News
The quarry that would ‘destroy a landscape shaped by hundreds of years of history’
Tuesday 23 June 2020
A new quarry proposed for Coggeshall “would affect the lives of local residents for decades and destroy for ever a landscape shaped by hundreds of years of history”, according to a campaign group. CRAQ (Coggeshall Residents Against the Quarry) says that if the county council approves a planning application for the quarry, “it will cause […] Read more >
‘Decision on Ebbsfleet tunnels offers a sustainable future’
Tuesday 23 June 2020
The Thames estuary is being targeted for high levels of development and we can only hope that some of the proposals being mooted do not come to pass. One concept we should be promoting, however, is sustainable transport and here we feature a cross-county project that has found favour south of the river. The KenEx […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex through a (smaller) lens
Monday 22 June 2020
Manuden Church has featured before in Our Lovely Essex, but this shot taken from the bridleway between Stansted and Manuden by Janet Harris proves you don’t need hugely expensive cameras with giant lenses to capture something rather special. “I used my Panasonic TZ70 for this shot,” says Janet. “I can’t take my Olympus camera – the […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: how things have changed in Saffron Walden!
Friday 19 June 2020
Gordon Ridgewell’s shot of Castle Street in Saffron Walden reminds us how much things can change. “In the early 1900s, 1,200 people lived in this street and it had five pubs, according to the 1911 census,” says Gordon. “When I was at school in the 1940s I was told not to walk here and policemen […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: of vigilance and vipers
Thursday 18 June 2020
The word ‘Essex’ is, for those lucky enough to live here, interchangeable with ‘Paradise’, but of course we must never be naïve or complacent… after all, even the Garden of Eden had its viper. Joanna Campora lives in the south of the county and sent us two images that show how quickly we can lose […] Read more >
Your chance to join online talk on gardens, conservation and threatened species
Wednesday 17 June 2020
You are warmly invited to an online talk on gardens and biodiversity being held this month. The lecture by Fergus Garrett focuses on Great Dixter House & Gardens in Northiam, East Sussex. You can listen to Biodiversity at Great Dixter: Showing how Gardens can play a Role in Conserving some of our most Threatened Species […] Read more >
Remember localism? Now prepare to meet zonal planning and development corporations
Tuesday 16 June 2020
If you thought the planning system was already loaded in favour of developers, things might be about to get a whole lot worse. The government is reportedly considering a ‘zonal planning system’ in which “key decisions will be taken from local councils and handed to development corporations”. Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s chief adviser, is […] Read more >
Lockdown lesson for government: more than two-thirds in South East want to see their local green space enhanced
Monday 15 June 2020
72 per cent of adults in the South East of England think their local green space, or nearby countryside, could be enhanced Majority of these would like to see more wildlife (52 per cent) and a greater variety of plant life (50 per cent) in their local green space CPRE, the countryside charity, and the […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: rural life in sepia
Friday 12 June 2020
Wonderful! This enchanting picture of a bygone rural Essex comes from Gordon Ridgewell, although he didn’t take it himself. It was taken at New House Farm, Ashdon, near Saffron Walden, in 1924. “I have got inspired to update my life history and found this shot of my grandfather,” says Gordon. “He worked on the same […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: a rather special collage
Wednesday 10 June 2020
Jane Elwood contributes a first for Our Lovely Essex today in the form of a photographic collage. There’s also a selection of other pictures from this richly talented photographer. Thanks, Jane! Read more >