About Willingale

Whether you are a parishioner or planning a visit (virtual or real) or considering coming to live here we hope that you will find useful information about our village.

The lovely village of Willingale lies 8 miles due west of Chelmsford, the County Town of Essex, and is 35 miles northeast of London.  Essex is not renowned for its hills but Willingale is 250 feet above sea level contrasting significantly with its closest neighbour, Fyfield which, just 2½ miles away to the west, lies in the Roding Valley and is 100 feet lower.  Likewise, Roxwell, 3 miles to the east, is 100 feet lower such that Willingale sits on a modest plateau and, although a population of around 500 might suggest that it occupies a small area of land, a walk around its boundary would cover twelve miles.  Located in central Essex and 30 miles from the driest place in the UK Willingale can be rather dry.  The village includes the outlying hamlets of Miller’s Green, Shellow Bowells (famously noted by Bill Bryson in Notes From A Small Island and Paul Theroux in The Kingdom By The Sea) and Walls Green.

Willingale is perhaps famous for being the only place in Essex where two churches share a churchyard through which passes the long distance footpath The Essex Way.

Although very much an agricultural area agriculture provides limited employment such that most of the working parishioners travel out of the village for work.  Typically of rural villages the pubs, shop and school have closed but those threats to community life have spurred parishioners to be passionate about their Village Hall, Social Club and Church upon which is a based a thriving community and a full calendar of village events.