Chelmsford Area Guide

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This area guide to Chelmsford offers a brief overview of the district, including its local shops, attractions, properties, schools, history, council tax and public transport links.

Chelmsford Overview

This modern popular county town in central Essex, which originated as a market town, offers easy commutable access to London by direct train or road, making it a popular place to live for many people who work in the City of London.

Chelmsford is full of charm and character, making it a vibrant and attractive place to work and live.

Away from the busy town centre, Chelmsford is surrounded by a number of beautiful rural villages, including Good and High Easter, Roxwell, Chignal, Broomfield, Great and Little Baddow, Danbury, Marshbury, Writtle, Pleshy, among others.

The area consists of three main postcodes - CM1, CM2, and CM3.

Chelmsford Shopping

With a wide range of shops, Chelmsford is a great place to shop. There are many recognisable high street names in The Meadows and High Chelmer shopping centres, and just off the pedestrianised High Street. There are also a number of independent stores, jewellery shops and fashion boutiques situated on Baddow Road and Moulsham Street.

There are a host of retail parks in Chelmsford, including Chelmer Village Retail Park and Riverside Retail Park, where there are well established outlets.

Market lovers will enjoy the indoor Retail Market off Market Square and the regular markets in the High Street.

Chelmsford Attractions

Although best known for its shopping facilities, Chelmsford has many attractions, including a rather impressive 18-arch Victorian railway viaduct, museums and a cathedral.

Chelmsford Cathedral, built in the late fifteenth to early sixteenth Century, is a must see along with Chelmsford, Essex Police and Barleylands Farm, and Essex Regiment museums.

Other worthwhile attractions include Ingatestone Hall, a nineteenth Century manor house, Tropical Wings, which is home to one of the largest butterfly houses in the UK, and Hanningfield Reservoir Centre - a nature reserve covering 100 acres.

Chelmsford town centre offers a vibrant nightlife, with dozens of bars and clubs to choose from, while the town also holds the annual V Festival in August, one of the country's largest musical events of the year.

Chelmsford Food and Drink

Chelmsford has a wide selection of places to eat and drink, from trendy bars and cafes to country pubs. There are over 100 places to eat in the town centre alone, offering some of the best British and international cuisines.

Chelmsford has a wide range of local specialist food producers and suppliers, including farm shops, traditional butchers and bakers. The Gourmet Food Fair in the High Street also offers a vast selection of local and international food.

Chelmsford History

Chelmsford is steeped in history. The town was one of the original settlements in Great Britain during the Roman era. The Romans built a small town called Caesaromagus (Caesar's market place) on the site of Moulsham, which served as a local market town in between London and Colchester. The town disappeared in the fourth century.

The Chelmsford that exists today was originally created in the Middle Ages, when the land belonged to the Bishop of London. A weekly market was introduced to the area in 1199 which attracted many to live and work in the area. It is believed that half the town's population was wiped out by the plague in 1348-49.

By the beginning of the 20th century Chelmsford had a population of almost 22,000, and amenities in the town improved considerably.

Chelmsford Property Market

Chelmsford features a fine blend of modern and historic homes. A number of new build homes were completed in 2007, as part of a major mixed-use development called 53 Park Central in the West End of Chelmsford just off Duke Street. They are located in The Marconi Plaza and Kings Tower.

Another major residential-led development called The Hub was completed in Waterloo Lane last year. The project contains a selection of luxury apartments and two Restaurants.

Chelmsford Council Tax Rates

The annual rate of council tax varies and is dependant on the valuation band, which is determined by the value of the property and the current rates for the local council. Chelmsford is represented by Chelmsford Borough Council

Chelmsford Borough Council:

Band Grade	Value	Annual Council Tax Cost
Band A	Up to & including £40,000	£966
Band B	£40,001 - £52,000	£1,127
Band C	£52,001 - £68,000	£1,288
Band D	£68,001 - £88,000	£1,449
Band E	£88,001 - £120,000	£1,771
Band F	£120,001 - £160,000	£2,093
Band G	£160,001 - £320,000	£2,414
Band H	More than £320,000	£2,897

Chelmsford Education

The schools in Chelmsford generally offer high academic standards. Here is a list of the educational establishments in Chelmsford:

• King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS)
• St John Payne Catholic Comprehensive School
• Great Baddow High School
• The Boswells School
• Columbus School and College (a special needs school)
• Chelmer Valley High School
• New Hall School
• Chelmsford County High School for Girls
• The Sandon School
• Alyonushka, Chelmsford Russian School

• Writtle College, an agricultural college
• Moulsham High School and Humanities college
• Hylands School Specialist Science and Sixth Form College
• Chelmsford College
• St Peters College
• Anglia Ruskin University

Chelmsford Hospitals

The local hospitals are Broomfield Hospital on Court Road, CM1, St John's Hospital on Wood Street, CM2, and Chelmsford and Essex Hospital on New London Road, CM2.

Chelmsford Transport Links

Chelmsford railway station in the town centre, which handles thousands of commuters everyday, is one of the busiest train stations outside London.

There are direct train services from Chelmsford to London Liverpool Street, Norwich, Braintree, Ipswich, Harwich, Lowestroft, Clacton, and Peterborough.

There is a major Bus Station in Duke Street, which offers many bus services to around the town and beyond including Stanstead Airport and Southend.

Chelmsford also has a Park & Ride service that is based in Sandon, just off the A12 at Junction 18. It operates from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday with five bus stops around the town, including one near High Chelmer for shopping.

Chelmsford is connected to London and the M25 via the A12 road.

This area guide is intended to give a general overview of the area, whilst the information contained is believed to be accurate at the time of publication no responsibility is accepted for any errors or subsequent alterations.