Great Yeldham is a village in north Essex, England, about 6 miles (10 km) from the Suffolk border. Great Yeldham is situated along the busy main A1017 road (formerly A604) between Braintree and Haverhill.

Great Yeldham
White Hart Hotel, Great Yeldham
Great Yeldham is located in Essex
Great Yeldham
Great Yeldham
Location within Essex
Population1,948 (2021)
OS grid referenceTL765385
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHALSTEAD
Postcode districtCO9
Dialling code01787
PoliceEssex
FireEssex
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Essex
52°00′58″N 0°33′46″E / 52.016215°N 0.562706°E / 52.016215; 0.562706

The village is where the infant River Colne is joined by a stream from near Stambourne and another that has flowed via Toppesfield. The river flows via Colchester on its 39-mile journey to the sea.

Great Yeldham contains the "Great Oak", an old preserved oak tree in the centre of the village, which is claimed to have been recorded in William the Conqueror's Domesday Book of 1086.

In 1967 Great Yeldham elected a Communist councillor, June Cohen, to the surprise of many in the area.[citation needed]

Agriculture

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From the 1950s to the 1970s Great Yeldham was home to the Whitlock Bros., an agricultural equipment manufacturer. In 1972 Whitlock Bros. was taken over by Hymac, and production subsequently moved to Rhymney in South Wales. The Great Yeldham plant closed, resulting in many job losses.

The land around Great Yeldham is principally used for arable farming and some livestock rearing. From the early 1950s until the mid-1980s Great Yeldham was also known for its apple and strawberry farm, Lark Hill Farm.

Transport

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Until 1962 it was served for passenger traffic by Yeldham railway station on the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway line between Chappel and Wakes Colne and Haverhill. The line crossed Station Road at a level crossing. The road has since been renamed Toppesfield Road.

References

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