Nestled on the western edge of central Chelmsford, sits the village and civil parish of Writtle. A village with historic roots and royal connections; Writtle is filled with traditional village charm, with timber-framed houses, a triangular green-space and arable rolling green pastures. Writtle’s charm and proximity to the city of Chelmsford makes it an ideal home for commuters who desire a more relaxed and quiet pace of life. Dotted with grand country manor homes in excess of £1 million, to detached suburban properties at £600,000 - this village’s variety of housing is but one of its charms.

Although a village, Writtle is fairly large with just over 5,000 inhabitants! Writtle’s history is long - archaeological evidence suggests that the Roman’s occupied this village, and excavations have revealed traces of a Roman villa in the area! However, the name ‘Writtle’ is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as ‘Writelam’. Evidence suggests this name means ‘babbling brook’. The village, even in 1086, was sizeable and important, with over 178 households registered in the survey, making it one of the largest parishes in the whole of Britain! The village then grew even more in favour, when in 1211, the manorial estate of King John founded King John’s Hunting Lodge in the area! Nowadays this area is now occupied by Writtle University College; a higher-education facility that focuses on agriculture, animal science, horticulture, equine therapy and canine therapy!

Although a sleepy traditional village nestled in the heartland of the Essex countryside, Writtle has also been the sight of conflict. During the onslaught of WWII, Writtle was hit by a German V-2 rocket on January 12th 1945 - causing a crater of over 30 feet to appear. Luckily, it landed on farmland, and nobody was injured!

Writtle, owing to it being a village, is often slow when it comes to development. With the Writtle University College in the village, much of the land is protected by the local council to ensure the health of the university. That being said, there are provisions in place for the construction of new dwellings in the Writtle area! In Chelmsford’s 2023 Local Plan, they’ve allocated a site in Writtle for the development of 25 new mixed-use homes, with specific provisions for affordable housing!