is an urban
Village in the
Chelmsford Borough of
Essex ,
England . It is close to the
County Town ,
Chelmsford .
The name is derived from an Anglo-French combination meaning "bad water".
At the heart of the old village there are over 30
Listed Building s. The village has been the site of a
Marconi factory for many years, and major development started in the fifties with the building of the Rothmans Estate for workers at Marconi's and
English Electric Valve Company in Chelmsford. During the
1960s the local council had multi-storey housing, shops, and offices built on the Vinyards, a country house turned hotel. These were voted the most ugly buildings in the area in about
2000 .
According to information in the village church of St Mary, the rebel leader
Jack Straw led an ill-fated crowd (the "men of Essex") from the churchyard to
London , in one of the risings in the
1381 Peasants' Revolt .
A former
Chain Home Radar transmitter tower, originally sited at
Canewdon , can now be found on the outskirts of the village where it is used to test equipment by
Marconi .
The village is also home to Great Baddow High School, situated on Duffield Road. The school is a sports college and shows exceptional performances in this field. As well as the high school it is also home to many primary schools such as Beehive Lane C.P.S. and Meadgate.
