North Weald Bassett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North Weald Bassett
A 2010 aerial view of the town
North Weald Bassett
Area	22.79 km2 (8.80 sq mi)
Population	6,321 (2016 Estimate)
• Density	277/km2 (720/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TL495045
Civil parish	North Weald Bassett
District	Epping Forest
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EPPING
Postcode district	CM16
Dialling code	01992
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Brentwood and Ongar
List of places UK England Essex 51°43′09″N 0°09′46″E / 51.71930°N 0.16284°E / 51.71930; 0.16284

North Weald Bassett, often just called North Weald, is a village and local area in Essex, England. It's located in the Epping Forest district and is known for its beautiful valleys and ridges.

A popular market takes place every Saturday and on Bank Holiday Mondays at North Weald Airfield. This market used to be the biggest outdoor market in the country!

Exploring North Weald Bassett

North Weald Bassett is about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of central London. It's close to the towns of Harlow to the north and Epping to the southwest. The area includes the main village of North Weald and smaller communities like Foster Street, Thornwood, Thornwood Common, Tyler's Green, and Hastingwood.

The area is mostly rural, with lots of open land. You'll find the North Weald Golf Course and North Weald Airfield here. The airfield is still used today for general aviation. It was a very important fighter plane base during the Battle of Britain, known then as RAF North Weald.

You can also see the remains of Latton Priory, a small old monastery, and Paris Hall, a house from the 1500s. Both are special historic buildings.

A Look Back in Time: North Weald's History

In 1086, North Weald was a very wooded place in Essex. Records show there was enough woodland to feed 1,500 pigs! This tells us how dense the forests were.

Over time, some of these woods were cleared for farming. By 1594, maps didn't show North Weald as being heavily forested anymore. Today, only a few small woods remain, like Weald Hall Coppice.

The village has several old manor houses, including Weald Hall, Canes, Marshalls, and Paris Hall. The local church, St Andrew's, was built in the 1300s.

One of the oldest buildings still standing is Tylers, a timber-framed house that might be from the 1500s. The 'King's Head' pub is also a very old timber-framed building. Sadly, some old cottages were destroyed during a German air raid in 1941.

The main road through the parish became very important in the late 1700s. A toll-gate was set up, where people had to pay to use the road. The toll-house from around 1818 is still there today.

In the 1800s, North Weald's population grew, especially after the railway arrived in 1865. This made it much easier to travel to London. New churches and schools were also built during this time. The railway line was closed to regular passengers in 1994 but has since been reopened as a special heritage railway.

North Weald got its own post office in 1883, a telegraph office in 1886, and telephone service in 1920. After 1945, the village grew a lot with new housing estates. The population almost doubled between 1931 and 1953!

The airfield memorial for those who died in the two world wars and for those who worked for the airfield.

The village hall, rebuilt in 1967. The stage area remains from the original hall, built in 1928. It stands on ground donated by the Marconi company.

How North Weald is Governed

North Weald Bassett has its own local government called a Parish Council. This council helps manage local things like parks, cemeteries, and memorials. They also look at plans for new buildings in the area.

The Parish Council currently has 14 members. They are not elected by a public vote. Instead, residents can apply to join when there's an opening.

Local Council Elections

North Weald also has representatives on the Epping Forest District Council and the Essex County Council. These councils make decisions about bigger local issues.

Historically, North Weald has often voted for Conservative party representatives in district council elections. However, in 2024, an Independent councillor won the most votes, which was a big change! This election also saw the Conservative party get their lowest number of votes in the area since the 1960s.

District Council Election Results (Simplified)

Here's a look at how people have voted in some past District Council elections:

District Council Election Results (2002-2024)

District Council Election Results (Since 2024)

UK Parliament Elections

North Weald is part of the Brentwood and Ongar area for the UK Parliament. This area has usually voted for Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs).

In the 2024 general election, the Conservative party still won, but their share of the vote was lower than usual. This shows that more people are voting for other parties like Reform UK and Labour.

Here's how North Weald voted in the 2024 general election:

Population and People

In 2001, North Weald had a population of 4,461 people, with slightly more females than males. The average age was 39. By 2011, there were 1,867 households, with about 2.45 people living in each home.

Most people in North Weald are white-British (98%). The majority of residents identify as Christian. The average life expectancy in North Weald is between 80 and 82 years.

Many residents own their homes, and others have a mortgage. About 12% of people live in council houses. In 2011, most people in North Weald worked in retail (16%), real estate (13%), or manufacturing (12%). The unemployment rate is low, at 2.0% in 2011.

There are two care homes in North Weald, Leonard Davis House and Cunningham House, which help care for the older residents in the community.

St. Andrew's Church, built in 1330AD on top of an original structure.

Cool Places to Visit

North Weald has many interesting landmarks:

• The Redoubt / Mobilisation Centre: Built around 1880, this was part of a plan to protect London by providing ammunition if war broke out.
• The Allan Williams Turret: This is one of two special turrets built to protect a nearby radio station during World War II. Home Guard members were stationed here to prevent sabotage.

One of the Allan Williams turrets

• North Weald Airfield Market: This huge outdoor market is held every Saturday and attracts thousands of visitors from Essex and North London.
• North Weald Airfield Museum: This museum tells the story of RAF North Weald during the First and Second World Wars. You can see photos, personal stories, and artifacts, including items from the Battle of Britain. The museum is located in the old RAF North Weald Station Office and has military vehicles and historic aircraft.

The airfield museum

• RAF North Weald Memorial: This memorial is dedicated to everyone who served at North Weald. It includes a tall stone pillar given by the people of Norway to remember Norwegian airmen from World War II.
• Latton Priory: These are the remains of a small monastery from the 1300s, built with old Roman bricks.

Latton Priory

• The King's Head Pub: This is one of the oldest pubs in Essex, with parts of the building dating back almost 450 years! It was originally built using old ships' timbers.

The King's Head Pub, the oldest in the area.

• North Weald Station (Heritage Line): This old railway station has been beautifully restored to look like it did in the 1940s. You can ride vintage trains to Ongar or towards Epping Forest. There's also a cafe and gift shop.

Steam locomotive, Packford Hall on platform 1. Pictured with signal box.

• Weald Common: North Weald is surrounded by many commons and fields, like Weald Common. These areas are home to deer, rare birds, and other animals.

Weald Common. The radio aerial can be seen in the distance.

Getting Around North Weald

The M11 motorway runs through the middle of the parish, and the A414 road is also nearby. The old Epping Ongar Railway runs along the southern edge of the parish.

Bus Services

Local bus services are mainly provided by Vectare and Central Connect. Other companies like First Essex and Stephensons of Essex also run routes.

One of the buses used by the area.

You can catch buses like routes 13C, 18/18C, 420, 420A, 491, 492, 620, and the special Epping Ongar Railway Vintage Route 339, which serve the station and North Weald village.

A heritage vintage bus.

Train Services

The closest London Underground station is Epping, which is on the Central line. For National Rail services, the nearest station is Harlow Town.

The Epping to Ongar railway line was not used much and became too expensive to run. It was closed in 1994. However, volunteers worked hard to restore it, and it reopened in 2012 as a special heritage railway. Today, you can ride historic trains between Ongar and North Weald.

Pre 1994 North Weald station when London Underground owned the line.

Roads

Major roads like the B181 (to Epping) and A414 (to London and Chelmsford) are close by. The main road from London to Newmarket and Norwich also passes through the west of the parish.

The B181 road runs through the town from Epping.

Air Travel

North Weald Airfield is a historic World War II airfield that is still popular with private pilots. It's owned by Epping Forest District Council and hosts many events, including airshows.

The airfield control tower

Many vintage and historic aircraft are kept at North Weald, such as the Spitfire, Mustang, and Dakota. You can also see modern general aviation planes there.

Spitfire over North Weald, 1942.

The airfield still has its original 1927 hangar and the old Officers Mess building, which are protected historic sites.

Sports and Activities

• Bantham and Ongar Bowls Club: You can find this club playing behind the Talbot pub.
• North Weald Cricket Club: Formed in 1983, this club plays its home matches at the Memorial Playing Field.
• Golf Courses: North Weald has an 18-hole golf course called Blakes, and also a smaller par 3 golf course.

Learning and Education

The main village school is St Andrew's Christian Primary school, which has two classes for each year group. There are also two nurseries and pre-schools. The local council runs a small library that also serves as a meeting room for the parish council.

Images for kids

• 

  The village hall, rebuilt in 1967. The stage area remains from the original hall, built in 1928. It stands on ground donated by the Marconi company.

See also

In Spanish: North Weald Bassett para niños