalene, and the patrons of the church are St John's College, Cambridge.On the...