Parkeston /ˈpɑːrkstən/ is a North Sea port village in Essex, England, situated on the south bank of the River Stour about one mile (1.6 km) up-river from Harwich.

The "Cinder City" name was particularly appropriate given the large areas of marshland or saltings that were reclaimed, frequently using waste material from the railway activities.

The first shop to be built in the location was Safeway, a supermarket that opened in March 1997[citation needed], and is currently a Morrisons store.

This stood alone for many years, until a flurry of activity in the mid-2000s saw the proper formation of the retail park: a multi-unit development opposite the supermarket,[3] the discount supermarket Lidl off the roundabout between the two,[4] a Premier Inn and Brewers Fayre (opened October 2004 alongside Lidl,[5][6] and most recently a Home Bargains store, opened in November 2014 on the opposite side of the retail park.

The railway embankment which also acted as the sea wall was breached south of the loco shed immediately east of the village.