Writtle
| Writtle | |
|---|---|
Aubyns, a half-timbered house dated 1500 | |
Writtle Location within Essex | |
| Population | 5,328 (Parish, 2021) |
| OS grid reference | TL6706 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHELMSFORD |
| Postcode district | CM1 |
| Dialling code | 01245 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Writtle is a village and civil parish in the Chelmsford district of Essex, England. It lies 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the centre of Chelmsford. It has a traditional village green complete with duck pond and a Norman church, and was once described as "one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravishing variety of ancient cottages". The village is now home to Writtle University College, one of the UK's oldest and largest land-based colleges and a partner institution of the University of Essex, the grounds of which once housed a Royal hunting lodge, later the possession of the De Brus and De Bohun families. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 5,328.
Writtle is sometimes claimed to be the birthplace of Robert the Bruce, as well as his father Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale. The claim is contested, but both men are known to have owned the manor of Writtle. From 1996 until 2017 Writtle hosted the annual southern V Festival within the grounds of Sir John Comyn's Hylands Park.