Tiptree
Encyclopedia
Tiptree is a village in the English
county
of Essex
, situated 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Colchester
and around 50 miles (80 km) north-east of London
. Surrounding villages include Messing, Tolleshunt Knights
, Layer Marney
, Inworth
, Birch
, Great Braxted
, Great Totham
and Little Totham
.
The population of the village at the 2001 census was 7,516. The village has been expanding rapidly for several years with large numbers of new houses and estates being built, though it stills retains the title of being a village. The 'village' status was the subject of a local referendum
in 1999 but residents and secondary school pupils rejected town status. Tiptree is amongst the contenders for the title of 'largest village in England
'. The population has grown to around 11,000 in 2011.
Tiptree has four primary schools: St Luke's Church of England Primary school, Milldene Primary School, Tiptree Heath Primary School and Baynard's Primary School. Thurstable School
provides secondary and sixth form education. Messing Maypole Mill
, a Grade II* listed tower mill
, and the preserves company Wilkin & Sons
, whose products use the village name as part of their brand, are located in the village.
Tiptree is administered by Colchester
Borough Council and Essex
County Council and lies in the Parliamentary constituency of Witham
.
lies to the south of Tiptree. The 25 hectare heath is the largest surviving fragment of heathland in Essex and is a site of special scientific interest
. Historically the area was a focal point for smugglers, who used the secluded water inlets of Tollesbury, Salcott and Mersea and often hid their contraband within the overgrown heathland. Species found on the heath include Cross Leaved Heather Erica tetralix
, Bell Heather Erica cinerea
and Ling. To help maintain the heath Dexter cattle are grazed there during the summer.
. The business was founded by the Wilkins, a local farming family in 1885. The company employs 220 full-time staff and has a turnover which exceeded £24 million in 2008.
Tiptree is also the home of JobServe
, the world’s first online recruitment service, based on the Tower Business Park. They now employ around 100 local people. Started in 1993, the company has grown significantly and in 2006 the company processed in excess of 9 million job applications. The village is also the head office of Underwoods Motor Group with both Ford and Vauxhall franchises. On the outskirts of Tiptree is Perrywood Garden Centre and Nurseries, a family business which has been trading for more than 25 years and employs more than 70 staff from the local area.
with Tiptree and Great Braxted. The parish church is Saint Luke's, located on Church Road, next to St Lukes CofE Primary School. The church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006.
Alongside the parish church, there are three other churches in the village, Kingsland Church, Tiptree United Reformed Church, and St John Houghton, a Roman Catholic church.
(locally known as the Crab and Winkle Line). It was an early victim of the mid-20th century cutbacks to the British rail network and Tiptree railway station
closed in 1951.
Today, the village is bisected by the B1022 Colchester to Maldon road, and the B1023 Kelvedon to Tollesbury road. Tiptree is also close to the main A12 trunk road which passes through Essex. Bus services link the village to surrounding towns.
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...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of 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...
, situated 10 miles (16 km) south-east 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 around 50 miles (80 km) north-east of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Surrounding villages include Messing, Tolleshunt Knights
Tolleshunt Knights
Tolleshunt Knights is a village and civil parish in the English county of Essex.The Parish has a Parish council, and lies within the area of Maldon District Council. It borders Tiptree, Layer Marney and Salcott cum Virley within the Colchester Borough Council's District and Tolleshunt D'Arcy also...
, Layer Marney
Layer Marney
Layer Marney is a village and civil parish near to Tiptree, in the Colchester borough, in the county of Essex, England. Layer Marney has a Tudor palace called Layer Marney Tower and a church called Church of St Mary the Virgin. In 2001 the population of the civil parish of Layer Marney was 206.-...
, Inworth
Inworth
Inworth is a small village in Essex, England, near to Tiptree and within the Colchester Borough Council area....
, Birch
Birch, Essex
Birch is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located approximately southwest of Colchester and northeast of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the borough of Colchester and in the parliamentary constituency of North Essex...
, Great Braxted
Great Braxted
Great Braxted is a village between Great Totham and Tiptree in Essex, England.-External links:...
, Great Totham
Great Totham
Great Totham is a parish with a village in Maldon district, Essex, England.There are two areas of the village, north and south.It is distributed along the B1022.There is a plaque attached to the village sign of the north area which reads....
and Little Totham
Little Totham
Little Totham is a village in Essex, England, with a population of about 300. The parish extends from the extensive common and heath-land of Tiptree down to the River Blackwater. The village lies about 6 miles 10 km) from Maldon and 5 miles from Tiptree and lies on the back road between...
.
The population of the village at the 2001 census was 7,516. The village has been expanding rapidly for several years with large numbers of new houses and estates being built, though it stills retains the title of being a village. The 'village' status was the subject of a local referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
in 1999 but residents and secondary school pupils rejected town status. Tiptree is amongst the contenders for the title of 'largest village in England
Largest village in England
Several places claim to be the largest village in England. This title is disputed as there is no standard definition of a village and size might be determined by population or area....
'. The population has grown to around 11,000 in 2011.
Tiptree has four primary schools: St Luke's Church of England Primary school, Milldene Primary School, Tiptree Heath Primary School and Baynard's Primary School. Thurstable School
Thurstable School
Thurstable School is a mixed comprehensive seconadary school, sports college and sixth form situated in Tiptree, Essex.-External links:*...
provides secondary and sixth form education. Messing Maypole Mill
Messing Maypole Mill
Messing Maypole Mill is a grade II listed Tower mill at Tiptree, Essex, England which has been converted to a residence. Prior to boundary changes made when the civil parish of Tiptree was established in 1934, the mill was in the parish of Tolleshunt Knights....
, a Grade II* listed tower mill
Tower mill
A tower mill is a type of windmill which consists of a brick or stone tower, on top of which sits a roof or cap which can be turned to bring the sails into the wind....
, and the preserves company Wilkin & Sons
Wilkin & Sons
Wilkin & Sons Limited was established in Tiptree, Essex, England in 1885 and makes preserves, marmalades and associated products.The present chairman of the business, Peter Wilkin, is the great-grandson of the founder. Through a Trust, employees own a significant proportion of the business...
, whose products use the village name as part of their brand, are located in the village.
Tiptree is administered by 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...
Borough Council and 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...
County Council and lies in the Parliamentary constituency of Witham
Witham (UK Parliament constituency)
Witham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
.
Tiptree Heath
Tiptree HeathTiptree Heath
Tiptree Heath is a hamlet in the Colchester District, in the county of Essex. Nearby settlements include the villages of Tiptree, Great Totham, Great Braxted and little Totham. For transport there is the B1022 road which the hamlet is on, and the B1023 road and the A12 road . There is a nature...
lies to the south of Tiptree. The 25 hectare heath is the largest surviving fragment of heathland in Essex and is a site of special scientific interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. Historically the area was a focal point for smugglers, who used the secluded water inlets of Tollesbury, Salcott and Mersea and often hid their contraband within the overgrown heathland. Species found on the heath include Cross Leaved Heather Erica tetralix
Erica tetralix
Erica tetralix is a species of heather found in Atlantic areas of Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe. In bogs, wet heaths and damp coniferous woodland, Erica tetralix can become a dominant part of the flora...
, Bell Heather Erica cinerea
Erica cinerea
Erica cinerea is a species of heather, native to western and central Europe. It is a low shrub growing to tall, with fine needle-like leaves long arranged in whorls of three...
and Ling. To help maintain the heath Dexter cattle are grazed there during the summer.
Economy
Tiptree is an internationally recognised brand of preserves manufactured in the village by Wilkin & SonsWilkin & Sons
Wilkin & Sons Limited was established in Tiptree, Essex, England in 1885 and makes preserves, marmalades and associated products.The present chairman of the business, Peter Wilkin, is the great-grandson of the founder. Through a Trust, employees own a significant proportion of the business...
. The business was founded by the Wilkins, a local farming family in 1885. The company employs 220 full-time staff and has a turnover which exceeded £24 million in 2008.
Tiptree is also the home of JobServe
JobServe
JobServe Ltd is a privately held company headquartered in Tiptree, Essex, UK. The company was originally incorporated as Fax-Me-Limited in 1993 and later changed its name to JobServe Ltd. in 1995...
, the world’s first online recruitment service, based on the Tower Business Park. They now employ around 100 local people. Started in 1993, the company has grown significantly and in 2006 the company processed in excess of 9 million job applications. The village is also the head office of Underwoods Motor Group with both Ford and Vauxhall franchises. On the outskirts of Tiptree is Perrywood Garden Centre and Nurseries, a family business which has been trading for more than 25 years and employs more than 70 staff from the local area.
Religion
Within the Church of England, the village is part of the United Benefice of Tolleshunt KnightsTolleshunt Knights
Tolleshunt Knights is a village and civil parish in the English county of Essex.The Parish has a Parish council, and lies within the area of Maldon District Council. It borders Tiptree, Layer Marney and Salcott cum Virley within the Colchester Borough Council's District and Tolleshunt D'Arcy also...
with Tiptree and Great Braxted. The parish church is Saint Luke's, located on Church Road, next to St Lukes CofE Primary School. The church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006.
Alongside the parish church, there are three other churches in the village, Kingsland Church, Tiptree United Reformed Church, and St John Houghton, a Roman Catholic church.
Transport
From about 1904 until 1951 the village was served by the Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light RailwayKelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway
The Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway, authorised under the Light Railways Act 1896 operated between the two villages of Kelvedon and Tollesbury to the south of Colchester in Essex, England...
(locally known as the Crab and Winkle Line). It was an early victim of the mid-20th century cutbacks to the British rail network and Tiptree railway station
Tiptree railway station
Tiptree railway station was a station in Tiptree, Essex. It closed in 1951.Former Services-External links:* *...
closed in 1951.
Today, the village is bisected by the B1022 Colchester to Maldon road, and the B1023 Kelvedon to Tollesbury road. Tiptree is also close to the main A12 trunk road which passes through Essex. Bus services link the village to surrounding towns.