Downham, Essex

Crowsheath Wood (or Thrift Wood) is an 8.1-hectare (20-acre) nature reserve in Downham, between Billericay and South Woodham Ferrers in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.The wood has many mature oak trees, with coppiced areas mainly of hornbeam, together with other trees such as ash and field maple. There are ponds in the centre of the site where lesser spearwort grows. Flowers include bluebell and wood anemone, and there are birds typical of broadleaved woodland.There is access from Crowsheath Lane and by a footpath from School Road.

Ramsden Bellhouse is a village and civil parish in Essex in the east of England. It is in the Borough of Basildon and in the parliamentary constituency of Billericay. The River Crouch flows through Ramsden Bellhouse, flowing under Church Road.During the Middle Ages, Roger fitzReinfrid, a royal justice, held land at Ramsden Bellhouse, and later granted the church to Lesnes Abbey in north Kent. Its full Domesday Book entry from 1086 reads (in modern translation):Ramesdana / -duna: William from Bishop of London; 2 men-at-arms from Bishop of Bayeux; Osbern from Hugh de Montfort; Robert Gernon and Ansketel from him; Humphrey from Ranulf, brother of Ilger. Mill, 4 beehives

Ramsden Heath is a village in Essex in the east of England. It is located approximately 8 mi (13 km) south of the county town of Chelmsford; the closest towns are Billericay, approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) west-southwest, and Wickford, approximately 3.5 mi (5.6 km) southeast. The village is close to Hanningfield Reservoir. The smaller village of Downham is immediately to the east. In 2018 Ramsden Heath had an estimated population of 1,966. The parish council is South Hanningfield, the local authority is the City of Chelmsford and it is within the parliamentary constituency of Maldon. Ramsden Heath has approximately 600 households.

Hanningfield Reservoir is a large 25,500-million-litre (900,000,000 cu ft) pumped storage reservoir located between Billericay and Chelmsford in Essex. It has a surface area of 352 hectares (870 acres) and is owned and operated by Essex and Suffolk Water.The reservoir is part of a 402.9 ha (996 acres) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The site is also owned by Essex and Suffolk Water and is run by them in conjunction with the Essex Wildlife Trust. The reservoir is covered by a Bird Sanctuary Order.

South Hanningfield is a small village and civil parish in the Chelmsford district of Essex, England. The village is located on the south bank of the Hanningfield Reservoir, around 6 miles (10 km) south-southeast of the city of Chelmsford, and around 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) north of Wickford. The centre of South Hanningfield is situated around the village green, known as the Tye. A village hall is located on the east side of the Tye, while on the west side is a pub, the Old Windmill. There are approximately 69 households in the village. St Peter's Church overlooks the reservoir. The civil parish includes the larger villages of Ramsden Heath and Downham.

West Hanningfield is a small village and civil parish in south Essex, England. It is located approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) south-southeast of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the borough of Chelmsford and in the parliamentary constituency of Rayleigh. It is located to the north of Hanningfield Reservoir. Surrounding villages include South Hanningfield, Stock, Rettendon and East Hanningfield. It is also close to the Chelmsford suburbs of Galleywood and Great Baddow. The local public house is known as the Three Compasses. The village also contains a primary school, a village hall and a hairdresser. It is the home of Lord Hanningfield the disgraced Tory Peer and former Conservative leader of Essex County Council.The Church of St Mary and St Edward is Grade II* listed church in the east end of the village. It is of twelfth-century origin, with considerable alterations made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It has a weather boarded timber-framed tower, thought to date from the early thirteenth century, with timbers recently dated as being felled between AD 1382–1414. The bells were cast in 1676, and are a rare example of a complete seventeenth-century ring, although not operable for some time. The Church Buildings Council consider them of historic significance. A Whitechapel Bell Foundry report noted that the bellframe was cut to install the bells.

Wickford railway station is on the Shenfield to Southend Line and is also the western terminus of the Crouch Valley Line in the east of England, serving the town of Wickford in the Basildon district of Essex. It is 29 miles 2 chains (46.71 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Billericay to the west and, to the east, Rayleigh on the Southend Line and Battlesbridge on the Crouch Valley Line. The Engineer's Line Reference for the line is SSV, the station's three-letter station code is WIC. Most Southend services connect to the Great Eastern Main Line at Shenfield for Liverpool Street. Peak-time Southminster trains also run through to London. Wickford station and all trains serving it are currently operated by Greater Anglia. The station was previously called Wickford Junction when the Crouch Valley route to Southminster also included a branch to Maldon West and more agricultural traffic passed through the station.

The Bromfords School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Wickford, Essex, England. Most pupils live in Wickford, while a large minority of pupils live in nearby Basildon and other neighbouring towns. The sixth form is smaller than average.

Stock Windmill is a grade II* listed tower mill at Stock, Essex, which has been restored.

Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the original town of Basildon, Billericay, Laindon and Pitsea. Wickford has a main high street which includes a wide range of shops. It also has a swimming pool, library, open-air market and a community centre within the vicinity of the town centre.

Crays Hill is a village in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. The River Crouch passes under Church Lane.The village was listed in Domesday Book of 1086 when the Lord of the manor and tenant-in-chief was Sasselin of Layer.Crays Hill was part of the civil parish of Ramsden Crays until 1934 when it was abolished to enlarge South Hanningfield.

Ramsden Crays is a civil parish in the Basildon district of Essex, England. It lies north of Basildon and west of Wickford. The parish includes the village of Crays Hill and is located north of the A127. The River Crouch runs through the parish. The 2011 census records that there were 862 males and 976 females living in the parish.