Great venue for professional meetings, forums, conferences and functions (Middle Entrance into the…read morebuilding) I say that because it's a very professional and well maintained building. Up stairs is like a mini version of 'The House of Parliament' so if your talking political. As soon as you walk in through the middle entrance though the double door on the left to the enquiry desk is the Lister room very spacey and great if you're looking to have a big group. Next entrance is great for fun events performances and information fairs (Right Entrance into building). Or maybe your not looking for any such thing and you've left your course work to the last minute and your legging it down to the (Left Entrance into building) Library? To finish your work? Nojust me? The shame the shame well as you walk in your see stairs to your left but we'll go there later. Downstairs is the children's section and teenage fiction not the biggest library and it closes at FIVE with no day where it actually stays open that bit later so if your coming from school or work your not going to have any time to get anything done. Oh yeah upstairs is the reference library a place to study use the computer and read the paper. If you choose to want to study here I mean it come early time waits for no man. You can't miss this building because it's famous for its giant clock that dings every hour so if your making your way there for any reason you'll know if you're on time.

I was an accidental visitor to epping last weekend; not because my sense of direction is that bad,…read morebut because i'm training for a long-distance bike ride. After a lot of huffing and wheezing like an emphysema patient attempting a marathon, I got there. And what a beaitiful place it is. I felt a bit out of place with my racing bike, as most of the visitors had come with their mud-smeared mountain bikes to do some downhill and off road racing. It looked great. And in any other circumtance I would have joined them in a whisper, but a) I had no mountain bike and b) I was cream crackered after braving the A104 via woodfood and my quads were almost singing with pain. Apparently it's used for some really interesting events, like open air theatre performances (Imagine a midsummer night's dream performed in that setting. Hot stuff!), history of london walks and so on. I'm going to get a group of pals to come up with me next time to play hide and seek. Love it.

This is a great community newsagent and post office…read more The queues are not often long, and to be honest if the queue was long it was worth the wait. The staff are polite, interact with the children and are so friendly you want to browse the shelves and buy extras or some sweets for the kids. They say hello when you come into the shop, they put themselves out and most of all a nice place to shop. If you can support any post office in the chelmsford district this is the one to go to. since moving 5 miles away I go here all the time.

Recently undergoing a face lift, the Abercorn News is now predominately a post office. Makes it a…read morelot more convenient and the staff are very helpful. Support local businesses.

Ingatestone Post Office is a very small traditional affair. I believe it dates back to Victorian…read moretimes. The fact it is still open testifies to its essential use for the large Ingatestone community. It offers the same services as any local post office although it can get busy especially on pension day! For less common requests I would phone for advice first or give the assistants some notice, although most requests can be satisfied without a trip to a bigger Post Office. Its opening hours should be noted as I seem to recall they are not Mon-Fri 9-5. Also parking on the road outside can be restricted so use the car park in the centre of the village if necessary.

Take a walk from the mediavel village of Dedham across the vale, following the gently meandering…read morestour river, with it's lazy rowing boats for hire in the summer - over the open farmland with grazing cattle, the stour valley rising gently up on either side - after a couple of miles you'll come to a bridge, well, not a bridge, the bridge. Where John Constable sat and painted "The Haywain" - that most meloncholic, transendent and atmospheric of all english landscape paintings (Turner fans may argue here but meh to you) The difference is between Turner's astonishing use of colour and depth is that what you will be standing and looking at today on the stour is remarkably unchanged since Constable's painting....god bless you National Trust. Afterwards, take a gentle stroll up the valley road to the beautiful village of East Bergholt and avail yourself of the finest homemade afternoon cream tea (the fountain house) before repeating the return journey.

Flatford Mill was famously the subject of Constable, and the area has been known as Constable…read moreCountry. The surrounding river banks are exceedingly pretty and ideal for a family walk or walking the dog. The visitor centre has a small Constable-based exhibition, a gift shop and an excellent café. The café serves delicious cakes and hot drinks, which is perfect after a walk across the fields. Limited parking is accessible by tiny lanes, but much more parking is available in nearby Dedham. This is a lovely area, with the only negative point being the amount of cow 'deposits' on the route to the Mill.

Lovely local post office. Friendly local staff. well recomended!…read morePost office is located in the centre of Rayne village and also has all the usual sweets, papers, odd household bits etc you could want .

This is definitely to be recommended - you can put adverts in the window which are only 20p for a…read moreweek - you can tax your car there which many Post Offices cannot - as well as selling almost anything you could need in an emergency.

A second visit for me because I enjoyed it first time so much and missed quite a bit. Luckily, on…read moreboth occasions, the weather was kind to us. Different season, so different aspect. This is one thing about gardens that I enjoy. Love these visits but one niggle. Would the lady in the hut at the entrance give a smile, once in a while, please.

Marks Hall Gardens and Arboretum in Cogglesgall, Essex features landscaped woodland walks and…read morefootpaths, with vistas across lakes to an 18th Century Walled Garden. The Trust that runs it is dependent on their own resources and our generosity as visitors. The development of the Arboretum is an ongoing project. The trust's aim is to achieve a large collection of shrubs and trees from across the temperate regions of the world. The collection is planted geographically, so plants from the principal regions of the world are grouped together. There are areas representing Europe, Japan, China, Asia, the Americas and Gondwanaland (Southern Hemisphere). Upon entering the Arboretum you encounter the European section, which blends with the countryside beyond the deer fence thereby creating a liberating sense of space. Ancient oaks are a reminder that this former deer park contains the relics of monastic planting going back 700 years. The 'Gondwanaland' section is devoted to the super continent that eventually broke up to create South America, the Indian Subcontinent and Australasia. It is an undulating landscape of low mounds, sheltered by southern Beech and Eucalyptus trees. On warm days the aroma of eucalyptus provides a heady scent. There are also swathes of Cabbage Palm, Agapanthus and Cortaderia which in early summer lend a pleasingly exotic touch to this otherwise very English place. The lakes had once been three fish ponds created for the monastery that once stood on the site. They contain Roach, Golden Orfe and Goldfish. Next to the lower lake is an original nuttery containing Cob Nut trees. This area is now a spring flower area with snowdrops, species of daffodils, cowslips and other wild flowers. The Millennium Walk is located within the Asian section of the Arboretum, and has been planted with autumn, winter and early spring in mind. Dogwood and Rubus provide colourful reflections in the lake whilst Sarcococca (Christmas Box) combine with the Chimonanthus (Wintersweet) to provide a spicy sweet scent that compliments the bold colour contrasts. The Walled Garden is the piece de resistance of the whole garden. Created from five separate gardens, it is now a huge space containing sculptures and planting. Long stone seats provide a structural contrast to the lush planting and are complemented in turn by spheres of clipped box. In another part of the walled garden, an undulating stone wall acts as the foil to fiery plantings of red, orange, gold and yellow, where the colours last well into autumn. There is lots more besides, a walnut walk that follows a track within the conifers to a clump of young walnut seedlings, a grove which in Spring is carepeted by snowdrops and the long avenue which once formed the main entrance to the Estate and approach to the Mansion and now a planting of Oaks and Wild Service trees. The Visitor Centre offers a Tea room (with lovely cakes!), Gift Shop and Plant Centre. Marks Hall is the perfect place to escape London for a sunny Summer afternoon.

Lexden Earthworks and Bluebottle Grove is a medium-sized area of woodland and grassland between…read moreLexden and Prettygate. Easily accessed from both areas, it is ideal for dog walking and strolls in the summer. There is a small car parking area, which is sufficient for the limited numbers who choose the visit the park. A lake, which seems to have been constructed for the nearby apartments, is home to a number f ducks, making it ideal for young children. In all, a good park and woodland area that is brilliant for dog walking, arriving both on foot and by car five stars.