DESCRIBED by the poet Matthew Arnold as ‘deeply rural’, the small rustic village of Easthorpe, three miles from Marks Tey and seven miles from Colchester, Essex, lies within the farmlands of south-west Colchester in a landscape that’s a mix of small pasture and large arable fields traversed by the gentle slopes of the Roman River valley. Previously a separate parish, Easthorpe amalgamated with nearby Copford in 1949.
Originally heavily wooded and despite clearance over the centuries, a significant amount of woodland and planted forestry remains a feature of much of the area, providing barriers against soil erosion and an important habitat for wildlife and shooting. Many of the large mature oak trees scattered in and around the
