A very warm Welcome to the village of Navestock
Whether you have recently moved to Navestock or have been a resident for many years, we hope that the information provided in this page will be both informative and useful.
A brief history of Navestock - The village is primarily a rural community mainly devoted to arable farming and covering a large area within the boundaries, but with relatively few inhabitants numbering only 510 in 2004. The population was actually much larger at the turn of the last century but has reduced over time with the effects of two World Wars and migration of people into the towns for employment. Farm mechanisation and increasing housing costs have also contributed to the reduction in residents.
We are fortunate to have large areas of Common Land within Navestock which helps protect and maintain the rural landscape. There is much local history going back hundreds of years, an example being the Richards and Navestock Stones which mark the eastern boundary of the Forest of Waltham and are known to have existed in 1641. Many local families can trace their ancestors back over many generations. There are 46 Grade II listed buildings in the village and the Parish Church of St Thomas is the oldest dating from about 1190AD. The churchyard is famous for a crater caused by an exploding landmine during World War II.
The name Navestock is thought to mean "stump on the headland" and seems to indicate that the Saxons lived on the high ground here, while the Saxon word "stocce" signifies felled timber, and the suffix being added to distinguish the parish from Nazing - indicating that it was fortified or stockaded. The Parish of Navestock includes the hamlets of Navestock, Navestock Side, Navestock Heath, Curtis Mill Green, Horseman's Side, Sabines Green and Wattons Green.
With an area of 4,600 acres, it is one of the largest parishes in the South East. The varied scenery includes a patch of ancient woodland, an open green, and a heath, plus a site of Special Scientific Interest, an open air theatre, a lake designed by Capability Brown, an ice house, one of only eight in the country, and a steam mill. These features make it very popular with walkers, cyclists and horseriders.