Kelvedon is a village and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex in England, near to the town of Witham. It had a population of 4,717 in 2001, reducing to 3,587 at the 2011 Census.OriginsThe existing village of Kelvedon has been a settlement since the Early Middle Ages, though it stands near the site of a Roman settlement, probably Canonium. Kelvedon expanded significantly in the Victorian era. The reason was the Norwich to London railway making it a place to live yet get to work as rail was the only fast method of transport. Victorian Kelvedon was set along one street, High Street. In the 1930s, with the advent of the automobile, High Street became the A12, the main road through Essex. Ribbon development saw houses sprawl along the road for miles. The village suffered major congestion until a bypass was built in the 1960s. Suburbanization started to take place in the 1980s - a large development called Riverside Park was constructed containing hundreds of homes.Kelvedon is situated next to the village of Feering and is separated from it by the River Blackwater. The River Blackwater was spanned by a packhorse bridge, built around 1750, which was an essential part of the main road carrying traffic from Norfolk and Suffolk to London and this feature was significant in making Kelvedon an important staging post on the main route to London, as could be seen from the numerous inns and hostelries which served the area.
Tags: City