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Everything about Chelmsford England totally explained

Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located north east of Charing Cross in London. Residents of Chelmsford are known as 'Chelmsfordians'. The town has a popluation of approx 110,000 and still growing. It's is a major town for commuters who work in the City of London Financial companies. The town is surrounded by many small villages that retain their original charm (examples of these are Writtle, The Easters, Mashbury & Chignal Smealy).

History

Early history

In 1199 the Bishop of London was granted a Royal Charter for the town to hold a market, marking the origin of the modern town. An under-cover market, operating Tuesday to Saturday, is still an important part of the town centre over 800 years later. The town's name is derived from 'Ceolmaer's ford' which was close to the site of the present High Street stone bridge. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the town was called 'Celmeresfort' and by 1189 it had changed to 'Chelmsford'.
   Before 1199, there were settlements nearby from ancient times. A Neolithic and a late Bronze Age settlement have been found in the Springfield suburb, and the town was occupied by the Romans. A Roman fort was built in 60 AD, and a civilian town grew up around it. The town was given the name of Caesaromagus (the market place of Caesar), although the reason for it being given the great honour of bearing the imperial prefix are now unclear — possibly as a failed 'planned town' provincial capital to replace Londinium or Camulodunum. The remains of a mansio, a combination post office, civic centre and hotel, lie beneath the streets of modern Moulsham, and the ruins of an octagonal temple are located beneath the Odeon roundabout.
   The town became the seat of the local assize during the early 13th century (though assizes were also held at Brentwood) and by 1218 was recognised as the county town of Essex, a position it has retained to the present day. Chelmsford was significantly involved in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, and Richard II moved on to the town after quelling the rebellion in London. Many of the ringleaders were executed on the gallows at what is now Primrose Hill.
   An important Anglo-Saxon burial was discovered at Broomfield to the north of Chelmsford in the late 19th century and the finds are now in the British Museum. The road 'Saxon Way' now marks the site. In the 17th century many of the victims of Matthew Hopkins (the self-styled "Witchfinder General") spent their last days imprisoned in Chelmsford, before being tried at the Assizes and hanged for witchcraft.

World War II

During World War II Chelmsford, an important centre of light engineering war production, was attacked from the air on several occasions, both by aircraft of the Luftwaffe and by missile. The worst single loss of life took place on Tuesday December 19, 1944, when the 367th Vergeltungswaffe 2 or V2 rocket to hit England fell on a residential street (Henry Road) near the Hoffmans ball bearing factory and not far from the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company factory which may also have been the target. Thirty-nine people were killed and 138 injured, 47 seriously. Several dwellings in Henry Road were completely destroyed and many in nearby streets were badly damaged. A monument to the dead recently restored is in the Borough cemetery in Writtle Road. The GHQ Line part of the British hardened field defences of World War II runs directly through Chelmsford with many pillboxes still in existence to the North and South of the town.

Recent history

Since the 1980s Chelmsford has suffered from a decline in its manufacturing and defence-related industries, most notably Marconi with several factories closing. Also the one-time largest employer in Chelmsford Hoffman's closed its Chelmsford site in 1988. However, the town's location close to London and at the centre of Essex has helped it grow in importance as an administrative and distribution centre.

Local government and politics

Chelmsford is at geographic and political centre of Essex and has been the county town since 1215. It is the location of the headquarters of Essex County Council at County Hall on Market Road and the headquarters of Chelmsford Borough Council on Duke Street. The headquarters of Essex Police are also located in the town.
   Chelmsford formed part of the ancient Chelmsford hundred of Essex. It was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1888, under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act 1882. In 1934 the borough was enlarged by gaining from Chelmsford Rural District, including parts of the parishes of Broomfield, Springfield, Widford and Writtle.
   Several years ago Chelmsford was labelled a mere clone town; however new developments are proving the statement wrong, with new business opportunities around the town. Sizeable businesses are now based in the Chelmsford Business Park at Boreham housing companies such as the Anderson Group. The town also has a low unemployment rate (1.6% in 2002) and a well-educated workforce, with 9% holding a degree or above (in 2002; British average: 7.1%)
   Chelmsford has a vibrant nightlife scene with many Nightclubs, Pubs, Wine Bars and Restaurants in the town centre area, particularly in Duke Street, Moulsham Street and the bottom section of Springfield Road. Its central Essex location and good public transport links make the town ideal for revellers to visit from surrounding areas.

Marconi

In 1898, Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937) the "father of radio", opened the world's first "wireless" factory under the name The Marconi Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company in Hall Street employing around 50 people. The company was later called the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company Ltd. For this reason Chelmsford is credited as the "birthplace of radio", and this phrase can be seen on administrative signs on major roads entering the town. Marconi soon outgrew its Hall Street premises and in June 1912 the company moved to a brand new purpose built factory in New Street that still stands today. On June 15, 1920 the factory was the location of the first official publicised sound broadcast in the United Kingdom, featuring Dame Nellie Melba using two radio broadcasting masts.
   In 1922 the world's first regular wireless broadcasts for entertainment began from the Marconi laboratories at Writtle near Chelmsford — Call sign '2MT' in what was little more than a wooden hut.
   In 1999 Marconi's defence division, including the Chelmsford facilities, were purchased by British Aerospace to form BAE Systems. Two sites remain under BAE control; the Great Baddow site which is now BAE's Advanced Technology Centre and its Integrated Systems Technologies business at Glebe Road.
   The military and secure communications division of Marconi was merged into Selex Communications, which is based at the New Street factory and is still operational. However the New street factory's future is very much in doubt with redevelopment of the whole site is planned to start during 2008. Although the Grade II listed front façade and a few other minor buildings will remain, most of the site will be demolished, including the 1930s art deco Marconi House. Its demise will bring to an end more than 100 years of Marconi in Chelmsford.

Cromptons Electrical Engineering

Chelmsford became home to the United Kingdom's first electrical engineering works established by Colonel Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton (1845–1940). Colonel R. E. Crompton as he was better known was a leading authority of electrical engineering and was a pioneer of electric street lighting and electric traction motors within the UK. Crompton installed electric street lights around the town centre to celebrate the incorporation of the Borough of Chelmsford in 1888. Although this made Chelmsford one of the earliest towns to receive electric street lighting, the Council later decided to have it removed because gas was cheaper and the Council owned the gas works. Crompton supplied the traction motors for the first electric trains on Southend Pier. The company also manufactured electrical switchgear, alternators and generators for many power stations in the UK and worldwide.
   Crompton set up his original factory known as the 'Arc Works' in Queen Street in 1878. After a fire there in 1885 he built a huge new electrical engineering factory also called the 'Arc Works' in Writtle Road. The Firm was called Crompton and Co. and in 1927 became Crompton Parkinson after Colonel Crompton formed a business partnership with fellow British electrical engineer Frank Parkinson. During World War II the factory was frequently targeted by the Luftwaffe. In 1969 Crompton Parkinson Ltd was downsized and operations moved elsewhere after a takeover by Hawker Siddeley and the site was taken over by the Marconi Company and became the base for the newly formed Marconi Radar Systems Ltd The factory closed in the 1990s and apart from the frontage on Writtle Road was demolished. A housing development called 'The Village' now occupies the site with road names such as Rookes Crescent, Evelyn Place, Crompton Street and Parkinson Drive as tributes to the former occupier.

Hoffmann Ball Bearings

The United Kingdom's first ball bearing factory was established at New Street in Chelmsford in 1898 by cousins Geoffrey and Charles Barrett and bankrolled by American ball bearing machine manufacturer Ernst Gustav Hoffmann to which the Company took its name. The Hoffmann Manufacturing Company rapidly expanded and soon achieved worldwide fame for their precision-made bearings boasting an accuracy better than 1/10,000 of an inch (2.5 micrometres) for all their products. Hoffmann bearings were later used in the first transatlantic flights and extensively on machinery during World War I. For many years it was Chelmsford's main employer with more employees than Marconi's. The firm became R.H.P. in 1969 (Ransome Hoffmann and Pollard). The factory that once employed thousands was wound down then closed and demolished in the 1980s and the company relocated to Newark on Trent where it still exists. The Rivermead Campus of the Anglia Ruskin University now occupies the site of the old factory at the junction of New Street and Rectory Lane. The only connection to the old factory in Chelmsford today is in name only at the R.H.P. Bowls club located in Canterbury Way.

Britvic

Chelmsford is the home of Britvic soft drinks which began life as the British Vitamin Company in 1948. However, the origins of the company can be traced back to a chemist's in the town's Tindal Street, where flavoured waters were on sale as early as the mid-19th century. The company changed its name to Britvic in 1971 after its successful brand, which was launched in 1949. Britvic has a large factory on Widford Industrial Estate with its head office located in Broomfield Road.

Transport

Rail

The Eastern Counties Railway arrived in Chelmsford in 1842, although due to the geography of the town, a 18-arch viaduct had to be built to cross what is now the park, and the station had to be built on a viaduct above street level. The present day Chelmsford railway station dates from around 1885 and is in the town centre and around 14,000 commuters travel to London Liverpool Street daily by rail making Chelmsford the busiest station outside of London which is completely non-terminus. The station is served by the railway franchise National Express East Anglia, which until recently was called 'one'.
   Services from Chelmsford are operated to London Liverpool Street and Ipswich, Clacton, Harwich, Braintree and Norwich, with the occasional service to Peterborough and Lowestoft. Despite having platforms elevated on a viaduct, the station has full disabled access via a lift for each of the two platforms and as well as stair access. A second station has been proposed for many years on the north eastern fringes of the town at Springfield, in order to serve the expanding housing developments there but nothing has ever come to fruition.
   The latest information suggests that a new station will be built at Springfield, to the north of Chelmsford. Completion for this project is likely to be c. 2014. .

Bus

A new bus terminal in Duke Street opened in March 2007 which replaced an ageing 1930s Bus station. It incorporates shops and apartments and has a covered roof for passengers. This is mainly used by the First Essex Bus Company which has many routes around the town and beyond including the X30 Southend to Stansted Airport Flyer. Essex County Council Highways & Transportation Department have considered the construction of a Bus Rapid Transit System to be built serving the Beaulieu Park/Springfield Area due to the increasing demand for Rapid Transit Plans in Ipswich, Colchester and Southend.
   Chelmsford has a Park & Ride service that's based at nearby Sandon, just off the A12 at Junction 18. It runs from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday with five bus stops around the town (one near High Chelmer for shopping) and charges £2.00 per adult and free for OAP's or people under the age of 16. It currently has a capacity of 1,200 cars. Opened in March 2006 it has proved highly successful and is widely used.

Road

The A12 road from London, originally built by the Romans to connect London and Colchester, used to pass through the town, but is now diverted around the east. The £34.8m nine-mile (14 km) bypass opened in November 1986. The A414 is the main east-west route through the Borough, and the A130 and A131 run approximately north-south.
   Chelmsford is around 25 to 30 minutes drive from London Stansted Airport (via A130/A120), and London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City, Luton and Southend airports are all within reach.
   In the southwest of the town centre, the A138 meets the A414 at The Army and Navy roundabout which is notorious for its traffic congestion, even though the north–south road at this point is no longer part of the A12. Prior to 1986, when the Chelmsford bypass was opened, the roundabout was in an even worse state. Traffic lights were tried to improve matters in the early 2000s but that scheme was abandoned after a short while. The recently built bus lane on the A1114 Great Baddow Bypass and priority to traffic using it has meant traffic queues approaching the roundabout can now be over a mile long, during peak periods.
   The junction is unusual for its flyover, in a similar manner to the Hogarth Roundabout in Chiswick, London. It is bi-directional, being open where traffic goes one way into town (westerly) until 2.30 pm each day and one way (easterly) out of town after 2.30 pm. A two-way flyover has been mooted ever since the original was built in 1978: it's very unlikely to happen - the local council has stated that the cost would be prohibitive. The roundabout is still called "The Army and Navy", even though the public house from which the junction got its name has been demolished.

Taxis

Chelmsford has around 139 local authority licensed Hackney Carriage Taxis that mainly ply for hire at Chelmsford railway station taxi rank, although at the present time only Chelmsford Taxi Association affiliated Hackney Carriages are permitted to ply for hire at the station. There are other ranks within the town such as Market Road and Baddow Road. However The Baddow Road rank mainly operates at night for visitors to the Pubs and Clubs within that area and the Market Road rank is only used during the daytime. Licensed Hackney Carriages in the Borough of Chelmsford are easily identifiable as they're predominately 'black' in colour, have white Local Authority License plates on the front/rear and illuminated green 'for hire' signs inside the front windscreen and illuminated rooflights. Chelmsford Hackney Carriage Taxis can be flagged down by members of the public anywhere within the Borough.
   Licensed Private Hire Taxis in Chelmsford are identifiable by their yellow local authority license plates on the front/rear of the vehicles and lack of an illuminated rooflight. These vehicles are not permitted to ply for hire and must be pre-booked by telephone. They can be of any colour. All Licensed Taxis of either type in Chelmsford will have a large rectangular council identification sticker with its license number on the front doors.

Redevelopment

   Another site near the large suburb of Springfield is in its planning stages. It will be a new neighbourhood which is supposed to be an urban village containing 3,500 homes. A controversial Northern Relief Road would be built. The Public House "The Army and Navy" from which the notorious roundabout gets its name was demolished in March 2007. It will be replaced by a Travelodge Hotel, a Frankie and Benny's Restaurant and private flats. Building work started at the site in October 2007 with the project due for completion during 2009.
   One of Chelmsford's tallest buildings, Melbourne Court in Melbourne Avenue is currently receiving an £8m investment for extensive refurbishment and to create a new Neighbourhood Centre due for completion in 2009. Recently plans were revealed for 'Waterside', a large development of shops, bars and restaurants on the banks of the River Chelmer, near the Army & Navy. If this development goes ahead a new bridge and central link road would be built. Another development recently finished is 'The Hub' in Waterloo Lane. This contains luxury apartments and a large Seafood Restaurant.

Places of interest

There are many places of interest within Chelmsford, including the 18-arch Victorian railway viaduct that spans the River Can in Central Park. One of three railway viaducts in the town that carry the Great Eastern Main Line. The Viaduct was constructed during 1842 by the Eastern Counties Railway Company and opened for passenger traffic on 29 March 1843. Chelmsford Cathedral which is located directly behind The Shire Hall. Originally called St Mary's Church, it became a Cathedral when the Diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914. It is officially the second smallest in England behind Derby Cathedral,
Chelmsfords two tallest buildings are Melbourne Court built in 1962 in Melbourne Avenue, locally known as Melbourne flats and the new development completed in 2007, the 13 floor "Kings Tower" in Duke Street. They share the same height of . The tallest structure by far in the Chelmsford area is the former Chain Home radar tower in the urban village Great Baddow which rises to . It originally stood at Canewdon but reassembled in Chelmsford just after 1945 and is the only Chain Home tower still in its original unmodified form in the UK. It is a local landmark visible throughout the town and surrounding area.
   The Shire Hall is situated at the top of the High Street. Opened in July 1791 and built by local Architect and County Surveyor John Johnson it features a Portland Stone façade. One of the oldest and most prominent buildings in Chelmsford, it was built as a Court house, which it has remained to this day. Hylands House and Park just to the west of the town is a country house and parkland, saved from dereliction and purchased by the local council in 1966 after the death of the last private owner. Much damaged by fire and vandalism by the time of the sale, the house has now been completely restored by Chelmsford Borough Council. The house dates originally from 1730, and the park, currently was landscaped by Humphry Repton. It is open to the public and used for a wide range of community events. It is also available for weddings and other private hires including conferences etc.
   The park has hosted the annual V Festival every penultimate weekend in August since 1996. The 21st World Scout Jamboree 2007 was held at Hylands Park from 27th July to 8th August 2007. Chelmsford Museum is a local history museum, showing the development of the town from prehistory up to Tudor times. It goes no further at the moment due to an imminent Museum redevelopment project which will begin in June 2008. The Museum is housed in Oaklands Park, off Moulsham Street where the Essex Regiment Museum can also be found. This Museum will be closed from April 2008 until about November 2009, when the redevelopment work has been completed. The Museum holds pottery including Castle Hedingham ware and the Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry. There is a live beehive and a collection of beautiful 18th Century glasses which were recently featured on the BBC TV programme 'Flog it!'.

Geography and climate

Geology

From over 600,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene ice age, until the Anglian glaciation around 475,000 years ago, the early River Thames flowed through the area where Chelmsford now stands, from Harlow to Colchester, before crossing what is now the North Sea to become a tributary of the Rhine. Consequently gravel deposits are frequently found in the area and current and former gravel pits in the district are common.
   Chelmsford has two rivers, the River Can and the River Chelmer. Although often confused to be the same river in the town centre, they're quite separate until they join together towards the east of the town to form the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation which heads out towards Maldon before flowing into tidal waters at the Blackwater Estuary. In the other direction the Chelmer comes from the north from its source near Thaxted while the Can comes from the West from Writtle where it separates from the River Wid.
   Up to the 1960s these rivers were extremely prone to flooding the town centre area including two disastrous floods in August 1888 (known locally as 'the great flood') and 1958 (which also badly affected nearby Wickford) causing widespread damage. Flood prevention schemes in the 1960s on both rivers have largely prevented any further incidents here although the natural flood plains to the North and East such as The 'Baddow Meads' and The 'Chelmer Valley' continue to see flooding on a regular basis especially after prolonged heavy rainfall.

Climate

Being in the south east of England, the town enjoys a warmer climate than most of the United Kingdom and has some of the hottest summers in Britain; it's also one of the driest places in the country. Temperatures can often reach 30°C in the summer although this figure wasn't achieved during 2007. The hottest day on record in the town was on the UK wide temperature record breaking day of Sunday August 10, 2003 when 35.2°C (95.4°F) was recorded. Thunderstorms mostly occur during July and August however they can occur anytime of the year.
   During the winter the temperature rarely stays below 0°C during the day and even with night-time winter temperatures, it's extremely rare to fall below -5°C hence air, hoar and ground frost together with freezing fog is very common from November through to March. The coldest temperature recorded in recent times in Chelmsford is -13°C in January 1985. Snow although infrequent is sometimes seen in the winter months because the town is near the east coast where cold, moist air is brought in from the North Sea. In recent years there has been up to three inches (8 cm) of snow on days in January and February which has resulted in minor disruption to transport and caused some schools to close. However, the snow tends not to persist for a significant length of time in any noticeable quantity. The last substantial snowfalls in Chelmsford were on 14 February 1991 and 7 January 1982 when around to fell.

Education

John Dee, noted Elizabethan philosopher and scientist and also responsible for the English translation of Euclid was educated at the Chantry School (later re-founded as the Grammar School) in the sixteenth century. Chelmsford is also home to part of the Anglia Ruskin University (formerly called Anglia Polytechnic) and to the grammar schools of Chelmsford County High School and King Edward VI Grammar School, founded in 1551 by charter of King Edward VI on the site of an earlier educational foundation (although evidence suggests it could have been around as early as 1292). A Catholic Secondary School in the area is St John Payne Catholic Comprehensive School. Chelmsford College is the main provider of further education in the borough. Established in the early 1960s, the college occupies three sites in the town. The main site on Moulsham Street dates from the 1960s and the Princes Road site is a late 80s building. There are around 1700 full time and 3,000 part time students enrolled on a wide range of academic, vocational and occupational programmes.

Society and culture

Media

Chelmsford is home to two active local radio stations. Essex FM has been on air since 12 September 1981 and is owned by GCap Media. It moved to studios in Glebe Road in late 2004, having previously been based in Southend. BBC Essex has been on air since 5 November 1986 and its studios are based in New London Road. Chelmsford is also associated with Dream 107.7 FM, which recently moved to studios in Heybridge near Maldon, having vacated its Chelmsford premises in November 2006. This station was previously known as 107.7 Chelmer FM up to 2002. The station began broadcasting on 18th October 1998. It is the local station for mid-Essex. Tindle Radio have owned this station since 2002, where it was purchased from Mid Essex Radio Ltd. Chelmsford Calling was a now defunct community radio station aimed at older listeners, playing a mix of jazz and comedy programmes. The station was under a Restricted Service Licence and ceased broadcasting on 11 February 2007 after just under two months on air.
   Publications based in Chelsford include the Essex Chronicle, which was founded as the "Chelmsford Chronicle" in 1764. The weekly "Essex Chronicle" newspaper is the longest in continuous publication in the country. Until the closure of the printing plant in 2002, the paper was also printed in the town. It is now printed on presses by the Northcliffe Group which now owns the paper. Chelmsford Weekly News and Chelmsford and Maldon Yellow Advertiser are free local papers delivered to every home.

Religion

Chelmsford Cathedral is the second smallest cathedral in England after Derby Cathedral. It was built in the 15th and early 16th centuries, when it was the parish church of the prosperous medieval town. The Diocese of Chelmsford was established in 1914 from part of the Diocese of St Albans. It covers all of Essex and much of East London.

Sport

Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic Cricket structure, representing the county of Essex. The club is based at the County Ground in New Writtle Street. Chelmsford City Football Club play in the Ryman League Premier Division. The Club's home ground is at the Chelmsford Sport & Athletics Centre, Melbourne Park where they share with Chelmsford Athletic Club. Chelmsford is one of the largest settlements in England without a Football League team. Chelmsford Hockey Club are a Men's and Ladies (field) hockey Club based in the County of Essex (England). It has over one hundred and fifty regular adult playing members, of all ages and abilities, as well as a thriving youth section. It fields eight Men's teams and five Ladies teams every weekend, including two Men's Veterans' XI's. The Ladies 1st XI compete in the English Hockey League Premier Division and the Men's 1st XI compete in the English Hockey League Division 1. The remaining Men's teams play in the East League while the other Ladies XIs play in the East Premier League and Essex League. The Club is undoubtedly one of the most successful Hockey Clubs in the country.
   The Chelmsford Chieftains are an Ice Hockey Team that are based at the Riverside Ice and leisure centre and play in the English Premier Ice Hockey League.

Events

Chelmsford is home of Essex street diversions, East Anglia's largest festival of international street theatre and the 3 foot People Festival, the UK's only 4-day festival exclusively for under 5 year-olds.

Notable people born in Chelmsford

Nearest places

Further Information

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