HADLEIGH, ESSEX

'Hadleigh' is a town in southeast Essex, England, on the A13 between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea with a population of about 18,300^[1].
Although a historic settlement with its castle, it has become intertwined with Benfleet to the West and Leigh-on-Sea to the East. This has led to the Hadleigh in Suffolk becoming more well known.


Hadleigh is probably best known for its castle, and the country park that surrounds it. The castle has been a romantic ruin for a few hundred years, but parts of two towers are still standing. John Constable painted Hadleigh Castle in 1829, and the painting now resides at the Yale Center for British Art.^[2] Set at the top of a hill overlooking the Thames Estuary, it is possible to see as far as the Canary Wharf development to the west. Another building of note is St. James the Less Church. Like the castle, this is a Norman building, but the church is still in use today. It remains picturesque despite the fact that it effectively stands in the central reservation of the A13 road.

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External links

External links

★ Hadleigh - White's Directory of Essex, 1848
1. http://www.town-guides.org/tgo/essex/hadleigh/introduction-welcome_to.asp
2. http://www.abcgallery.com/C/constable/constable25.html