Tiptree

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For other uses, see Tiptree (disambiguation).

Tiptree
Messing Maypole mill
Tiptree is located in Essex
Tiptree
Tiptree
Location within Essex
Population9,628 (Parish, 2021)[1]
9,300 (Built up area, 2021)[2]
OS grid referenceTL895165
Civil parish
  • Tiptree
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCOLCHESTER
Postcode districtCO5
Dialling code01621
PoliceEssex
FireEssex
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Essex
51°49′N 0°45′E / 51.81°N 0.75°E / 51.81; 0.75

Tiptree is a large village and civil parish in the City of Colchester district of Essex, England. It is situated 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Colchester and around 50 miles (80 km) north-east of London. Surrounding villages include Messing, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Major, Layer Marney, Inworth, Birch, Great Braxted, Great Totham and Little Totham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 9,628 and the built up area had a population of 9,300.

History

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The area was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "woodland for swine" as part of the Great Forest of Essex, until the 1200s when King John ordered deforestation. An area of over 1,000 acres of wasteland became known as the land of heath and thief frequented by smugglers, vagabonds and thieves. From records and maps the following were names for the area: Tipentrie, Typpetre, Tippetre, Typeltre, Typetre, Tiptre Heth, Tiptree Comon and heath. The name could mean "Tippa's tree".[3] or the town of the Prior of Tipper, the celtic term for town being try and a Prior of Tiptree Priory or house having been given licence to impark sixty acres of his own soil within the Forest of Essex.

Messing Maypole Mill is a Grade II* listed tower mill located in the village.

Tiptree did not become a parish until 1934. The area which became known as Tiptree Heath was previously part of seven different parishes: Tolleshunt Knights, Inworth, Messing, Great Braxted, Great Wigborough, Tollesbury, and Tolleshunt D'arcy, with sections of the heath known as Whittakers Heath, Sadlers Heath, Messing Heath and Paternoster Heath.

The village has been expanding rapidly for several years with large numbers of new houses and estates being built, though it stills retains the title of being a village. The 'village' status was the subject of a local referendum in 1999 but residents and secondary school pupils rejected town status. Tiptree is amongst the contenders for the title of 'largest village in England'.

At the 2021 census the population of the parish was 9,628.[1] It had been 9,152 at the 2011 census.[4]

Tiptree was the site of the Tiptree sneeze, an event that occurred on 22 February 2014 at a concert by the London Central Fellowship Band at St. Luke's Parish Church where a trombonist sneezed into his trombone while playing. A video of the event was posted to YouTube and went viral in 2014.[5][6]

Church Road, Tiptree

Nature reserves

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Tiptree Heath lies to the south of Tiptree. The 25-hectare heath is the largest surviving fragment of heathland in Essex and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[7] Historically the area was a focal point for smugglers, who used the secluded water inlets of Tollesbury, Salcott cum Virley and Mersea, and often hid their contraband within the overgrown heathland. Species found on the heath include Cross-leaved Heather (Erica tetralix), Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) and Ling or Common Heather (Calluna). To help maintain the heath, Dexter cattle are grazed there during the summer[8] and a herd of hardy Exmoor ponies throughout the year.[9] Tiptree Parish Field is a Local Nature Reserve.[10][11]

Governance

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Parish Council office at 56 Church Road, with library in background

There are three tiers of local government covering Tiptree, at parish, district, and county level: Tiptree Parish Council, Colchester City Council and Essex County Council. The parish council is based at 56 Church Road.[12]

For national elections, Tiptree forms part of the Witham constituency.[13]

Education

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Tiptree has four primary schools: St Luke's Church of England Primary school, Milldene Primary School, Tiptree Heath Primary School and Baynard's Primary School. Thurstable School provides secondary and sixth form education.

Economy

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Tiptree is a brand of fruit preserves manufactured in the village by Wilkin & Sons. The business was founded by the Wilkins family, a local farmers, in 1885.[14]

Churches

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Within the Church of England, the village is part of the United Benefice of Tolleshunt Knights with Tiptree and Great Braxted.[15]

There are three other churches in the village, Kingsland Church,[16] Tiptree United Reformed Church,[17] and St John Houghton, a Roman Catholic church.[18]

Transport

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From about 1904 until 1951 the village was served by the Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway (locally known as the Crab and Winkle Line). It was an early victim of the mid-20th century cutbacks to the British Rail network and Tiptree railway station closed in 1951. The nearest operational railway station is Kelvedon on the main Norwich to London Liverpool Street line.

Today, the village is bisected by the B1022 Colchester to Maldon road, and the B1023 Kelvedon to Tollesbury road. Tiptree is also close to the main A12 trunk road which passes through Essex. Bus services link the village to surrounding towns.

Notable residents

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  • John Joseph Mechi (1802-1880), silversmith, banker, inventor and Alderman of the City of London; owned, and died at, Tiptree Hall.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b "2021 Census Parish Profiles". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 March 2025. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
  2. ^ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  3. ^ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p.475.
  4. ^ "Colchester City Council". www.colchester.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Tiptree trombone sneeze man tells of 'freak event'" (Press release). London, United Kingdom: BBC News. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Trombone Player Makes Huge Sneeze During Concert". Yahoo News. Yahoo!. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Tiptree Heath" (PDF). Retrieved 19 July 2008.
  8. ^ "Tiptree – The Story So Far". Retrieved 19 July 2008.
  9. ^ "Ponies on Tiptree Heath". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011.
  10. ^ "Tiptree Parish Field". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Map of Tiptree Parish Field". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  12. ^ "Contact us". Tiptree Parish Council. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Wilkin Family History". Archived from the original on 27 July 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
  15. ^ "St Luke's Church". Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  16. ^ "Kingsland Church". Archived from the original on 24 June 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  17. ^ "Tiptree United Reformed Church". Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  18. ^ "St John Houghton – Mass Centre". Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  19. ^ "Ipswich to Chelmsford". Great British Railway Journeys. Series 5. Episode 17. 28 January 2014. BBC. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
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