Bicknacre, United Kingdom
Bicknacre is a town of 2,889 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Bicknacre
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 7 parks and trails, 7 places to eat and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Blake's Wood & Lingwood Common, Jamie's Fruit and Veg, Bicknacre Priory and Danbury Country Park.
Weather in Bicknacre
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Bicknacre
Bicknacre is a village in the civil parish of Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre, in the county of Essex, England. It is approximately 4.0 mi (6.5 km) north of South Woodham Ferrers and 5.7 mi (9.2 km) southeast of the city of Chelmsford. The village is in the borough of Chelmsford and in the parliamentary constituency of Maldon. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 2,263.
From the Wikipedia article Bicknacre (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Blake's Wood & Lingwood Common
Monument and historic site · 2.7 mi
Educational trail in Danbury, Chelmsford, England, UK
Museums and landmarks1
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Danbury Ridge Nature Reserves
Park · 2.1 mi
Essex Wildlife Trust Nature reserve
Restaurants and cafes7
History
There was a hermitage on this site until around the end of 1154, when it was converted into a priory for the Augustinian Canons, also known as the Black Canons. It was known as Wodeham (Woodham) Priory until 1235 when the name Bicknacre first occurs.
The name is derived from Bicca, the landowner, and æcer, an old English word meaning open field from which the word acre is derived.
Despite a very small population for most of its history, the village was able to support four Public Houses. All of these remain although two are now private dwellings.
The first major development was in 1969 with the construction of 60 executive style properties on former farm land to the north of the village. At the same time, a new school and village hall was constructed along with a modest shopping precinct.
In the 1980s, the Thriftwood Estate was built on the southern side of the village comprising 300 homes.
Several attempts have been made to undertake further developments in Bicknacre. Most notably in 2001 when an application to build 4,000 homes on farmland was rejected by Chelmsford City (then Borough) Council. The Parish Council successfully arranged a 100 year lease on this land, handing it over to the local community as a green space.
Read more of the history
The Bicknacre Festival was held for four years between 2005 and 2009 raising over £20,000 for local good causes. In 2006, the festival was opened by former Formula One driver and The Stig from BBC's Top Gear Perry McCarthy.
From the History section of Bicknacre on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship4
Schools, colleges and libraries2
Map of Bicknacre
23 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
London Southend Airport (SEN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 10 miles away.
- Maldon 5 mi northeast, about 7 min by car
- Boreham 5 mi northwest, about 8 min by car
- Chelmsford 6 mi northwest, about 9 min by car
- Wickford 6 mi southwest, about 10 min by car
- Stock 6 mi west, about 10 min by car
- Rayleigh 8 mi south, about 12 min by car
- Witham 8 mi north, about 12 min by car
- Billericay 8 mi southwest, about 14 min by car
- Basildon 10 mi southwest, about 17 min by car
- South Benfleet 10 mi south, about 16 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Bicknacre
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- White swan bicknacre, Terryjoyce, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Priory arch, Terryjoyce, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.