Removals to Essex – St Osyth

St Osyth has been named as the driest place in the UK, with an average rainfall of only just over 50cms every year. This, coupled with its sandy beaches and picturesque surroundings, make it an extremely popular place to spend your summer holidays – and many people choose to live there permanently.

Greens are a highly experienced moving company based in Chelmsford, who can arrange competitively-priced domestic and commercial removals to all parts of Essex, East Anglia and across the UK and abroad. Here we look at the history of St Osyth and its present-day facilities.

St Osyth’s Heritage
The village was originally called Chich, which is an Old English word meaning ‘bend’ and was taken from the shape of a nearby creek. The name was later changed to St Osyth in honour of Osgyth, a 7th Century princess who later became a nun. Locals, however, refer to the village as ‘Toosey’.

The village’s most famous building is St Osyth’s Priory, which was built in the 12th Century and became one of the largest monasteries in Essex. The priory, which is now in private hands, was built to commemorate Osgyth, who – so legend has it – haunts the castle walls on one night every year.

Nearby, St Peter and St Paul’s Church is equally noteworthy, as it is believed to be one of the finest parish churches in the county. Parts of it date back to the 12th century but its most distinguishing features are its striking 16th-century red-brick Tudor arcades. 

Location and Transport
St Osyth lies about five miles to the west of Clacton. The parish extends southwards from the village to the coast, and it includes the smaller villages of Point Clear and Lee-over-Sands.

It can be reached by road from either Clacton or Colchester along the B1027, and there are bus services to both towns. The nearest rail station is at Great Bentley on the Sunshine Coast Line, which runs from Walton on the Naze to Colchester, from where you can travel on to London.

Modern-Day St Osyth
Today tourism is the driving force behind the village. During the summer, the population rises from just over 4,000 to around the 20,000 mark, with many of these visitors staying in static caravans and chalets in and around St Osyth’s Beach and Point Clear Bay. Part of the beach is set aside for naturists.

The main entertainment focus is The Venue, which forms part of Seawick Holiday Park and in its first year saw acts including the Sugababes, N-Dubz, The Drifters and Ricky Tomlinson all perform. 

St Osyth Primary School in Norman Close is affiliated to the parish church, and has just over 300 pupils aged from four to 11 on its roll. It was founded in 1856, and until 1945 was an all-age school.

The village has a post office, several convenience stores and a butcher, plus two pubs in the centre – the King’s Arms and the Red Lion – and several more places to eat and drink in and around the various holiday parks.

Community Organisations
The village sports ground and playing field, Cowley Park, is named after Lady Cowley, who gave it to St Osyth in 1921. It is home to the village’s football and cricket clubs, who both run thriving junior and senior teams.

The village has lots of non-sporting groups, including luncheon clubs, a horticultural society, a history group, a reading club and a creative writing group. Families are well catered for with the village also boasting a mums’ and tots’ group, a pre-school playgroup, and a Scout group which has separate sections for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, depending on the age of the child. Many of these organisations meet in the village hall, which was built in 1972.

Moving to St Osyth with Greens Removals
Greens Removals can help you with domestic and commercial moves to every Essex town and village from our base on the outskirts of Chelmsford – including St Osyth, Colchester, Halstead, Brentwood as well as Chelmsford itself. In fact, if you want to move to any part of East Anglia, including Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Stowmarket and Ipswich, or any other location in the UK, we are the people to call. 

Our professional, friendly staff have been helping people move home or office for almost half a century. Our commitment to high standards is reflected in our accreditations – we have achieved all three of the domestic and European quality standards which apply to the removals industry.

If you would like to get in touch, follow the link above or call us on 0800 0484688 for a free, no-obligation quote.