Signs of this early settlement include the 10th- or 11th-century former Chapel of St Helen in the grounds of Bonhunt Farm close to an M11 motorway flyover.

[8] Excavations found evidence of around 30 structures, including a long room, and artefacts retrieved from the site led archeologists to believe this could have been a royal manor.

[11] Wicken Bonhunt's public house, formerly the Coach & Horses, reopened in 2012 as a Thai food pub serving real ales.

[12] A former young people's residential study centre at Wicken House was sold to property developers in 2009, having closed a year earlier.

The £200,000 project, assisted by grants from Essex County Council, is designed as a new focal point for youth and community events following the closure of Wicken House.