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 miles38.6 km
- Basildon 22.3 miles35.9 km
- Colchester 14.2 miles22.9 km
- Chelmsford 10.8 miles17.4 km
- Harlow 20.7 miles33.3 km
- Brentwood 20.8 miles33.5 km
- Canvey Island 24.9 miles40 km
- Bishop's Stortford 16.7 miles26.8 km
- Billericay 18.7 miles30.1 km
- Wickford 19 miles30.6 km
- Rayleigh 20.3 miles32.7 km
- Haverhill 14.6 miles23.6 km
Neighbouring places
- Bocking South Ward 0.5 miles0.8 km
- Bocking Blackwater Ward 0.6 miles1 km
- Braintree Central & Beckers Green Ward 0.9 miles1.4 km
- Braintree South Ward 1.1 miles1.8 km
- Braintree West Ward 1.1 miles1.8 km
- Bocking North Ward 1.3 miles2.1 km
- Panfield Built-up area 1.8 miles2.9 km
- Great Notley & Black Notley Ward 1.9 miles3 km
- Rayne Built-up area 2 miles3.1 km
- High Garrett Built-up area 2 miles3.2 km
- Great Notley Built-up area 2 miles3.3 km
- Black Notley Built-up area 2.1 miles3.3 km
Example postcodes in Braintree
CM7 3HD, CM7 1RB, CM7 3RB, CM7 1DP, CM7 1WJ, CM7 9FT, CM7 1BB, CM7 1XT, CM7 2PA … See all
Transport links
- Stansted Airport 13.6 miles21.9 km
- London Southend Airport 22.5 miles36.2 km
- Braintree Railway Station 0.7 miles1.1 km
- Braintree Freeport Railway Station 1.2 miles2 km
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 mile1.7 km
- Chelmsford City Racecourse Recreation 3.5 miles5.6 km
- Dines Hall Country house 3.8 miles6.1 km
- Marks Hall Estate 5.6 miles9 km
- Coggeshall Abbey Historic site 6.1 miles9.8 km
- East Anglian Railway Museum Museum 9.2 miles14.8 km
- Tilty Abbey Historic site 10 miles16.1 km
- Hylands Estate 13.8 miles22.2 km
- Roman Circus visitor centre Museum 14.6 miles23.5 km
- Berechurch Hall Estate 15 miles24.1 km
- Colchester Community Stadium Stadium 15 miles24.1 km
- Furze Woods Forest 16.3 miles26.3 km