Maldon is a beautiful market town in Essex that is known for its scenic riverside location, charm, and world-famous Maldon Sea Salt. Residents of the town praise it for many reasons, especially the community spirit that it thrives on. The small market town is also home to a buzzing high street lined with over 100 shops and services, many of which are independent and highly supported by the locals. Across the shopping district, visitors can find cafes and restaurants, butchers, barbershops, electric stores, cosmetics, clothing, and so much more.
However, while Maldon has so much to offer, one thing might hold people back — the skyrocketing house prices. According to Reach PLC’s data unit, house prices in Maldon have increased by a shocking 9.7% over the past year
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The town’s house price increase is the highest in the South of England, Essex Live reports.
According to Rightmove, the overall average house price is £372,871, which is more than the Government’s recorded national average of £269,000.
Over the last year, most homes sold in Maldon were semi-detached, which on average cost £359,480. Detached properties sold for an average of £504,316, while terraced properties sold for £293,660.
The answer to the year-on-year increase is that more and more people are moving to the Essex town and taking advantage of its peaceful lifestyle, despite the surging house prices.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), between 2011 and 2021, Maldon’s population grew by 7.4%, and then a further 1,000 people moved there between mid-2021 and mid-2022.
Maldon may not have a train station, shopping centre, or many huge brands, but it does have charm and heritage.
Maldon’s Promenade Park is its central hub, where many community events take place throughout the year. It is also home to a 19-hole Adventure Golf course and a petting zoo with over 70 species.
The park is named as one of the top two things to do in Maldon by TripAdvisor, and has an impressive rating of 4.5 out of five. While there are so many activities to take part in at the park, a simple stroll and look around the area is just as pleasing.
One person wrote: ” A fantastic all day entertainment for families. We visited a year ago and had just as good a day here this weekend. We watched boats on the mini lake, played in the playground/sand pit, visited the slash park, walked along to get ice cream and great seafood.
“Later on the kids played in another sand pit and then went to look at the boats. We ended the day at a fab pub nearby. So many things to do we need to go back again.”
Another said: “This is a really good park. It has almost everything you could want. Great views, plenty of toilets and cafes. A pet zoo, splash park, bmx area , zip wire, model boat pool, crazy golf (pricey) and a galleon playground. I really liked the pond.
“It had plenty of ducks and was teeming with fish. The only downside is no swings and you do have to pay to park (but it is a reasonable price). I would visit again and go on the river trip which is available. There are so many birds to spot at this location.
