Rayleigh, Essex facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Rayleigh
Rayleigh High Street, as seen from the top of Holy Trinity Church in 2003
Rayleigh
Population	32,150 (2011)
OS grid reference	TQ805907
Civil parish	Rayleigh
District	Rochford
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	RAYLEIGH
Postcode district	SS6
Dialling code	01268

Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England

EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Rayleigh and Wickford
List of places UK England Essex 51°35′11″N 0°36′18″E / 51.5864°N 0.6049°E / 51.5864; 0.6049

Rayleigh is a busy market town in Essex, England. It is located between the towns of Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea. Rayleigh is about 32 miles (51 km) east of central London. In 2011, about 32,150 people lived here.

What Does the Name Rayleigh Mean?

The name Rayleigh comes from old English words. Rǣge means 'female roe-deer' or 'she-goat'. Lēah means 'clearing' or 'wood'. So, the name Rayleigh means 'wood or clearing of the wild she-goats or roe-deer'.

Rayleigh's History

Early Times: Prehistoric and Roman Eras

People have found a few old items from prehistoric and Roman times around Rayleigh. Some Roman roof tiles were even found in Rayleigh Church. This suggests that Romans might have lived in the area. However, there is not much proof that many people lived here during these very early periods.

Saxon Period and the Domesday Book

In the early 2000s, an important discovery was made at the edge of Rayleigh. An early Saxon cemetery was found with 144 cremation burials. There was also one special burial of a high-status woman.

By the end of the Saxon period, Rayleigh was definitely a village. It is written about in the Domesday Book from 1086. At that time, a person named Swein of Essex owned it.

The most famous old building in Rayleigh is the large mound of Rayleigh Castle. This was an early Norman motte and bailey castle. Today, only the big mound (the motte) and its surrounding banks remain. Even without its original wooden or stone buildings, it is still very tall and stands out in the town centre.

Later Medieval Period (1154–1485)

A courthouse was built in Rayleigh in 1338. The townspeople did not like it. They gathered together and destroyed it! Later, 20 leaders of the group were arrested and put on trial.

The forests around Rayleigh were special places where kings would hunt. King Henry III hunted here in 1222. Three other King Edwards also visited Rayleigh.

One of the oldest non-religious buildings in Rayleigh is at 91 High Street. It has a Pizza Express on the ground floor and the Rayleigh Town Museum upstairs. A room in the museum, called the Regal Room, dates back to around 1350.

Rayleigh Castle slowly stopped being used. In 1394, King Richard II allowed the people of Rayleigh to use stones from the castle's foundations. They used these stones to help build a chapel and a new belfry (bell tower) in the town.

Tudors and Stuarts: Changes in the Church

Old records show that the church in Rayleigh was once very rich. It had beautiful plates, special clothes for priests, and stained glass windows. However, many of these items were later removed or sold.

During Henry VIII's time, deer were often taken from Rayleigh's forests. These deer were used to add to the herds in Greenwich Park.

Modern Rayleigh: Growth and Changes

Rayleigh Sign, showing Holy Trinity Church, Rayleigh Windmill, Rayleigh Castle, and the Dutch Cottage

In the 1990s, many new homes were built in Rayleigh on areas that used to be open fields. The East of England region wants even more homes to be built here now. This has caused some disagreement among local people. Many residents feel that the areas around the town should be protected more carefully.

How Rayleigh is Governed

Rayleigh has three levels of local government. These are:

Rayleigh Town Council: This is the local council for the town itself.
Rochford District Council: This council covers the wider district.
Essex County Council: This council covers the whole county of Essex.

Rayleigh used to be an old parish. In 1894, it got a parish council. Later, in 1929, Rayleigh and a nearby village called Rawreth joined together to form the Rayleigh Urban District. This district was then removed in 1974, and Rayleigh became part of the Rochford District.

The area of Rayleigh and Wickford has a representative in the UK Parliament. This person is called a Member of Parliament (MP). The current MP for Rayleigh and Wickford is Mark Francois from the Conservative Party.

What Rayleigh Town Council Does

Rayleigh Town Council has many jobs. Some of these include:

Giving advice on building plans in Rayleigh.
Organizing the Christmas Lights and the switch-on event in the town centre.
Putting up floral displays in the town centre.
Looking after CCTV cameras in the town centre.
Providing benches, salt bins, litter bins, and some street lighting.
Putting up heritage and memorial plaques.
Looking after the Town Centre clock.
Managing four Allotment sites in Rayleigh, which have over 100 plots for gardening.
Helping with the plan to reduce crime in the Rochford District.
Being part of the Rayleigh Windmill management committee.

The main office for Rochford District Council is on Hockley Road. The Citizens Advice Bureau and the Registrar's Office are also located there. The building is a 19th-century mansion called "Barringtons." It was changed for council use in 1953 and made bigger in 1964.

Getting Around: Transport in Rayleigh

Rayleigh railway station is a stop on the train line that goes between Shenfield and Southend. The train company Greater Anglia runs services between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street. During the day, three trains usually run every hour in both directions. On Sundays, there are usually two trains per hour.

Bus services in Rayleigh are mainly run by Arriva Southend and First Essex. Arriva's buses usually cover local routes. First Essex buses often travel further away. Buses connect Rayleigh to towns like Basildon, Chelmsford, Southend, Rochford, Hockley, and Stansted Airport.

Learning in Rayleigh: Education

High Street, looking towards Holy Trinity Church

Rayleigh has two secondary schools for older students: The Sweyne Park School and FitzWimarc School.

There are also seven primary schools for younger children:

Down Hall
Edward Francis
Grove Wood
Our Lady of Ransom (a Catholic school)
Rayleigh Primary
Wyburns
Glebe Primary School with UHI (formed in 2014 by joining two other schools)

St Nicholas C of E Primary School, which serves the nearby village of Rawreth, moved to a new building just inside Rayleigh in 2006.

Rayleigh also has two cadet groups:

Rayleigh Detachment Essex ACF
1476 (Rayleigh) Squadron RAFAC

Fun and Games: Sport and Recreation

Rayleigh has a golf club called Rayleigh Club. It is located on Hullbridge Road, just outside the town. It opened in 1991 as Hanover Golf Club.

Parks and Playing Fields

Rayleigh has several parks and playing fields where people can play and relax.

King George V Playing Field

This playing field is located near Bull Lane, Hockley Road, and Websters Way. It has a snack bar and a building for sports teams. There is also a special shelter for teenagers.

Two grass football pitches are used by local football clubs like Rayleigh FC. The park also has a skate park and a children's playground with lots of equipment. The Rayleigh Bowls Club also uses the park.

Every year, the Rayleigh Lions group holds a fireworks display at this playing field.

Sweyne Park

Sweyne Park is managed by Rochford District Council. It is north of Sweyne Park School. You can enter it from Downhall Park Way, where there is a small car park and a play area. There is also another entrance from Victoria Avenue. In 2008, a new entrance was made from Priory Chase. The park has a pond and a bridleway (a path for horses and walkers) that goes around its edge for about 2 km (1.2 mi).

Other playing fields in Rayleigh include:

Fairview Playing Field, Victoria Road
Grove Playing Field, Grove Road
John Fisher Playing Field, Little Wheatleys Chase

Kingley Wood

Kingley Wood is a small, old wood located on a steep hill next to the A127 road. You can see it when you are coming into Rayleigh from London. It is the only ancient wood left in Rayleigh. It has many different types of wildlife and a well-known history.

Wheatley Wood

This is a 64-acre (26 ha) wood with broadleaf trees that was planted in the late 1990s. Local people and the Woodland Trust worked together to design and plant this wood. There is a car park at the Grange Community Centre in Little Wheatley Chase, and you can walk across the playing fields to get to the wood.

Greyhound Racing and Speedway

Rayleigh used to have at least two places for greyhound racing. The main place was the Rayleigh Weir Stadium, which also hosted speedway races from 1948 to 1974.

There was also a smaller track at O'Tooles Meadow. This track also had greyhound racing and dirt track speedway. It opened in 1932.

Places to Visit: Public Facilities

Former Post Office in Rayleigh.

Rayleigh Windmill

Rayleigh has a small outdoor market on Wednesdays. Until 2011, it was next to the Rayleigh Civic Suite. In 2011, it moved to the High Street. This market is very old, dating back to before 1181!

The Dutch Cottage is a very small and old council house. It is the smallest and oldest council house in the United Kingdom. You can visit it on Wednesdays if you book ahead.

Rayleigh Windmill has been repaired and updated. The old brick building from the 19th century has been fixed. Inside, it now has four floors of modern displays. This has made the windmill a popular place for tourists and for learning about history. People can now go inside and explore this historic building.

Rayleigh Mount is a property owned by the National Trust. It is next to Rayleigh Windmill. It is the site of the old Domesday castle built by Sweyn of Essex, with its special motte-and-bailey defenses. Edward Belcham Francis gave the Mount to the National Trust in 1923. From the top of the Mount, you can see wide views across the Crouch Valley.

Rayleigh Town Museum

The Rayleigh Town Museum is on the first floor at 91 High Street. It has many old items that tell the story of Rayleigh's history.

Places of Worship: Religion

Holy Trinity parish church

The Church of England parish church of the Holy Trinity is at the top of the High Street. There was a church on this spot even in Saxon times. The current building has parts from the Norman period. The bell tower was built in the 15th century using stones from the old castle. The church also has a beautiful Tudor brick porch.

The parish church of Saint Michael and All Angels is on Sir Walter Raleigh Drive, near Sweyne School. It was built in the 1950s when Rayleigh grew a lot. It is a multi-purpose building used by different local groups.

Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church is on London Hill.

The United Reformed Church is on Crown Hill.

The Baptist Church is in the High Street. This building opened for worship in 1799. In 1979, work started to make the church bigger and do some needed repairs.

Rayleigh Methodist Church

The Methodist Church is on Eastwood Road. It moved there from the High Street in 1934.

Grange Free Church is on London Road, at the corner of Langdon Road.

The Salvation Army is on the corner of the High Street and Love Lane. Their building was the original Methodist Church, built in 1884. The Salvation Army bought it in 1934 when the Methodist Church moved to a larger place.