Nestled on the northwestern edge of nearby Stanford-le-Hope and south of the urban enclave of Basildon, sits the small village of Horndon on the Hill, Essex. Although a small village, Horndon on the Hill’s history stretches far back in time with a particularly strong Saxon heritage. Although adjacent to nearby Stanford-le-Hope, house prices in Horndon on the Hill far exceed that of its neighbour - with detached housing averaging at over £500,000 - some £200,000 more than in Stanford-le-Hope!

Horndon on the Hill, unlike many of the nearby towns and villages of southern Essex, seems to not have been a site of Roman occupation. Instead, the settlement appears to have bloomed with the advent of the Saxon invasion in AD 449. Many Saxon invaders avoided settling on previous Roman territory, instead chosing nearby areas as settlements and defensive fronts. Horndon on the Hill seems to have been one such location - where it is supposed that King Æthelred II built a defense against the Vikings! One of the main pieces of evidence we have for the Saxon settlement is the evidence of a Saxon coin-mint, after a coin depicting Edward the Confessor was found in the surrouding area of Horndon on the Hill!

During the period of the 13th century, Horndon on the Hill was a remarkably important centre for the wool trade in Essex. By the 16th century, the Horndon Woolmarket was constructed - however by the end of the 17th century, it was used as home for the impoverished.

Horndon on the Hill failed to develop from its medieval roots. As such, much of the medieval fabric of the village is still intact today - with many roads and buildings imprinted with this medieval origin. As such, Horndon on the Hill is one of Thurrock district’s oldest conservation areas - designated in 1969. The conservation area prevents large-scale development in the locale that does not align with the architectural and character style of the village. Thurrock Council’s local plan does not contain any plans for future housing development projects in Horndon on the Hill, and is instead focusing on developing a greengrid infrastructural system that will aim to maintain the green spaces of Horndon on the Hill!