Rayleigh
Rayleigh is a Town in the county of Essex.
There are great places to visit near Rayleigh including some great towns, castles, woodlands, airports, historic buildings, cities, villages, country parks, shopping centres, parks and nature reserves.
Colchester, Epping, Maldon, Southend-on-Sea, Saffron Walden, Braintree, and Basildon are some of Rayleigh best towns to visit near Rayleigh.
Colchester Castle is one of Rayleigh's best, nearby castles to visit in Rayleigh.
Epping Forest, and Bedfords Park are great places to visit near Rayleigh if you like woodlands.
There are a several good airports in the Rayleigh area like London Southend Airport, and London Stansted Airport.
Audley End House and Gardens, and Chelmsford Cathedral are great places to visit near Rayleigh if you like historic buildings.
The area around Rayleigh's best cities can be found at Chelmsford.
The area close to Rayleigh boasts some of the best villages including Hatfield Peverel.
Thorndon Country Park is one of Rayleigh's best, nearby country parks to visit in Rayleigh.
The area close to Rayleigh boasts some of the best shopping centres including Lakeside Shopping Centre.
Bedfords Park is one of Rayleigh's best, nearby parks to visit in Rayleigh.
Places near Rayleigh feature a number of interesting nature reserves including Bedfords Park.
Rayleigh History
There are some historic monuments around Rayleigh:
Places to see near Rayleigh
History of Rayleigh
By the end of the Saxon period, there was definitely a village here, as it is recorded in the Domesday Book, when it was held by Swein of Essex, the son of Robert FitzWimarc. The most significant historic monument in Rayleigh is the great medieval mound of Rayleigh Castle. This was an early Norman motte and bailey castle, of which only the motte and its surrounding embankments remain. Despite the loss of its timber superstructure and later stone buildings, its height and bulk mean that it still dominates the town centre. A courthouse was erected in Rayleigh in 1338. This was apparently resented by the townspeople, who turned out in force to destroy it, with 20 ringleaders later arrested and tried.
