Discover Ongar: history, railway and the Essex Way

Ongar combines a historically distinctive town centre with an unusual railway experience and the Essex Way. Chipping Ongar is home to more than 100 listed buildings and other structures. In addition, there are surviving castle remains, a medieval town wall and a High Street with distinctive vistas. This gives you various starting points for planning your holiday: you can focus on architectural history, include walking routes in your plans or discover the Epping Ongar Railway as a special experience.

Discover historic Chipping Ongar

The remains of the motte-and-bailey castle in Chipping Ongar have survived. The route of the former medieval town wall can also be traced around the Pleasance car park and along Castle Street. The appearance and layout of the historic centre of Chipping Ongar have changed little since the Middle Ages. If you are travelling with children, you can use these visible traces to discover history not only in exhibitions but directly in the townscape.

Ongar Castle is designated as a Scheduled Monument. Another notable building is St Martin’s Church: its nave and chancel date from the 11th century, and the church also has a Norman tower. St Martin’s Church is just a short walk from Ongar High Street. The former marketplace can still be recognised as the widest section of the High Street between Wren House and Manor House. Together with the High Street’s attractive vistas, this creates a townscape that can be explored at a leisurely pace and with an eye for detail.

Rail journeys, walking routes and the Essex Way

The Epping Ongar Railway runs steam and diesel locomotives between the villages of Ongar and North Weald and into Epping Forest. The railway also operates an on-train restaurant serving street food and cream teas. During the day, historic London buses regularly connect the Epping Ongar Railway with the London Underground in Epping and the Greater Anglia and Elizabeth line rail services in Shenfield. If you would like to include this experience in your stay, check the relevant running times and operating days when making your specific plans.

Several local walking routes lead from North Weald and Ongar stations. The Essex Way passes through Ongar, and the town is a suitable starting or finishing point for this route because the trail crosses roads there. This allows you to vary the balance between cultural discoveries and physical activity: one day can be devoted to the High Street and historic buildings, and another to walking or travelling on the heritage railway.

Choose the right location for your accommodation in Ongar

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house in Ongar, you can use your preferred experiences as a guide. Those who want to place the historic character at the centre of their stay can specifically look for a location in Ongar and include the High Street, St Martin’s Church and the architectural traces of Chipping Ongar in their plans. Ongar is also a natural search location for railway and walking days because the Epping Ongar Railway and the Essex Way are connected with the town. When comparing specific listings, pay particular attention to the location details and choose accommodation that suits your preferred pace of travel.

More places for planning your trip

To compare other destinations, you can also look at Great Easton, Layer de la Haye, Black Notley, Harwich, Hempstead, Manningtree, Earls Colne and Gosfield.

For the higher-level travel overview: Essex.