Ridgewell is a small, picturesque village located in a rural area in north west Essex near the Suffolk border, 15 miles north of Braintree and 6 miles south of Haverhill. The population is around 500, living in 250 or so houses and the village is surrounded by rich arable farm land.

A large tree-shaded green, surrounded by many listed buildings, is at the centre of the village. The green is bisected by the Colchester to Cambridge road that dates back to Roman times. A large proportion of the village is in a conservation area and in recent years the village has changed very little.