Editing Witham

{{Short description|Town and civil parish in Essex, England}}
{{About|the town in Essex, England}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox UK place
|country = England
|official_name= Witham
|coordinates = {{coord|51.7978|0.6373|display=inline,title}}
|population = 25,542
|population_ref = <ref name=ONS/>
|civil_parish = Witham
|shire_district= [[Braintree (district)|Braintree]]
|shire_county = [[Essex]]
|region= East of England
|constituency_westminster= [[Witham (UK Parliament constituency)|Witham]]
|post_town= WITHAM
|postcode_district=CM8
|postcode_area=CM
|dial_code= 01376
|os_grid_reference= TL821145
|static_image_name=Town Hall, Witham, Essex - geograph.org.uk - 65400.jpg
|static_image_caption=[[Witham Town Hall]]
}}
'''Witham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ɪ|t|ə|m}}) is a town and [[civil parish]] in the [[Braintree District|Braintree]] district, in the [[Counties of England|county]] of [[Essex]], England. In the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]], it had a population of 25,353.<ref name=ONS>{{Cite web|url=https://www.braintree.gov.uk/housingstatnav/info/3/braintree_district_and_towns/9/witham|title=Witham - Housing Stat Nav|website=Braintree District Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809215350/https://www.braintree.gov.uk/housingstatnav/info/3/braintree_district_and_towns/9/witham|archive-date=9 August 2013|access-date=17 October 2018}}</ref><ref>Braintree District Council. {{cite web |url=http://www.braintree.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2875B70A-E9AF-44DB-8716-6472F56747D8/0/BDCpopwardsumm.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-09-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209142835/http://www.braintree.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2875B70A-E9AF-44DB-8716-6472F56747D8/0/BDCpopwardsumm.pdf |archive-date=9 February 2012}}. KS01 Usual resident population. Retrieved 15 July 2008.</ref> It is twinned with the town of [[Waldbröl]], [[Germany]]. Witham stands on the [[Roman road]] between the cities of [[Chelmsford]] ({{convert|8|mi|km|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} south-west) and [[Colchester]] ({{convert|13|mi|km|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} north-east). The [[River Brain]] runs through the town and joins the [[River Blackwater, Essex|River Blackwater]] on the outskirts.

==History==

===Early history===
Excavations by Essex County Council Field Archaeological unit at the recent Maltings Lane development discovered evidence of [[Neolithic]] occupation at Witham, including human remains and several trackways across ancient marsh. Excavations of the Witham Lodge (Ivy Chimneys) area of the town in the 1970s unveiled remains of a Roman temple as well as a pottery [[kiln]]. This would have been alongside the main [[Roman road]] from [[Colchester]] to London and used as a stopover point on the long journey. Another notable find during the excavation was a votive offering pool in the grounds of the temple, containing several artefacts that would have been offered to the gods.

In 913, according to the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', [[Edward the Elder]] marched from [[Hertford]] to reconquer Essex, and encamped in Witham on his route to set up a base at [[Maldon, Essex|Maldon]]. Witham's position on the Roman road in relation to the major Viking army based at Colchester was the most likely reason for this, and it would have effectively cut Essex in two.

The place-name Witham is first attested in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' in 913 (mentioned above), where it appears as ''Witham''. It also appears as ''Witham'' in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086. The name may mean 'village in a bend'.<ref>[[Eilert Ekwall]], ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names'', p.527.</ref> Another suggestion is that the name is part [[Brittonic languages|Brythonic]] (probably from a cognate of Gwydd = "Woods" in modern Welsh) and "ham", a very common Saxon village designation.<ref>[http://www.gyford.com/domesday/ Domesday Witham – Introduction and Method]</ref>

The manor of Witham was given to the [[Knights Templar]] in 1148. To the north of the current town is [[Cressing Temple]] which was the earliest foundation of Templar lands in Britain, built over 700 years ago. The manor of Witham was held by the Church after the [[Trials of the Knights Templar|dissolution of the Templars]] in England in {{circa|1309}}.<ref>Malcolm Barber (2006), The Trial of the Templars, 2nd ed. (Cambridge University Press), p. 225</ref> The manor was sold to [[John Southcote (died 1585)|Sir John Southcott]] in {{circa|1575}}, he was a prominent Judge and Politician from [[Devon]]. His heirs held the manor for almost two centuries, until 1648 when the [[Southcott family]] had their lands destroyed for supporting the [[Cavalier|royalist cause]] in the [[English Civil War]].<ref>[https://www.withamtowntrail.com/copy-of-ch-11-old-mill-house-1 History of the Manor House Witham Place]</ref>

The town as it is now started life on "Chipping Hill", which is the location of St Nicolas's Church. As the years went by, the hamlet grew to become "Witham" and St Nicolas's Church of England Church (a unique spelling) serves a congregation of around 150 people each Sunday. During the latter half of the 18th century and the early 19th century, Admiral Sir [[William Luard]] was the town's most prominent citizen, a resident of Chipping Hill and a founder and patron of St Nicolas's Church. His funeral cortège through the town in 1910 was witnessed by thousands.

In the 18th century, Witham briefly enjoyed a period as an affluent [[spa town]] after the discovery of a mineral-bearing spa by a Dr Taverner. Witham was also a centre of the wool trade until the decline of the industry in the late 17th century.

===Witham rail crash===
{{Main|Witham rail crash}}
[[File:witham.jpg|thumb|Witham railway station, 1&nbsp;September 1905]]
[[Witham railway station]] was the scene of a serious accident 09:27 on 1 September 1905. The [[Liverpool Street railway station|London Liverpool Street]]-to-[[Cromer railway station|Cromer]] 14-coach express derailed whilst travelling at speed through the station. Ten passengers and a luggage porter were killed when several of the carriages somersaulted on to the platforms causing considerable damage to the rolling stock and the station. Seventy-one passengers were seriously injured.<ref>{{cite web |title=Event summary |series=Accident at Witham on 1st September 1905 |website=Railways Archive |place=U.K. |id=event&nbsp;72 |url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=72}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=P.G., Lt.Col. |last=von&nbsp;Donop |series=Accident returns |title=Extract for the accident at Witham on 1st September 1905 |date=1 November 1905 |publisher=Board of Trade |url=https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=2496 |via=Railways Archive, U.K.}}</ref> It remains to this day the worst loss of life in a railway accident in Essex.

In 2005, an opportunity to commemorate the centenary was missed and the incident is now largely forgotten. Ben Sainty, a signalman, whose quick action averted the next train hitting the wreckage, has a road named after him in the town, Ben Sainty Court.

===20th and 21st centuries===
[[File:Witham Public Library (geograph 5405138).jpg|thumb|Witham Public Library]]
The town expanded greatly in the late 1960s and 1970s, when the [[Greater London Council]] built three large [[council estates]] on the west and north sides of the town, and a smaller one to the south, for families from London to move to as part of the ''New Town and Expanded Town [[London overspill|overspill policy]]'' of that time. A famous one-time resident of the town was the author [[Dorothy L. Sayers]], whose statue stands opposite the town's library, which is a short distance from the author's house. The library stands on the site of the old Whitehall cinema, which closed in the late 1970s and which was itself a conversion of the White Hall country house.

Witham has grown in size after the development of the Maltings Lane estate to the south of the town between 2002 and 2003. This was followed, in 2012, by the moving of Chipping Hill Primary School from its old premises in Church Street to a new-build in Owers Road. The development of this area has continued, including the opening of an [[Aldi]] superstore in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Aldi-launch-appeal-rejection-planned-Witham-store/story-20780089-detail/story.html |title=Aldi launch appeal against rejection of planned Witham store in Maltings Lane &#124; Essex Chronicle |access-date=6 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906163243/http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Aldi-launch-appeal-rejection-planned-Witham-store/story-20780089-detail/story.html |archive-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Approved developments in this period include the reconstruction of both the [[New Rickstones Academy]] and the [[Maltings Academy]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk/news/4541964.Witham__Planning_applications_in_for_new_schools/|title = Witham: Planning applications in for new schools| date=12 August 2009 }}</ref> completed in 2011; the [[Marston's]] pub and restaurant on Gershwin Boulevard, completed in 2013 with the adjacent Seymour House day nursery; the refurbishment and opening of a [[Morrisons]] store in the old premises of the Jack & Jenny pub in 2014; and the newly-built Witham Leisure Centre<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.witham-leisure-centre.co.uk/ |title=Welcome to the Witham Leisure Centre Community Information Website |access-date=6 September 2014 |archive-date=6 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906160852/http://www.witham-leisure-centre.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> on Spinks Lane, replacing Bramston Sports Centre, completed in 2014.

==Transport==
The town is served by [[Witham railway station]], situated on the [[Great Eastern Main Line]] operated by [[Abellio Greater Anglia]]. Trains take approximately 40–45 minutes to reach {{stn|Liverpool Street}}. The station is also the junction for a [[Braintree Branch Line|branch line]] to [[Braintree railway station (England)|Braintree]]. Another branch line went from [[Witham-Maldon branch line|Witham to Maldon]], but this has now been dismantled having been closed to passengers in 1964.

Witham is situated on the [[A12 road (Great Britain)|A12]] [[trunk road]] between [[Chelmsford]] and [[Colchester]], which was originally a [[Roman road]] from London to Colchester. The A12 used to run in a straight line through the middle of the town, but a by-pass now completely avoids the town.

Witham is on [[National Cycle Route 16]].

The town has a large number of residents who commute to work in London because of its excellent transport links. This is evident by Witham railway station's appearance within the 150 busiest railway stations in Great Britain,<ref>Office of Rail Regulation. http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/xls/station-usage-2006-07.xls. Station usage Excel sheet (2006–07). Retrieved 15 July 2008.</ref> which would not be expected based on the town's population alone.

==Economy and facilities==
Witham has a mainly linear town centre, focused on the high street and two shopping precincts to form a cross that bisects the high street; these are the Newlands Shopping Centre of 1970s design to the north and the Grove Centre of a 1980s brick design to the south. There are also a range of small shops, restaurants, pubs, major high-street banks and several national commercial chains. The town also has five supermarkets: Tesco in the Grove Centre, Morrisons near the railway station, Asda on Highfields Road, Aldi at the southern entrance to the town and Lidl that recently opened towards the centre of town on the old Bramston sports centre site.

A significant industrial presence remains in the town, concentrated on three industrial estates on the eastern side of the town close to the junction with the A12. There are also commercial offices located in the town centre area.

In March 2007, [[Crittall Windows]] closed its Braintree factory and returned to Witham to occupy a new factory on the Freebournes Industrial Estate. The factory Crittall moved into was built for J.L. French in 2001, but never used for production. The new Crittall factory is visible on the right hand side of the road exiting Witham towards Colchester, via the A12.

In December 2013, the financial service provider Cofunds relocated to the former Marsh building on the Grove, bringing approximately 600 jobs to the town.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Cofunds-Witham-expected-boost-trade-town/story-17637877-detail/story.html |title=Cofunds move to Witham expected to boost trade in town &#124; Essex Chronicle |access-date=6 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906160235/http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Cofunds-Witham-expected-boost-trade-town/story-17637877-detail/story.html |archive-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Sport and leisure==

Witham has a [[Non-League football]] club [[Witham Town F.C.]] who play at Spa Road.

There is also a rugby club situated behind the football ground.

Witham also has a hockey club formed in 1924 and is now made up of 5 men's teams and 3 women's teams. Witham also participates in the local mixed league as well as the men's and women's summer league and indoor league. Witham hockey club play on the astro turf across the road from Maltings Academy on Spinks Lane. The hockey club share a clubhouse with the cricket club which is situated next to the recreation ground, commonly known as the Maldon Road Park, on Maldon Road.

Leisure facilities include Benton Hall Golf and Country Club, a pool club, and a library which occupies the site of what was the town's long-closed cinema, the Whitehall. A "River Walk" runs for {{convert|3+1/2|mi|km|round=0.5|abbr=off}} through the town and is home to a range of wildlife. Witham Leisure Centre is located in Spinks Lane, adjacent to the former Bramston Sports Centre.

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]]. Television signals are received from the [[Sudbury transmitting station|Sudbury]] TV transmitter,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sudbury | title=Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref> [[BBC London]] and [[ITV London]] can also be received from the [[Crystal Palace transmitting station|Crystal Palace]] TV transmitter. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Crystal_Palace| title=Full Freeview on the Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref> Local radio stations are [[BBC Essex]] on 103.5 FM, [[Heart East]] on 102.6 FM, [[Radio Essex]] on 107.7 FM and [[Actual Radio]] on [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]]. The town is served by the local newspaper, ''Braintree and Witham Times'' which publishes on Wednesdays. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-eang/braintree-witham-times/ |title=Braintree and Witham Times|publisher=British Newspapers Online |date=20 September 2013 |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref> The ''[[Daily Gazette (Colchester)|Colchester Gazette]]'' also covers the town.

==Education==
There are two secondary schools in Witham, [[Maltings Academy]] and [[New Rickstones Academy]]. Maltings Academy achieved 94% A*- C GCSE grades in 2012. (51% including English and Maths) and an above national average of 99% of pupils gaining at least one GCSE in 2012. The two schools are part of the Lift Academies chain. New Rickstones Academy was rated Good by Ofsted in January 2015 and Maltings Academy was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2015.

The town's primary schools are Templars, Holy Family Catholic School, Howbridge, Powers Hall, Chipping Hill (which became a primary school in September 2010), Rivenhall CoE, Elm Hall Primary, Southview, and Silver End Primary. Both Chipping Hill School and Powers Hall Junior School received Outstanding OfSTED reports in 2008.Chipping Hill was named the Top School in East Anglia by the Sunday Times. 

The Chatten free school is a special educational needs school which opened in 2021. The school provides up to 75 places to pupils from across Essex with severe, complex autism.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New school opens up whole new world for students with severe autism in Essex|url=https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19595534.chatten-free-school-students-severe-autism-opens/|access-date=2022-01-06|website=Gazette|date=22 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

==Governance==
Witham is part of the [[Witham (UK Parliament constituency)|Witham constituency]] of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]]. The local Member of Parliament (MP) is the former [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Home Secretary]] [[Priti Patel]], who was elected at the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], becoming the first [[British Asian|Asian]] female Conservative MP.

The constituency includes [[Hatfield Peverel]], [[Langford, Essex|Langford]], [[Wickham Bishops]], [[Marks Tey]], [[Tiptree]], [[Tolleshunt Knights]], [[Stanway, Essex|Stanway]] [[Kelvedon]], and [[Coggeshall]]. Although regarded as a safe seat for the Conservatives, Patel suffered a significant drop in vote share in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], going from a majority of 24,082 in the 2019 election down to 5,145.

Witham is under the jurisdiction of Witham Town Council (its [[Parish councils in England|parish council]]), Braintree District Council and Essex County Council. Witham Town Council is based at [[Witham Town Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.withamtowntrail.com/town-hall|title=Town Hall|publisher=Witham Town Trail|access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref>

Witham, and parts of the [[Braintree (district)|Braintree district]], hold one of the best [[recycling]] schemes in the UK, with compulsory recycling, reaching over 50% recycling.

On 1 October 1933 the parish of [[Rivenhall]] was abolished and merged with Witham, parts of [[Faulkbourne]] and [[Kelvedon]] were also added.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10249065|title=Relationships and changes Witham AP/CP through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=5 March 2024}}</ref> Witham was an [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban district]] from 1894 to 1 April 1974<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10025965|title=Relationships and changes Witham UD through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=5 March 2024}}</ref> when it became an [[unparished area]] of Braintree non-metropolitan district. On 1 April 1982 the parishes of Witham, Rivenhall and Silver End were formed from the unparished area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/braintree.html|title=Braintree Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=5 March 2024}}</ref>

==Notable residents==
*[[Archibald Douglas (1707–1778)|Archibald Douglas]], Lt-General and 18th-century MP lived in White Hall.
*[[James Gibson (swimmer)|James Gibson]], the 2003 World Breaststroke 50-metre (Long-course) Champion, was born in [[Chelmsford]] and lived in Witham.
*[[Dorothy L. Sayers]], translator of Dante's ''[[Divina Commedia]]'', and a famous writer of detective fiction, died in Witham in 1957.
* Admiral Sir [[William Luard]],  President of the Greenwich Naval College and [[Admiral]] of the Fleet.
*[[John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh]], Nobel Prize–winning physicist for the discovery of [[argon]], died in 1919 at Terling Place, Witham.
*[[James Winslow]], Australian and Asian Formula 3 champion lived in Witham before moving to Australia and then the US to race in Formula Atlantic.
*[[Graham Hedman]], 2006 European Champion, 4 × 400 men's relay, was born in Witham.
*[[Nadine Lewington]] who appeared in ''[[Holby City]]'' between 2007 and 2009 lived in Witham.
*[[Cody McDonald]] former Witham Town player, who eventually moved to [[Norwich City F.C.]] and then [[Coventry City F.C.]]
*[[Sir John Richard Robinson]] former editor of the [[The Daily News (UK)|''Daily News'']]
*[[Deta Hedman]], English darts player who plays in World Darts Federation events
*[[Michael Gambon]], English actor who played Dumbledore, died in Witham in 2023

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage|Witham}}
{{commons category|Witham}}
* [http://www.witham.gov.uk/ Witham Town Council]

{{Essex}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Witham| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Essex]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Essex]]
[[Category:Braintree District]]