Rayleigh, Essex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rayleigh | |
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| Population | 34,000 |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | Rochford |
| Shire county | Essex |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | RAYLEIGH |
| Postcode district | SS6 |
| Dial code | 01268 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Rayleigh |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| List of places: UK • England • Essex | |
Rayleigh is a market town in Essex, England located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea. It has a population of around 34,000 people, having expanded rapidly in the 1960s. Notable buildings in the town include its fourteenth century church, a windmill and the motte of a Norman royal castle. Rayleigh is twinned with the German town of Haltern.
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[edit] Sports and recreation
Rayleigh has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V, and a newly built leisure centre including a bowling green, 4 badminton courts, squash courts, dance room, gymnasium, tennis courts, football pitches and a fully licensed bar.
Rayleigh used to have its own stadium where speedway racing took place. The Rayleigh Rockets speedway team competed against other clubs from around the country. The stadium was situated adjacent to the Weir roundabout along the A127. Stock car and banger car racing also took place there. The stadium was sold for redevelopment in the early 70's, and the site is now occupied by Sainsbury's and other retail stores. These stores are accessed via Stadium Way. Rayleigh also used to feature a cinema, the Regal, located close to Mill Hall; a car park next to Fads retail shop is now in its place.
[edit] Public Facilities
The town has grown massively in the last 25 years, but many consider that this growth has not been matched in the construction of leisure amenities. Shops, drinking establishments and houses are now increasingly common in the town and the road infrastructure often suffers from long traffic jams around rush-hour times. Many citizens of Rayleigh believe that green areas must be preserved and more recreational areas and opportunities are badly needed.[citation needed]
[edit] Transport
Rayleigh is served by two prominent modes of public transport; bus and train. The bus services are run by Arriva and First and usually terminate at Rayleigh railway station. 'one' Railway run the Victoria Line which leads from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street, stopping at Rayleigh, running as often as every 10 minutes during rush hour. First Buses also operate a half-hourly service to Stansted Airport, named the X30, which makes a stop at Rayleigh Station.
[edit] Education
Rayleigh has two secondary schools: Sweyne Park, formed by the amalgamation of the Sweyne and Park schools, and FitzWimarc. It also has seven primary schools - Rayleigh Primary, Glebe, Down Hall, Our Lady of Ransom, Edward Francis, Grove and Wyburns. In addition, St Nicholas Primary School, a long-established school for the adjoining village of Rawreth, moved in 2006 to a new building just on the Rayleigh side of the parish boundary.
[edit] Growth
During the 90's many new housing estates have appeared on formerly green areas of the town, with the Thames Gateway Scheme pushing for even more homes to be built in the area. This has disappointed many residents of Rayleigh who feel that the areas surrounding the town should be preserved with more care.[citation needed]
