Rochford is a town and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Rochford District Rochford is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Essex, England. It is named after one of its main settlements, Rochford, where the council is based. The largest town in the district is Rayleigh, Essex, Rayleigh. Other places ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, north of

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

, from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and from

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

. At the 2011 census, the

had a population of 8,471.

History

The town is the main settlement in the Rochford district, and takes its name from Rochefort,

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

for " Ford of the Hunting Dogs". The town runs into suburban developments in the parishes of Ashingdon and Hawkwell. Kings Hill, in Rochford, was notable for containing the Lawless Court up until the 19th century.

Peculiar People

In 1837, James Banyard (14 November 1800 – 1863) (a reformed drunk and Wesleyan preacher) and William Bridges (1802–1874) took a lease on the old

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

at Rochford, which became the first chapel of the Peculiar People, a name taken from Deuteronomy 14:2 and 1 Peter 2:9. The Peculiar People practised a lively form of worship bound by the literal interpretation of the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...

, banning both frivolity and medicine. During the two World Wars, some were

conscientious objectors A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or freedom of religion, religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for ...

, believing that war is contrary to the teachings of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. The Peculiar People are nowadays known as the Union of Evangelical Churches.

First World War

Nearby

Southend Airport Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

started life as a grass fighter station in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The site was founded in the autumn of 1914 when farmland between Westbarrow Hall and the Great Eastern Railway line at Warners Bridge north of Southend Pier was acquired for RFC training purposes. Training continued until May 1915 when the site, known also as Eastwood, was taken over by the RNAS to become a Station (night) in the fight against intruding Zeppelins.

Second World War

Southend Airport was opened on the site on 18 September 1935. As

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

approached it was requisitioned by the Air Ministry in August 1939 for use as a fighter airfield by No.11 Group RAF. RAF Rochford was a satellite station for

RAF Hornchurch Royal Air Force Hornchurch, or more simply RAF Hornchurch, is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, sector station in the parish of Hornchurch, Essex (now the London Borough of Havering in Greater London), located to ...

and was primarily a fighter base, home mainly to

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

and

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

aircraft. Rochford airfield was accompanied by a radar base in Canewdon (around away). RAF Rochford was bombed a number of times during the war. It was returned to civilian service on 31 December 1946.

Geography

Aerial photo over Rochford. The old hospital boilerhouse can be seen. The town is just to the north of

, and is separated from both Southend and

Rayleigh Rayleigh may refer to: Science *Rayleigh scattering *Rayleigh–Jeans law *Rayleigh waves *Rayleigh (unit), a unit of photon flux named after the 4th Baron Rayleigh *Rayl, rayl or Rayleigh, two units of specific acoustic impedance and characte ...

Governance

The Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East is

Bayo Alaba Adebayo Alaba is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Southend East and Rochford since 2024. Early life and education Alaba is from the Forest Gate area of London and of Nigerian descent. He gradu ...

( Labour). An

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

in the same name exists. At the 2011 Census this ward had a population of 7,695. The Area of Rochford District (inc. Rayleigh, Hockley, Hawkwell) is also represented in Parliament and the Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford is Mark Gino Francois (

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Landmarks

Rochford Hall is privately owned by Rochford Hundred Golf Club. The

Corn Exchange A corn exchange is a building where merchants trade grains. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley; in the United States these buildings were called grain exchanges. Such trade was common in towns ...

, now home to the local branch of the Women's Institute, was completed in 1866.

Leisure

Clements Hall Leisure Centre is managed by Fusion Lifestyle, for Rochford District Council. The Roach Valley Way is a 23-mile (37 km) circular path centred on Rochford and the River Crouch and River Roach estuaries.

Sport

Rochford Hundred Rugby Club was formed in 1962 and, as of 2019, play in London & South East Premier—level 5 of the

English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England consi ...

. Rochford Town Football Club are a non-league side who play in the second division of the Essex Olympian Football League. Rankin's Cricket Club was established in 1881 and play in the T Rippon Mid Essex League.

Transport

Trains run from Rochford railway station eastbound to Southend Victoria and westbound to

Liverpool Street station Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a major central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It i ...

in the business district of central

. Southend Airport railway station, which is sited on the eastern boundary of the airport, opened on 18 July 2011. Rochford has bus links to the surrounding towns; routes 7, 8 and 9 travel to

and

. There are over twenty scheduled flight destinations within Europe available from

London Southend Airport London Southend Airport is an international airport situated on the outskirts of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, approximately from the Charing Cross#Official use as central point, centre of London. The airport straddles the boundaries b ...

Media

Local TV coverage is provided by BBC East and

ITV Anglia ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

. Television signals are received from the Sudbury TV transmitter and the local relay TV transmitter. BBC London and ITV London can also be received from the Crystal Palace TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Essex on 95.3 FM, Heart East on 97.5 FM and Radio Essex on 105.1 FM. The town is served by the local newspaper, Southend Echo.

Rochford Hospital

Rochford Hospital used to be primarily the district maternity hospital. It was here, in 1956, that Sister J Ward made observations that led to the development of phototherapy for newborns suffering from jaundice. Much of the site was redeveloped and turned over to housing use once the decision was made to transfer the majority of services to Southend Hospital in 1990, with only the Acute Adult Inpatient Service remaining on part of the former site.

Churches

St Andrew's Parish Church

The ancient

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

is St Andrew's Church, Rochford, close to Rochford Hall, and is part of Rochford

Deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

, within the Bradwell Area of the

Diocese of Chelmsford The Diocese of Chelmsford is a Church of England diocese, part of the Province of Canterbury. It was created on 23 January 1914 from part of the Diocese of St Albans. It covers Essex and part of East London. Since 1984 it is divided into three ...

. It is thought to have originated in Anglo-Saxon times, but the current church building dates from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Free churches

Rochford Congregational Church has been part of the local community since 1750. The Congregational Church also established the first Dissenting School in the area; When others were afraid of educating the children of the lower classes because they might prove a danger to the state, the church ensured that ordinary people had "a plain and useful education." Rochford Methodist Church, near the White Horse Public House. The Methodists have been in Rochford since 1822, originally meeting in a building where Market Alley turns into the Square. In 1841 they moved to a new building in North Street near Weir Pond Road, and in 1880 they moved to their current premises. Rochford Community Church was founded in 1987 and meets at The Freight House near the railway station.

Catholic church

There is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church on Ashingdon Road, Rochford, dedicated to St Teresa of the child Jesus. It was founded in 1953; the present church building opened in 1977.

Notable people

* Arthur Aitken, military commander *

Jamie Cullum Jamie Paul Joseph Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, pianist, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He h ...

, jazz-pop musician *

Terry Alderton Terry John Alderton (born 31 October 1970) is an English comedian who had acting and presenting roles in the early 2000s before returning to stand-up comedy a decade later. Personal life Alderton was born on 31 October 1970 in Rochford, Ess ...

, comedian and former footballer * Peter Allen, journalist and radio presenter * Barrie Delf, professional footballer * Digby Fairweather, jazz musician * Brenda Forbes, Anglo-American actress of stage and screen *

Philip Guard Philip John Guard (29 November 1928 – May 2024) was an English stage actor who occasionally appeared in film and television. Life and career Philip John Guard was born in Rochford, Essex, on 29 November 1928. Guard appeared occasionally in fil ...

, actor * Dean Macey, athlete *

Mike Penning Sir Michael Alan Penning (born 28 September 1957) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician, who served as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member of parliament (MP) for Hemel Hempstead (UK Parliament constitu ...

, Conservative MP *

Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich (July 1496 – 12 June 1567), was Lord Chancellor during King Edward VI of England's reign, from 1547 until January 1552. He was the founder of Felsted School with its associated almshouses in Essex in 1564. He was ...

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

under

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

, died in Rochford 12 June 1567 * Rachel Riley, TV presenter and mathematician, born in Rochford but raised in Thorpe Bay,

* Will Stevens, racing driver *

Amanda Tapping Amanda Tapping (born 28 August 1965) is a British-Canadian actress and director. She is best known for portraying Samantha Carter in the Canadian–American military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1,'' ''Stargate Atlantis,'' an ...

, actress, producer and director was born in Rochford before moving to Canada with her family. * Andrew Tyrie, Conservative MP * Tony Way, actor, writer and commedian was born in Rochford and grew up in

Wickford Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county (England), county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the orig ...

* Omar Abdullah,

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

, Jammu and Kashmir, India *

James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop-punk bands Busted (band), Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project under the alias Fu ...

, Singer and guitarist for band

McBusted McBusted were an English pop-punk Supergroup (music), supergroup composed of members from bands McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd) and Busted (band), Busted (James Bourne and Matt Willis). The only member of the o ...

* Paul Stephenson (civil rights campaigner), leader of the Bristol Bus Boycott * Matthew Yates, athlete * Susannah Carr, Australian television news presenter, born in Rochford but emigrated to Australia when she was 7 months old. * Mumm-Ra (band), founder and bass player Niall Buckler was born here.

References

External links

* Rochford Historic Town Project Assessment Repor

{{authority control Rochford, Towns in Essex Civil parishes in Essex Rochford District