Great Baddow: History and the Great Baddow Walk

If you’re looking for a hotel in Great Baddow, you can plan your trip around specific local landmarks. Historical traces range from the Chain Home Tower, Church of St Mary and older houses to an Iron Age coin hoard. The Great Baddow Walk adds a named walking route to the list.

Chain Home Tower: the history of technology in precise measurements

The Great Baddow Chain Home Tower is the only fully intact Chain Home transmitting tower in the British Isles. It stands 109.12 metres tall and still has all six working platforms. Its history also includes a relocation: the tower was originally built near RAF Canewdon in 1937 and moved to Great Baddow in 1956. The Chain Home Tower in Great Baddow is listed as a Grade II listed building. Its height, surviving platforms and relocation offer different ways to understand the tower’s architecture and history.

Church and coin hoard: different historical traces

Church of St Mary is listed as a Grade I listed building. It probably dates back to the 12th century; the nave arcades and chancel date from the 13th century. These dates distinguish the church’s probable origins from specific architectural features dating to a later period.

The Great Baddow Hoard presents a different perspective: it consists of 933 Iron Age gold coins and is considered an exceptional find of national importance. Alongside the history of churches and architecture, it offers a precisely quantified archaeological discovery.

Historic buildings along streets and at crossroads

Several houses and buildings can also be identified by their addresses and architectural features. The listed building at 47 and 49 Church Street is designated Grade II. Numbers 66 and 68 High Street were originally a timber-framed and plastered house dating from the 15th to 16th century. The Beehive Inn at 346 Baddow Road is a prominent landmark at the corner of Beehive Lane and Baddow Road.

Russells Restaurant is housed in a magnificent Grade II listed timber-framed tithe barn. Experts date the barn to 1372. If you include the restaurant in your plans, check the latest information before visiting.

The Great Baddow Walk and cycling route

The Great Baddow Walk runs mostly through Great Baddow Recreation Ground and follows paved paths as well as some nearby footpaths. It starts at the car park of the Great Baddow Millennium Centre on Baddow Road. For the walk, you can get off at The Blue Lion or Longfield Road stops; both are served by bus routes 31 and 336.

Another named route is the Great Baddow Cycling Route. There is a spot on this route at Vicarage Road from which you can see the Great Baddow Mast. This gives you both a walking route with a named starting point and a specific landmark on the cycling route to use when planning your trip. As route details can change, check them before setting out; you should also check bus routes and stops before travelling.

For trip planning, the difference is that the tower, church and historic buildings can be understood through their architectural history, while the Great Baddow Walk also provides details about path types, the starting point and bus options.

Discover more destinations: Saffron Walden, West Mersea, Roydon, Stondon Massey, Billericay, Warley, Ongar, Rivenhall

For the main travel overview: Essex.