Where we work across Essex, town by town
The workshop is in Heybridge, a mile from Maldon. From there the whole of Essex is within reach, every town named and measured, with a visit at the showroom or in your own home.
Yes. We cover the whole of Essex, from a workshop in Heybridge near Maldon, and no part of the county is too far. A first visit can be at the showroom or in your home, with samples sent to you or seen at the workshop. For the right project we also work in London and Suffolk. See the upholstery we make, and read the reviews before you decide.
Stock Chase, Heybridge, near Maldon
Saffron Walden, about 54 minutes
162 five-star, 5.0 everywhere
1997
Every Essex town, measured by car
Distances and times are measured from Unit F, Stock Chase, Heybridge, on 12 October 2026. Each line says what is particular about that place.
Chelmsford
12 miles, about 22 minutes
New houses arrive with bare windows, so we dress them room by room.
Colchester
19 miles, about 29 minutes
An old cloth town of houses read by their age, each window its own measure.
Brentwood
22 miles, about 34 minutes
Large houses and whole rooms, where furniture and curtains are made to the plan.
Braintree
13 miles, about 26 minutes
The silk town, where silk still earns its place on the right window at home.
Great Dunmow
21 miles, about 31 minutes
A market town of timber frames, with low beams and reveals rarely square.
Saffron Walden
35 miles, about 54 minutes
The far north-west, a town of medieval fronts and plastered timber-framed houses.
Rayleigh
17 miles, about 27 minutes
Bungalows and chalets whose awkward windows are dressed one by one.
Billericay
18 miles, about 30 minutes
Family furniture rebuilt piece by piece, from the sofa to the dining chairs.
Basildon
23 miles, about 33 minutes
Mid-century furniture that is often well built and worth the work.
Canvey Island
23 miles, about 38 minutes
An island below the sea wall, where the salt air is hard on soft furnishings.
Southend-on-Sea
24 miles, about 40 minutes
Bay windows and seafront light, so fabric choice matters more than most places.
Stanford-le-Hope
25 miles, about 35 minutes
Below Horndon's old Woolmarket, where wool is still a fine cloth for a chair.
Thurrock (Grays)
31 miles, about 42 minutes
Homes and businesses on the Thames side, from Chafford Hundred to Orsett.
Waltham Abbey
36 miles, about 46 minutes
An old abbey town on the Lea, where historic buildings ask for care.
Loughton
39 miles, about 53 minutes
Arts and Crafts houses on the forest edge, with leaded casements and deep rooms.
Burnham-on-Crouch
14 miles, about 29 minutes
A sailing town on the Crouch, with weatherboard fronts and boats to cushion.
Clacton-on-Sea
35 miles, about 47 minutes
A favourite chair or suite made comfortable again, and curtains for Frinton's avenues.
Frinton-on-Sea
37 miles, about 53 minutes
Quiet Edwardian and inter-war houses, many with generous bay windows.
Harwich
38 miles, about 53 minutes
An old port at the far north-east, its old town full of narrow period rooms.
Greater London (Romford)
29 miles, about 42 minutes
Developments and whole houses, where the work is a room or a building rather than a single piece.
London (Piccadilly)
46 miles, about 84 minutes
Contract and commercial work, in shops, boardrooms and hotels across town.
The houses of Essex, and what their windows ask
The county holds every kind of house, and each age sets its own problem for a window and a frame.
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1
Timber-framed
the north and the old market towns
The windowsBeamed cottages and farmhouses, common round Saffron Walden, Great Dunmow and the villages, carry low ceilings, short drops and reveals that are rarely square, so a full curtain often crowds the room.
What we makeWe make roman blinds in our Heybridge curtain room to the width the window actually is, lined and interlined, and these houses often hold older frames worth keeping and rebuilding by hand.
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2
Georgian and Victorian town houses
Maldon, Colchester and the high streets
The windowsGeorgian fronts and Victorian terraces carry tall sashes and bay windows close to the street, with long drops and the original cornice often still above the glass.
What we makeCurtains are made, measured and hung by our team, lined and interlined for drape, and a taller room carries a well-built sofa or a club chair in proportion.
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3
Bungalows and chalets of the south-east
Rayleigh, Benfleet and the south
The windowsA bungalow rarely has a window that ready-made blinds fit: wide low fronts, dormers, gable points and windows set into the roof slope, each one its own puzzle.
What we makeOur fitter measures each opening on its own, and we make roman blinds, fit perfect fit blinds inside the frame, and fit a track to a bay.
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4
New town and mid-century
Harlow and Basildon
The windowsThe new towns were furnished in the 1950s and 60s, and their houses carry wide low front windows that run across the main room, with glass at each end of a through lounge.
What we makeA full-length pair on a track, lined and interlined, suits that wide front, and the mid-century furniture inside is often well built and worth stripping back and rebuilding.
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5
New estates
round Chelmsford and Colchester
The windowsThe newer estates bring wide bi-fold and patio doors, regular openings and tidy reveals, with fitted wardrobes often set close to the window.
What we makeA perfect fit blind sits inside each door frame with no bulk, a wave heading stacks tight on a ceiling track, and a new sofa can be built to the room.
How it works when we are half an hour away or more
Distance across the county changes nothing about how the work is done, only how the first steps go.
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1
Send a photo
Send a photo of the piece or the window and a few words about the room, with rough measurements if you have them. We reply personally.
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2
A personal quote
We send a quote using an average price fabric for upholstery, or a price for the curtains, blinds or shutters you have in mind, so you know where you stand before anything begins.
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3
An appointment
Once the quote is approved, an appointment can be at the showroom in Heybridge or in your own home. Samples can be seen at the workshop or sent to your home address.
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4
Measure and fit
For windows, our own fitter carries out an in-depth measure before any work begins, then fits the tracks and poles. Simon delivers, hangs and dresses the finished curtains.
What we make for an Essex home
Curtains for Essex windows
Wave, pinch pleat and eyelet, made in our Heybridge curtain room and lined and interlined as standard for drape and warmth. Our fitter measures and fits; Simon hangs and dresses every one.
Blinds across Essex
Roman blinds made on site, the fabric checked by two makers before a single cut, plus roller, venetian, vertical and electric blinds expertly measured and fitted by our own fitter.
Shutters for Essex houses
A quiet, dust-free alternative to curtains and blinds, measured and fitted to any shape of window, from a wide bay to a point above a gable, by our own fitter.
Upholstery in Essex
Sofas, chairs and dining seats taken back to the bare frame and rebuilt by hand with hand-tied springs, fibre and horsehair, or a new piece built to the size the room is.
“When it came to dressing our 300-year-old home, Simon Houlding didn't just deliver; they soared to First Class heights. Curtains so perfect they might as well have a passport to luxury, and our antique French sofa reupholstered to look straight out of a Parisian chateau.”
What it costs for an Essex home
Nothing is priced from a list, since no two jobs are alike. Upholstery costs about what a new piece of similar quality would, and curtains, blinds and shutters are priced from the window and the cloth.
A photo and a few words bring a personal quote, worked out on an average price fabric. When you approve it we fix an appointment, at the showroom or at your home, and choose the cloth together.
Tell us where you are in Essex
Send a photo of the piece or the window and a few words about the room, and we will reply personally with a quote.
Questions, answered.
Almost certainly yes. We cover the whole of Essex, from the doorstep towns of Maldon and Witham to the far corners at Saffron Walden, Harwich and Loughton. No part of the county is out of reach, and a first visit can be at the showroom or in your own home.
Across the whole county, and beyond it for the right project. The furthest Essex towns, Loughton and Saffron Walden, are about 53 to 54 minutes by car. For London and Suffolk we travel for whole houses, developments and contract work rather than for single pieces.
Yes. Our own fitter measures every window in the house before a curtain, blind or shutter is made. We may first ask for rough measurements with a photo so we can quote the work.
No. An appointment can be at the showroom in Heybridge or in your own home, whichever suits. Samples can be seen at the workshop or sent to your home address, so you can choose cloth without a trip if you would rather not make one.
Simon Houlding Upholstery, in Heybridge near Maldon, established 1997. Curtains are made in our own curtain room, lined and interlined as standard, then measured and fitted by our team. Simon delivers, hangs and dresses every pair himself.
Yes. Roman blinds are made on site in our Heybridge curtain room, the fabric checked by two makers before a single cut. We also measure and fit roller, venetian, vertical, perfect fit and electric blinds from the makers we trust, each measured by our own fitter.
Yes. Shutters are measured and fitted to any shape of window by our own fitter, from a wide bay to an awkward angle, using shutters from the maker we trust. They soften noise, hold privacy with a partial close, and gather none of the dust that curtains do.
Yes, for the right project. In London that means contract and commercial work, developments and whole houses rather than single pieces. We will also cover Suffolk on the same terms. Tell us the scope and we will come back to you properly, with a clear lead time.