Netteswell

Netteswell
Former St Andrew's Church, now a study centre
Netteswell Location within Essex
Area	2.452 km2 (0.947 sq mi)
Population	8,412 (Ward, 2021) [1]
•  Density	3,431/km2 (8,890/sq mi)
District	Harlow
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
List of places UK England Essex 51°46′16″N0°06′16″E / 51.7712°N 0.1045°E / 51.7712; 0.1045

Netteswell is a suburb of Harlow in Essex, England. Until the mid-20th century, Netteswell was a rural parish with a number of small settlements and scattered houses, with the two main settlements being Netteswell Cross in the north and Tye Green in the south. The parish church, dedicated to St Andrew, stood adjoining the manor house of Netteswellbury in the centre of the parish. In 1947, Netteswell was included in the designated area for the new town of Harlow. The area has since then been substantially developed. The civil parish of Netteswell was abolished in 1955, when the area was absorbed into Harlow's administrative boundaries. The name Netteswell is now used for one of the wards of Harlow, covering a smaller area than the pre-1955 parish. At the 2021 census, the ward had a population of 8,412.

Toponymy

The name Netteswell comes from the Anglian dialect of Old English and means the stream (wella) of someone called Nethel. ^[2] The name was historically sometimes recorded as Nettleswell or Netswell. ^{[3] [4]}

History

The manor of Netteswell, also known as Netteswellbury, was given to the monastery of Waltham Abbey in 1060. A church is known to have existed at Netteswell by 1177, with its parish covering the same area as the manor. ^[5] The oldest surviving parts of the former parish church, which was dedicated to St Andrew, date from the 13th century. ^[6] It is a Grade I listed building and is now used as a study centre. ^[7]

The manor house of Netteswellbury was demolished around 1820 and replaced by a smaller farmhouse on a neighbouring site. ^{[5] [8]} A number of 15th-century barns survive at Netteswellbury, one of which is both a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. ^{[9] [10]} The barns now form part of the same study centre as the adjoining former church. ^[11]

At the northern end of the parish, Burnt Mill railway station opened in 1841 on the Northern and Eastern Railway from London to Bishop's Stortford, which was later extended to Cambridge. ^{[12] [5]}

Following the designation of Harlow as a new town in 1947, the Netteswell area was extensively developed. The small Burnt Mill station was rebuilt at a much larger scale to become the main station for the new town; it was renamed Harlow Town when the rebuilt station opened in 1960. ^{[13] [14]}

Administrative history

The parish of Netteswell formed part of the Harlow Hundred of Essex. ^[4] When elected parish and district councils were established in 1894, Netteswell was given a parish council and included in the Epping Rural District. ^{[15] [16]}

In 1946, the parish was enlarged to take in the area of the neighbouring parish of Little Parndon, which was abolished. In 1947, Harlow was designated a new town, with its designated area covering most of the enlarged parish of Netteswell. The southern end of the parish that lay outside the designated area for the new town was transferred to the parish of North Weald Bassett in 1949. ^[5] In 1955, Netteswell parish was abolished and its area absorbed into the parish of Harlow, which also became an urban district at the same time. ^{[15] [17]} At the 1951 census (the last before the abolition of the civil parish), Netteswell had a population of 855. ^[18]

Netteswell has been administered as part of Harlow since 1955; the Harlow Urban District was replaced by a non-metropolitan district called Harlow covering the same area in 1974. ^{[19] [20]}

References

1. "Netteswell". City Population. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
2. "Netteswell". Key to English Place-Names. University of Nottingham . Retrieved 10 November 2025.
3. "History of Netteswell, in Harlow and Essex". A Vision of Britain through Time . Retrieved 10 November 2025.
4. "Netteswell". GENUKI . Retrieved 10 November 2025.
5. Powell, W. R., ed. (1983). "Parishes: Netteswell". A History of the County of Essex: Volume 8. London: Victoria County History. pp. 206–213. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
6. Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (Grade I) (1111692)". National Heritage List for England .
7. "St Andrew, Netteswell (Harlow)". The British Sundial Society. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
8. Historic England. "Netteswellbury House (Grade II) (1169570)". National Heritage List for England .
9. Historic England. "Barn East of Netteswellbury House (Grade II*) (1337041)". National Heritage List for England .
10. Historic England. "Netteswellbury Barn (1002183)". National Heritage List for England .
11. "Harlow Study Centre" . Retrieved 4 January 2026.
12. Moore's Monthly Magazine: Volume 31. 1925. p. 19. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
13. Historic England. "Harlow Town Station including platform structures (Grade II) (1117351)". National Heritage List for England .
14. Gordon, D. I. (1968). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: The Eastern Counties. p. 116. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
15. "Netteswell (Parish) through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
16. "Parish Council Polls: Netteswell". Essex Newsman. Chelmsford. 22 December 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
17. "Epping Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
18. "Population statistics Netteswell through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
19. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
20. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023