Pictures of Mistley

About Mistley

The beautiful Stour valley is the land that inspired Constable, it is a place where everywhere you go there is a fresh delight, be it old windmill, ancient church or the simple pleasure of a leafy Essex lane. Mistley lies on the south bank of the River Stour not far from Manningtree, to which it is joined via a tree-lined walk along the river which is oddly called The Walls. All along the walk you have spectacular views of swans, part of a population who live and breed here.

The town is famous for Mistley Towers, a pair of church towers part of a church by Robert Adam that was left unfinished in the 1770's. It was part of an unsuccessful plan to turn Mistley into a spa. The plan was master-minded by Richard Rigby, an ambitious politician who made a fortune as paymaster-general of the forces. The stone swan fountain at the centre of the town is another survivor of Rigby's scheme. Of Mistley's prosperous brewing and malting era you can see restored Victorian malt-house and the quay. The town's attractive buildings include sweet weavers cottages, noted inns and handsome Georgian properties. The 'secret bunker' which drew so much attention was closed to the public in 2002.

Manningtree, is a delightful Georgian town which was once a busy port. It is England's smallest town and from here it is possible to walk through beautiful Constable countryside to Flatford Mill.

This is a great area for tourists for apart from the old market towns and villages there are river estuaries inhabited with a rich variety of wildlife and an interesting coastline to explore. Both Mistley and Manningtree make ideal destinations for a quiet weekend or a longer stay to explore countryside and coast.