Hockley, Essex

Original illustration of Hockley, a village in the Rochford district of Essex. The village dates back at least as far as 1086, when it appeared in the Domesday Book as Hocheleia. Depicted in this illustration is local pub The Spa, which has an interesting history.

In 1838 Robert and Letitia Clay moved to Hockley, and dug a water well in their garden. The water from this well helped Letitia with her chronic asthma, and so the couple declared it medicinal, and began plans to open a spa. They appointed famous architect James Lockyer to design a pumping room, which opened for business in 1843. It was - for a few short years - a roaring success, and to accommodate the demand a hotel was built nearby, the Spa Hotel. 

After the closure of the spa in 1848, the hotel became a pub called the Royal Oak; the name was changed back to the Spa Hotel in 1891. The building was renovated in 2023, and now operates as the village pub, The Spa.

This Essex illustration by artist Rob Wisdom is a high-quality Giclée art print on cotton-rich fine art paper. For our Hockley travel poster, please click here.

12x16" art print shown. Cropping and title position (if applicable) may differ slightly on 'A' size art prints.