Aldham | |
---|---|
Aldham shown within Essex | |
Population | 491 (2011) (parish, includes Fordstreet) |
OS grid reference | TL917253 |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | COLCHESTER |
Postcode district | CO6 3 |
Dialling code | 01206 |
Police | Essex |
Fire | Essex |
Ambulance | East of England |
EU Parliament | East of England |
UK Parliament | |
Aldham is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located 7.2 km (4.5 mi) west of Colchester. The village is in the borough of Colchester and in the parliamentary constituency of Harwich and North Essex. The village has its own parish council.
The parish covers approximately 6 square miles (16 km2), which includes the villages of Aldham and Fordstreet, and borders the River Colne to the north.
The 2001 census gave the parish population as 513, reducing to 491 at the 2011 census. It is 2.7 km (1.7 mi) from the A12 road, a major trunk road.
Aldham's parish church is dedicated to St Margaret and St Catherine. The church is first mentioned in 1145. The original church stood by Old Church Farm to the west of the village. By the middle of the 19th century it had become very decrepit; the floor was damp, the walls had to be supported by large brick buttresses and stout wooden posts had replaced some of the pillars. In 1853, it was decided to build a new church in a more central location, modelled on the old one (but enlarged) and re-using as much of the original fabric as possible, notably the whole of the 14th-century south porch. Although located near the geographical centre of the parish, only a few cottages were in close proximity to the new church, with the majority of the buildings in the parish on the main road at Fordsteet. However, since that time, there has been much building near the church and the area became known as "Aldham Village" to differentiate it from Fordstreet. Since 1951, the parish has been held jointly with Marks Tey.