Located south of Chelmsford City, resting on the streams of the River Crouch, sits the town and civil parish of South Woodham Ferrers. Originally a central locus of dispersed settlements and villages in the local region; South Woodham Ferrers blossomed with the advent of the railway in 1889 that saw the town transform into an urbanised landscape. The town was extensively developed by Chelmsford City Council in the 1970s, and therefore many of the houses in the town are dominated by 1970s style of social and government funded suburban housing. However, owing to the farmland landscape situated around the centre of South Woodham Ferrers, there is also grand country properties for sale, including equestrian facilities!

The history of South Woodham Ferrers is inevitably tied to the history of the railway in Britain. Before the railway, the area was a cluster of disconnected villages and parishes and was mainly agricultural in scope. However, in 1889 Great Eastern Railway constructed a rail station between Southminster and Maldon - naming it after the Woodham Ferrers village. In the latter half of the 19th century, helped massively by the railway, there was an influx of interest in moving to the South Woodham Ferrers area. Mainly due to the fact that the area had been hit with an agricultural depression through most of the 1800s, meaning there was plenty of land for sale. Many individuals flocked from over-crowded London to the locale; building their own properties and developing their own land.

The 1970s saw the biggest and most drastic develpment to South Woodham Ferrers, helmed by Chelmsford City Council. The vision for South Woodham Ferrers was to construct a contemporary riverside country town that mirrored the architectural design of analogous locales throughout Essex. With the masterplan approved in 1974, the town is well regarded as an exemplary product of late 20th century design principles, and is generally considered to be a well planned town!

Due to its history of regeneration, South Woodham Ferrers is no stranger to large-scale housing and infrastructural developments, but despite this maintains a strong community sense. Recently, in 2023, the Chelmsford City Council designated the area north of South Woodham Ferrers for the construction of 200 homes, helmed by Bellway Homes. Further developments are due to take place in this northern region, with the local council designating the provisions for over 1,000 new homes to be built by 2033!