On the northerly tip of Harlow Town, within the boundaries of the county of Hertfordshire, lies the civil parish of Eastwick and Gilston. The two villages, Eastwick and Gilston repsectively, form one unified parish on the very southerly border of Hertfordshire. Both villages have long histories; with Eastwick being recorded as early as the 1086 Domesday Book! Nowadays these locales benefit from the wide expanse of open greenspace and the ease of commutability to Harlow and beyond! As such, houses, particularly in the Gilston area, are often grand country manor with several bedrooms and significant acerage; often at prices in excess of £1 million!

It’s clear from looking at the etymologies of both Eastwick and Gilston, that both villages have historic roots in agriculture. Both names refer to farming - Eastwick meaning ‘east specialised farm’, and Gilston meaning ‘Gedel’s Farm’, with the ‘Gils’ referring to a personal name, and the ‘ton’ meaning farmstead! Eastwick was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book survey, although Gilston was not, as it was probably part of the locale of Sawbridgeworth. Gilston however, does have a central parish, and its estimated that a majority of the church was rebuilt in the 13th century, dating the original structure much further back! This church is now a Grade I listed building, and was restored by mid-century architect Philip Hardwick in 1852. Both locales are rich in architectural and design history; with Eastwick having over 11 listed buildings with a population of just under 200!

As is to be expected from rural and agricultural locales, development in the Eastwick area is often slow and stagnant. In the Harlow Town Adopted Local Plan for 2033, Harlow has not identified Eastwick as an area of potential housing or infrastructural development. However, this is not the case for Gilston. Since 2010, Gilston has been the source of a grand and ambitious development scheme. This scheme, named the Gilston Park Estate, is aiming to produce over 10,000 new homes, with 3,000 being delivered by the end of the 2033 local plan period! This estate is producing mixed-use and mixed-type dwellings, alongside community centres and local amenities to provide a self-contained community tangentially connected to Harlow Town. So, the scope for development in massive in this area!