Mistley’s draw is Mistley Towers
One place to visit is mapped inside Mistley’s built-up area, with 4 more within 5 km of its edge. There are a ruins, an abbey or priory and an attraction to choose from. 2 of them are cared for: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust. At 14 km, Colchester Castle is worth the journey.
The headline places in Mistley
The list goes on from Mistley Towers to an abbey or priory, an attraction and a museum.
Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Plotted on the map
The outermost point is Aqua Park Alton, at 5.4 km.
The dashed line is Mistley’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What is on offer
It comes down to a ruins, an abbey or priory and an attraction.
Green: inside Mistley. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Mistley Towers and Flatford Mill).
Every place to visit
The town has one; within 5 km of its edge, the list finds 4 more.
The one inside Mistley comes first, then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
33 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Mistley’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Mistley →
Trips out
Out of town, Colchester Castle (14 km) leads 12 names to know.
CastleColchester Castle14 km southwest
Castle · English HeritageOrford Castle35 km northeast · 31K visitors a year (2017)
Castle · English HeritageFramlingham Castle36 km northeast
CastleHedingham Castle34 km west
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSt. Botolph's Priory14 km southwest
ZooColchester Zoo20 km southwest
MuseumThe Munnings Art Museum6.4 km west
GardenBeth Chatto Gardens9.4 km southwest
FortBalkerne Gate15 km southwest
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSt. John's Abbey Gatehouse14 km southwestFortFortHM Fort Roughs27 km east
CastleHelmingham Hall27 km northPlaces well known beyond Mistley (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.
Good to know in Mistley
What are the main attractions in Mistley?
The place to visit inside Mistley’s built-up area is Mistley Towers. In all, 1 place to visit is mapped inside the town, and 4 more within 5 km.
Does Mistley have a museum?
1 museum or gallery is in or within 5 km of Mistley: Manningtree Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Mistley?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Mistley, 2 places are cared for: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Mistley Towers and Flatford Mill).
What are the best-known days out near Mistley?
Within 40 km: Colchester Castle (14 km), Orford Castle (35 km), Framlingham Castle (36 km), Hedingham Castle (34 km).
Where are Mistley’s historic buildings listed?
Mistley has 33 listed buildings, 2 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 Mistley 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 (11)
- Colchester Castle: George Gastin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Orford Castle: Chris Gunns, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Framlingham Castle: Happy Bean Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hedingham Castle: Agnete, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Botolph's Priory: Maria, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Colchester Zoo: Angela Tuff, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Munnings Art Museum: Paul Shreeve, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Beth Chatto Gardens: Grahamec, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Balkerne Gate: Tanya2501, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St. John's Abbey Gatehouse: Saltmarsh, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Helmingham Hall: Chris Holifield, CC BY-SA 2.0, 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.