Braintree is a market town in Essex, England, sitting on the River Brain with the older settlement of Bocking close by. It has a long history as a regional market and textile centre - particularly weaving and light industry - and the district contains older attractions such as the medieval barns at Cressing Temple, reflecting its agricultural and monastic links. The town still retains a compact high street and a regular market that speak to those medieval roots.
Today Braintree combines suburban housing and industrial estates with a strong retail presence, most visibly the Braintree Village designer outlet. It lies within easy reach of Witham, Chelmsford and Colchester and is within commuting distance of London, so the local economy mixes commuters, manufacturing and service sectors. Cultural life is centred on community groups and a modest arts scene, while the surrounding Essex countryside gives residents ready access to rural leisure.
Postcode districts covering Braintree
Most populated places nearby
- Southend-on-Sea 24 miles
- Basildon 22.3 miles
- Colchester 14.2 miles
- Chelmsford 10.8 miles
- Harlow 20.7 miles
- Brentwood 20.8 miles
- Canvey Island 24.9 miles
- Bishop's Stortford 16.7 miles
- Billericay 18.7 miles
- Wickford 19 miles
- Rayleigh 20.3 miles
- Haverhill 14.6 miles
Neighbouring places
- Bocking South Ward 0.5 miles
- Bocking Blackwater Ward 0.6 miles
- Braintree Central & Beckers Green Ward 0.9 miles
- Braintree South Ward 1.1 miles
- Braintree West Ward 1.1 miles
- Bocking North Ward 1.3 miles
- Panfield Built-up area 1.8 miles
- Great Notley & Black Notley Ward 1.9 miles
- Rayne Built-up area 2 miles
- High Garrett Built-up area 2 miles
- Great Notley Built-up area 2 miles
- Black Notley Built-up area 2.1 miles
Example postcodes in Braintree
CM7 2BJ, CM7 3XJ, CM7 5QX, CM7 1FB, CM7 9BT, CM7 3PS, CM7 1WG, CM7 9RX, CM7 0TN … See all
Transport links
- Stansted Airport 13.6 miles
- London Southend Airport 22.5 miles
- Braintree Railway Station 0.7 miles
- Braintree Freeport Railway Station 1.2 miles
Hotels in Braintree Ad
Schools in Braintree
- Alec Hunter Academy Secondary
- Beckers Green Primary School Primary
- Bocking Primary School Primary
- Great Bradfords Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Great Bradfords Junior School Primary
- John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery Primary
- John Ray Infant School Primary
- John Ray Junior School Primary
- Lyons Hall School Primary
- Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form Secondary
- St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree Primary
- St Michael's C of E Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Tabor Academy Secondary
- The Edith Borthwick School Special
Local points of interest
- Cressing Road Stadium 1 mile
- Chelmsford City Racecourse Recreation 3.5 miles
- Dines Hall Country house 3.8 miles
- Marks Hall Estate 5.6 miles
- Coggeshall Abbey Historic site 6.1 miles
- East Anglian Railway Museum Museum 9.2 miles
- Tilty Abbey Historic site 10 miles
- Hylands Estate 13.8 miles
- Roman Circus visitor centre Museum 14.6 miles
- Berechurch Hall Estate 15 miles
- Colchester Community Stadium Stadium 15 miles
- Furze Woods Forest 16.3 miles