It is situated to the far south west of the county and near to the Greater London boundary and the M25 motorway.

Consecrated in 1904, the Grade I listed parish church, St Mary the Virgin[2] is noted for its Art Nouveau interior.

[3] A little further to the south is The Kilns Hotel which dates back to the 16th Century.

From 1894 the Great Warley parish formed part of Romford Rural District and covered an area of 2,793 acres (11.30 km2).

[6] This transferred almost all of the remaining part of Great Warley in Greater London back to Essex.