Historian and Essex champion Gillian Darley takes us on a vivid personal tour, from the seaside piers to the empty marshlands and the New Town high-rises, revealing a landscape and a story like no other. Alongside Essex Man and Towie, there's the Essex that despatched the first puritan settlers to America, welcomed refugees from Europe and beyond, and offered fresh hope to bombed-out East End. 'Excellent Essex' a brilliant guide to England's most misunderstood county.