US CONNECTIONS

On the eastern edge of London, Essex has a wealth of stately homes, picturesque villages and a vast coastline to explore. The county has strong links to the United States; throughout the 17th century, thousands of migrants, seeing bloody religious persecution, found refuge in America. Thomas Hooker, curate of what is now Chelmsford Cathedral, founded the state of Connecticut. John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was married in Great Stambridge.

The area built a reputation as fertile recruiting ground for ships and sailors for 17th-century trans- Atlantic expeditions. Christopher Newport, who led the Godspeed, Discovery and Susan Constant on the pioneering settlement of Jamestown, and Christopher Jones, the Master of the May ower, both hailed from Harwich. Thomas Hooker, who founded the Colony of Connecticut, preached in Chelmsford Cathedral; and Lawrence Washington, George Washington’s great-great grandfather, was a rector in Essex, too.

During World War II, the county, which bridges eastern London and the North Sea, was home to 43,390 US servicemen and 16 airbases, and played a key role in England’s defence strategy. This ‘friendly invasion’ had an immediate impact on the local scene - Essex people got their rst taste of peanut butter, chewing gum and coke, and the vital runways, hangars and concrete pillboxes are still visible today.

Contact: Lisa Bone

T: 033301 30277

E: lisa.bone@essex.gov.uk

W: www.visitessex.com

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