What to see in Earls Colne, from Earls Colne Heritage Museum on
Museums or galleries make up 6 of the 9 places on the list. 2 places to visit are mapped inside Earls Colne’s built-up area, with 7 more within 5 km of its edge. The list includes 2 places cared for by the National Trust. Walking distance covers 2 of the places on the list, all within 1 km of the middle. A drive of 9.7 km brings you to Hedingham Castle.
Start with these in Earls Colne
Behind Earls Colne Heritage Museum on the list are 2 museums, a garden and an attraction.
GardenSergeants Orchard4.5 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttraction · National TrustPaycocke's House and Garden3.9 km outside town, to the southHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustCoggeshall Grange Barn4.1 km outside town, to the southEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Places on the map
Close by, the 7 mostly lie to the east.
The dashed line is Earls Colne’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
Sorted by kind
Museums or galleries lead the count with 6 of 9.
Green: inside Earls Colne. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Paycocke's House and Garden and Coggeshall Grange Barn).
The list in full
The 2 inside Earls Colne come first, then 7 more within 5 km of its edge.
The 2 inside Earls Colne come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
74 listed buildings are on Earls Colne’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Earls Colne →
Beyond Earls Colne
Most famous of the 12 is Hedingham Castle, 9.7 km from the centre.
CastleHedingham Castle9.7 km northwest
CastleColchester Castle15 km east
CathedralChelmsford Cathedral26 km southwest
ZooColchester Zoo12 km southeast
CathedralSt Edmundsbury Cathedral35 km north
Historic housePalace of Beaulieu22 km southwest
Historic house · English HeritageAudley End House34 km west
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSt. Botolph's Priory15 km east
FortBalkerne Gate14 km east
CastleClare Castle18 km northwest
Historic houseHylands House30 km southwest
MuseumCressing Temple Barns12 km southwestPlaces well known beyond Earls Colne (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Visiting Earls Colne: questions
What are the main attractions in Earls Colne?
The best known inside Earls Colne’s built-up area are Earls Colne Heritage Museum and Information Kiosk. In all, 2 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 7 more within 5 km.
Does Earls Colne have a museum?
6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Earls Colne: Earls Colne Heritage Museum, Information Kiosk, East Anglian Railway Museum and Restoration Shed.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Earls Colne?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Earls Colne, 2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Paycocke's House and Garden and Coggeshall Grange Barn).
What are the best-known days out near Earls Colne?
Within 40 km: Hedingham Castle (9.7 km), Colchester Castle (15 km), Chelmsford Cathedral (26 km), Colchester Zoo (12 km).
Where are Earls Colne’s historic buildings listed?
Earls Colne has 74 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Earls Colne when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (13)
- Sergeants Orchard: Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hedingham Castle: Agnete, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Colchester Castle: George Gastin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chelmsford Cathedral: The original uploader was Petepetepete at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Colchester Zoo: Angela Tuff, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Edmundsbury Cathedral: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Palace of Beaulieu: Amaibrown, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Audley End House: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Botolph's Priory: Maria, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Balkerne Gate: Tanya2501, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Clare Castle: Evelyn Simak, https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/14840, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hylands House: Graham Pearce, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Cressing Temple Barns: User:JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.