From its Saxon origins Witham grew into a busy market town situated on the Roman road between London and Colchester. Under the influence of the Knights Templar it expanded during the thirteenth century, many of the original property boundaries surviving to the present day. In the eighteenth century it became a fashionable spa town when many buildings were given elegant new frontages and the coach trade between London and such towns as Ipswich, Norwich and Harwich contributed to Witham’s prosperity. The railway came in 1843, improving communication with London. It is now an important dormitory for commuters and has busy industrial estates.