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Thirty years ago, I was asked to find if there were any intellectuals in Essex. At the time, working freelance for regional newspaper the Essex Chronicle, I noted the Evening Standard had published a feature on Essex being the home of the second-hand car dealer and Page Three girl, and little else. The assignment wasn't tongue-in-cheek; I wanted to redress the implied trashing of my home county which, if you knew, had rather more to it than what the Standard suggested. Thirty years on, I was approached by Visit Essex to revisit the county which is, or was, my home and although I have made interim journeys to visit family, friends and a favourite boutique shop (which dressed me better than I dressed myself), I have, admittedly, always felt west is best - I now live in Richmond-upon-Thames, completely the other side of London. But, with this piece, I wanted to return with a different agenda, see what had changed, or not, and rediscover what Essex really has to offer. So it was wit