is a small town in the
Rochford District of
Essex in the
East Of England . According to the 2001 census the
Civil Parish of Rochford, which includes the town proper,
Stroud Green , and
London Southend Airport , had a population of 7,610.
The town is just to the north of
Southend On Sea , but is sufficiently separated from both Southend and
Rayleigh to preserve its own identity. The town square has remained relatively free of branding by national retailers and has avoided the brasher aspects of the tourism trade that have affected
Southend . The town is the main settlement in the
Rochford district, and takes its name from "the ford over the
River Roach ". The town runs into suburban developments in the parishes of
Ashingdon and
Hawkwell .
Until the early
1980s one of the largest employers in Rochford was the
Lesneys factory, who manufactured the famous ''
Matchbox '' miniature
Die Cast model cars. However this company relocated to
Rugby ,
Warwickshire in
1990 .
It is close to a railway station from which trains run to both Southend and
Liverpool Street stations in the business district of central
London . In consequence it has long been popular as a
Dormitory Town for
Commuter s.
To the south of the town an extensive
Golf course runs to the edge of the former
RAF airfield of Rochford now known as ''London
Southend Airport ''.
The
MP for
Rochford And Southend East is
James Duddridge (
Conservative ).
