Slightly north of South Woodham Ferrers, in the borough of Chelmsford in Essex, lies Woodham Ferrers. A small village with a population of just 600 - Woodham Ferrers retains its village feel even with the rapid expansion of its southern cousin South Woodham Ferrers. Largely populated by bungalows and two-storey detached properties; the housing market reflects the diminutive quality of the village itself.

Although South Woodham Ferrers’ history is rooted in expansion helmed by Chelmsford City Council in the 1970s, the origins of Woodham Ferrers dated back to over 800 years ago. Woodham Ferrers genesis begins with the Augustinian canons of the medieval period. At the site that is now the village, there was a hermitage - a form of religious building for the purpose of religious isolation - dictated from an early charter of King Henry II (1133-1189) in the early to mid 12th century. In 1175, it was then converted into a priory by Maurice FitzGeoffrey of Tiltey, and was dedicated to St. Mary and St. John the Baptist. St Mary’s Church still stands today, serving the community of Woodham Ferrers for over 750 years!

Woodham Ferrers is a small village with limited infrastructure. Since the rapid expansion of South Woodham Ferrers in the 1970s into an attractive Essex coastal town, Woodham Ferrers has been left with limited resources and limited development potential. Owing to the nearby RHS Garden Hyde Hall, in the adjacent village of Rettendon, and its proximity to the affluent South Woodham Ferrers, there is great untapped potential in this region for housing and infrastructural development. However, in Chelmsford City Council’s 2023 adopted local plan - whilst not specifically targeting Woodham Ferrers - the council has allocated huge developmental provisions for the land nestled between South Woodham Ferrers and Woodham Ferrers. A total of 1,000 new homes are set to be built in the region north of Burnham Road, as well as 1,900 sqft of retail space!