Wivenhoe is a town and civil parish in the Colchester district, in north-eastern Essex, England, approximately 3 miles south-east of Colchester. Historically Wivenhoe village, on the banks of the River Colne, and Wivenhoe Cross, on the higher ground to the north, were two separate settlements; however, with considerable development in the 19th century, the two have since merged. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 7,637, compared with 7,221 in 2001.