Things to do in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex
Frinton-on-Sea is a seaside town, fifteen miles from the historic town of Colchester on the Essex Coast.
Frinton offers good competition to any other beach in England, with Felixstowe and Harwich Ports only a few miles up the coast, one of the main shipping areas in the UK.
Every summer the town overflows with life, as families come to enjoy the fine beaches, good weather and pleasant environment.
Frinton has its famous greensward, beaches, beach huts and avenues.
The summer theatre and Frinton Tennis week are other highlights in the year, bringing in visitors from far and wide.
In recent years the tennis week has attracted several well known and successful former players, who found fame at Wimbledon or other tournaments.
By September the crowds have gone and life runs at an altogether different tempo.
History of Frinton-on-Sea
The settlement of Frinton dates back to Saxon times, the name meaning "safe enclosure" and there are mentions of William the Conquer visiting the site in 1086.
The oldest building in the parish still surviving is the Old Church of St. Mary at the end of Connaught Avenue overlooking the sea. This dates back in its current form to 1200-1300 AD.
The growth of Frinton into the town of today dates back to the 1890s when it grew from approximately seventy houses to its current size of over ten thousand residents.
Cooper had the vision for Frinton of creating "a high class and select watering place" and the settlement grew from seventy residents in 1892 and quickly expanded.
Present Day Frinton-on-Sea
Connaught Avenue leads down to the Esplanade which runs for over a mile alongside the sea and the well-known greensward.
Cooper was also responsible for the land at the far end of the Esplanade being set aside for the golf course, running alongside the seawall and the cricket club.
Recently however things have been changing - gone are the infamous railway crossing gates that gave Frinton an almost Victorian air.
Such was the notoriety of this event that it gained full-page attention in The Guardian and Telegraph as well as on the BBC news.
Under construction four miles offshore on a sandbank running between Frinton and Clacton a large wind farm is taking shape at Gunfleet Sands - modern life is definitely coming to Frinton!
Their presence is clearly noticeable, the islands of 265ft high turbines slowly taking shape.
Frinton however, has not always been so quiet and on 22 August 1986 Policeman Brian Bishop was shot dead in the aftermath of an armed robbery, which had taken place nearby in the post offices of Walton and Thorpe.
The money was left in a small wood bordering with Walton, on his return police confronted him and a shoot out ensued. The gravestone serves as a reminder of the needless death of a PC doing his job.
Description by Philip Morgan
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Days Out in Frinton-on-Sea
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Beth Chatto Gardens (10 Miles)*
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Flatford Bridge Cottage (13 Miles)*
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Sir Alfred Munnings Art Museum (13 Miles)*
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Bourne Mill (14 Miles)*
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Colchester Zoo (17 Miles)*
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Sutton Hoo (18 Miles)*
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Layer Marney Tower (19 Miles)*
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Orford Ness National Nature Reserve (21 Miles)*
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Otley Hall (21 Miles)*
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Mangapps Railway Museum (22 Miles)*
Places to Visit near Frinton-on-Sea
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Kirby Cross (1 Mile)*
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Walton on the Naze (2 Miles)*
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Great Holland (2 Miles)*
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Thorpe le Soken (4 Miles)*
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Great Clacton (5 Miles)*
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Clacton-on-Sea (5 Miles)*
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Little Clacton (5 Miles)*
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Weeley (6 Miles)*
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Little Bentley (8 Miles)*
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Great Bentley (8 Miles)*
Also near Frinton-on-Sea |
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