Kelvedon is a large, but still very pretty, village in mid-Essex - when you include neighbouring Feering, it's home to around 5,000 residents.
The river Blackwater divides the two villages, and Messing, which can be grouped with them for our purposes, is east of both.
Surrounded by countryside, it's a tranquil place to live, and many city workers are attracted by the direct train route to London.
The presence of the station adds value to the property; however Kelvedon is affordable compared with many other commuter villages in Essex.
There are a few shops (supermarket, bank, post office, butcher) in town for daily provisions but for more you'll have to trundle up, or down, the A12 to the bright lights of Colchester and Chelmsford. The A120 will take you to Braintree.
Kelvedon has some popular traditional pubs in the village as well as a highly regarded Indian restaurant, but it's not exactly a Mecca for nightlife.
Its attractions are more sedate: there are good parks and green areas nearby, and in the countryside there is also the option of a day out with the family or some peaceful rural hikes.
Kelvedon also runs an annual Free Music Festival – this year's (2007) will be the ninth and it will all kick off on July 14th. It's held at The Recreation Ground, which is in The Chase - just off Kelvedon High Street
Property: Kelvedon has been a settlement since the Middle Ages, but the arrival of the Norwich-to-London railway line led to a spate of Victorian development.
The main road through the village became the A12 during the 1930s and this led to further development along this main artery. More building took place in the 60s, and in the 80s a large development called Riverside Park added hundreds of new homes.
The High Street runs through the middle of town, becomes Ferring Hill and leads into Ferring. The train lines run parallel to the High Street (north-west) and the Blackwater and the A12 forms a natural boundary to the south-east.
Right near the station a converted mill offers apartments; these are among the newest in the area. There's also an attractive new-build development on Wagtail Place, off Riverside Way.
High Street is lined with a fine stock of period properties – listed cottages and townhouses. So if its beams and inglenooks you're after, this is the place to look.
There are some bigger houses scattered about the village and all of Kelvedon is within walking distance of the station.
There are also some ex-local authority buildings that tend to be more affordable. However these generally are very spacious, internally and externally.
Buyers: Kelvedon is quite a family orientated village in that many have grown up here and remained to bring up their own children. This makes for a friendly, close-knit village atmosphere.
Commuters are also attracted here if they want somewhere rural to live with easy access to London. This means they can enjoy the countryside in their spare time.
Families from outside of Kelvedon will find that this a safe place to bring up children.
There is one primary school in the village. Honywood Community Science School is down the road in Coggeshall and more public and private sector schools can be found in Colchester and Chelmsford.
Transport
• Kelvedon is situated on the A12, which runs south to Chelmsford and north to Colchester. The A120 goes to Braintree.
• The railway station has hourly trains to London that take about 50 minutes. These are more frequent at peak times.
• Frequent buses run through from Chelmsford to Colchester. Both destinations have many rail and bus links to further surrounding areas.
• Stansted Airport is a 40 minute drive away.
Shopping
• The High Street has a butcher, off-licence, hairdressers and post office.
• Witham is less than a 10 minute drive away and has a good selection of shops and supermarkets.
• For bigger retail trips head to Chelmsford and Colchester.
Eating and drinking
• There are three pubs in Kelvedonincluding the Angel which has been recently refurbished and serves food as well as the Railway Tavern which also serves food and has a beer garden by the river – a splendid way to spend a summer evening.
• The village also has a Chinese and Indian restaurants – the latter is popular and does very good food.
Sports and leisure
• The recreation ground in Kelvedon has a football pitch, a hall and a children’s play area.
Facilities: Feering is a smaller village. There are no shops, but Kelvedon is very close.
Feering has three pubs: The Bell, The Anchor, and The Sun – the latter is known for having great pub food.
Property: As there are some larger properties in Feering, compared with Kelvedon, prices are generally higher.
There are no flats here but there is a good selection of all sizes of houses.
Buyers: Those wanting larger properties in the countryside will do well to look here.
Families will enjoy living here if they are looking for a quiet and safe place to bring up their children. There is no primary school but Kelvedon’s school is very close.
Transport: The buses that service Kelvedon also run through Feering.
Facilities: Messing is a tiny hamlet made up mainly of one country road. It has a pub call The Old Crown Inn, serving food and real ale.
Kelvedon is not far away for use of its shops.
Property: House prices here are higher than Kelvedon. There is not a lot of property on offer as the village is small. This means anything that comes up for sale is quite sought after.
Messing is very rural and so properties can come with a great deal of land. There are some very pretty period houses here.
Buyers: Buyers looking for something quiet and secluded may wish to look in Messing.
Transport: Kelvedon station is not far for those that are happy to drive there.