Visit Essex, the county’s tourism organisation, asked the people of Essex to vote for their icons of Essex. The people have spoken, and their favourite icons have been showcased in Visit Essex’s latest staycation campaign.
Ahead of the Easter holidays, Visit Essex is revealing the top 200¹ icons of Essex. Councillor Mark Durham, Chair of Visit Essex, explains why they reached out to the county’s residents. He says: “Travel has changed so much, when we go to new places we want to ‘walk in the steps of local people’. We want to go where they go, attractions, off-the-beaten track destinations, special eateries and stays.”
He continued: “We shall be sharing our icons in our promotional activity to launch our staycation campaign for 2025. We’d like to say a big thankyou to the people of Essex who engaged with this survey and helped shine a light on our standout attractions and hidden gems.”
THE TOP ICONS OF ESSEX¹
Southend Pier
Colchester Castle and Park
Thames Barges at Maldon’s Topsail Charters
Intu Lakeside
Colchester Zoo
RHS Garden Hyde Hall
Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker
Layer Marney Tower
Hedingham Castle
The Gardens of Easton Lodge
Stow Maries Great War aerodrome
Hylands House & Estate
Colchester Roman Circus
Electric Palace Harwich
Mercury Theatre, Colchester
Ada Cole Redwings Horse Sanctuary
Audley End House & Gardens
Jumbo Water Tower, Colchester
Essex Fire Museum
Mersea Island
Maldon Promenade Park
The Basin Waterside Market, Heybridge Basin
Firstsite, Colchester
Adventure Island, Southend
Talliston House & Gardens
The most iconic attraction in Essex, voted by the people of Essex, is Southend Pier, the world’s longest pier. The attraction is closely followed by Colchester Castle and Park and Topsail Thames sailing barges in Maldon. Heritage proved a strong theme with Hedingham Castle and Layer Marney Tower also making the top ten. Big visitor draws, such as Colchester Zoo and Intu Lakeside also polled high.
The county’s 350-mile coastline proved very popular with four of the top five destinations listed as Mersea Island, Maldon, Walton-on-the-Naze and Southend-on-Sea.
Culture was also important in the top 200. The county’s top theatres – Mercury Theatre, Colchester and Cliffs Pavilion, Southend made the top five for culture. Alongside Firstsite art gallery, Colchester, Parndon Mill, Harlow and the Chapel of St Peter on the Walls in Bradwell.
Gardens proved popular with RHS Hyde Hall, Chelmsford being the most well-liked. The historic Gardens of Eastern Lodge followed. Audley End House and Gardens, Marks Hall Estate and Colchester Castle Park also featured.
Food and drink also proved to be iconic in Essex. Tiptree jam was a firm favourite, alongside Rossi Ice-Cream and Colchester Oysters! Well-respected eateries, such as Milsoms in Dedham also got a nod.
Iconic stays were popular with the luxurious and quirky celebrated. Topping the list was Talliston House and Gardens, known as ‘Britain’s most extraordinary home’. The five-star B&B offers a unique world in each room. The County Hotel, Chelmsford and Le Talbooth Hotel and Spa in Dedham also featured.
