In keeping with Brentwood’s nickname, ‘the borough of villages’, this area south of Brentwood’s centre is home to several small villages and civil parishes. The most prominent of the area being Warley, just south of Brentwood’s Elizabeth Line station, and West Horndon just east of neighbouring Basildon. Warley’s history, unlike the more ruralised sections of Brentwood’s villages, has a long history with industry and the military, and the architectural styles associated with Warley’s housing reflecting this greatly. Warley & West Horndon are characterised by their green landscapes and open pastures, typified by the Thorndon Country Park that sits between them.

Warley’s military history stretches back over 200 years, and was even an important site of military strategy before this during the Spanish Armada of 1688. In 1742 Warley Common was used as a military camp and by 1802 has been developed into a fully operational barracks with space for 2,000 soldiers. More influential to the development of Warley as a town, was the Warley Hospital built in 1851. After the County Aslyum and Lunacy Acts of 1845, it was designated that each county provide a designated centre for the treatment of mentally ill. Designed by Kendall & Pope Architects in the mid-1800s, The Warley Hospital was operational until its closure in 2001. Since its closure, parts of the hospital have been converted into luxury flats named The Galleries. The grand High Victorian Gothic facade and other idiosyncratic design features - such as gargoyles and spiral staircases - remain a part of the architectural identity.

Despite the open green space, Warley is categorised as a part of Brentwood’s central urban fabric, due to its proximity to the Brentwood train station and the old Ford headquarters situated in the Warley business park. Currently, there are massive regeneration efforts being consolidated by Brentwood’s council - this more specifically pertains to the expansion of West Horndon. Brentwood’s council has recently greenlit a massive garden-village project in Dunton Hills, just west of West Hordon. This ambitious project will entail the construction of 3,700 new homes, schools, community centres, healthcare facilities, and public spaces!