The parish of Fordham, in the Borough of Colchester, lies on the north bank of the River Colne. There are three contrasting settlements with a mixture of housing types from medieval to modern.

 

The southern settlement lies along Halstead Road to the Shoulder of Mutton adjoining Ford Street. The central part is from All Saints Church and Fordham Hall along Church Road including the housing with Lucas Avenue named after the owners of Fordham Hall. Partridge Drive is named after the Partridge family who played a central part in village life.

 

The Colchester surgeon Alderman Partridge, famous for his work on kidney stones was born at Suttons Farm in 1791. The third part of the village is in Plummers Road where both the Rectory and the erstwhile Chapel of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion are situated. The latter was founded through the efforts of William Ellis and Robert Spark. Both are now private houses.

 

Before 1949 there were four areas as the parish then included Fordham Heath. In 1949 this part was added to parts of Copford and Stanway to form the new parish of Eight Ash Green. This change in parish boundaries still causes confusion sixty years later.