| Brentwood | |
|---|---|
 The ruins of the Chapel ofThomas Becket | |
  Brentwood Location withinEssex | |
| Population | 55,340 (Built up area, 2021)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ595938 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRENTWOOD |
| Postcode district | CM13-CM15 |
| Dialling code | 01277 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°37′12″N0°18′18″E / 51.620°N 0.305°E /51.620; 0.305 | |
Brentwood is a town inEssex, England. It forms part of theLondon commuter belt, lying 20 miles (32 km) north-east ofCharing Cross in central London, and just outside theM25 London Orbital Motorway. Its suburbs includeShenfield,Warley,Brook Street andHutton. It gives its name to the widerBorough of Brentwood which also covers surrounding rural areas. The population of the Brentwood built up area was 55,340 at the2021 census.
It has a shopping area along the High Street, aRoman road which became one of the main roads between London and East Anglia. Beyond the town centre are residential developments surrounded by open countryside and woodland; some of this countryside lies within only a few hundred yards of the town centre.Brentwood Cathedral is the seat of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood.
The name Brentwood isOld English and means "burnt wood". In some early records the name was translated into Latin as "Bosco Arso", which form was recorded around 1176.[2][3]
Although aBronze Age axe has been found in Brentwood and there are clear signs of an entrenched encampment inWeald Country Park, it is considered unlikely that there was any significant early settlement of the area. At the time, most of Essex was covered by theGreat Forest. It is believed that despite the Roman road betweenLondon andColchester passing through the town, theSaxons were the earliest settlers of the area.[4]
The town grew up at a crossroads, where the Roman road crossed a north-south route. The area historically formed part of theparish ofSouth Weald, but the crossroads is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of South Weald's parish church. Achapel of ease was built in or around 1221, just west of the crossroads, and in 1227 Brentwood was granted amarket charter.[5]
The town's growth may have been stimulated by the cult ofThomas Becket, to whom the chapel was dedicated: the chapel was a popular stopping point for pilgrims on their way toCanterbury. The ruins of St Thomas's Chapel stand on the south side of High Street.[6] The nearby modernAnglican parish church of Brentwood, built in the 1880s, retains the dedication to St Thomas of Canterbury.[7][8]Pilgrims Hatch, or 'Pilgrims' gate', was probably named from pilgrims who crossed through on their way to the chapel. It is likely, however, that Brentwood's development was due chiefly to its main road position, its market and its convenient location as an administrative centre. Early industries were connected mainly with textile and garment making, brewing, and brickmaking.[9]
During thePeasants' Revolt of 1381, Brentwood was the meeting place for some of the instigators, such asJohn Ball andJack Straw. They apparently met regularly in local pubs and inns. The first event of the Peasants' Revolt occurred in Brentwood, when men from Fobbing, Corringham and Stanford were summoned by the commissioner Thomas Bampton to Brentwood to answer as to who had avoided paying thepoll tax. Bampton insisted that the peasants pay what was demanded of them. The peasants refused to pay and a riot ensued as Bampton attempted to arrest the peasants. The peasants moved to kill Bampton, but he managed to escape to London. The rioters then, fearing the repercussions of what they had done, fled into the forest. After the riot, the peasants sent word to the rest of the country and initiated the Peasants' Revolt.[10]
The Essexassizes were sometimes held here, as well as atChelmsford.
The formerWhite Hart coaching inn on High Street is one of the oldest buildings in Brentwood. In the early 21st century it served as theSugar Hut nightclub.[11] The building's façade was rebuilt in the early 20th century, but the main structure of the building dates back to the late 15th century.[12][13] It is believed to have been built in 1480 although apocryphal evidence suggests a hostelry might have stood on the site as much as a hundred years earlier and been visited in 1392 byRichard II, whose coat of arms included aWhite Hart. The ground floor was originally stabling and in the mid-1700s the owners ran their own coach service to London. The building suffered significant damage during a fire in 2009 but has since been repaired.[14]
Marygreen Manor, a 16th-century building on London Road, is mentioned inSamuel Pepys' diaries and is said to have been often visited by the Tudor monarchHenry VIII when Henry Roper, Gentleman Pursuant to QueenCatherine of Aragon, lived there in 1514. It is now a hotel and restaurant.[15] In 1686, Brentwood's inns were estimated to provide 110 beds and stabling for 183 horses.[16] There were 11 inns in the town in 1788.
Protestant martyrWilliam Hunter was burnt at the stake in Brentwood in 1555. A monument to him was erected by subscription in 1861 at Wilson's Corner.Brentwood School was founded in 1557 and established in 1558, in Ingrave Road and behind the greens on Shenfield Road bySir Anthony Browne and the site of Hunter's execution in commemorated by a plaque in the school. Thomas Munn, 'gentleman brickmaker' of Brentwood, met a less noble end when he was hanged for robbing the Yarmouth mail and his body was exhibited in chains atGallows Corner,[17] a road junction a few miles from Brentwood, inRomford. A ducking stool was mentioned in 1584.[9]
As the Roman road grew busier, Brentwood became a major coaching stop for stagecoaches, with plenty of inns for overnight accommodation as the horses were rested. A 'stage' was approximately ten miles, and being about 20 miles (32 km) from London, Brentwood would have been a second stop for travellers toEast Anglia. This has not changed; there is an above average number of pubs in the area - possibly due to the army being stationed atWarley Barracks until 1958. Some of the pubs date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Brentwood was also significant as a hub for the London postal service, with a major post office since the 18th century. The major post office on the high street was closed in the 2008 budget cuts; Brentwood residents now must rely on sub-post offices.[18]
Daniel Defoe wrote about Brentwood as being "...full of good inns, and chiefly maintained by the excessive multitude of carriers and passengers,[19] which are constantly passing this way to London, with droves of cattle, provisions and manufactures."
The 'Brentwood Ring', the earliest Christian ring ever to have been discovered in Britain was found in Brentwood in the late 1940s. It now resides at theBritish Museum in London.[20] The only other ring of its type in existence can be found at theVatican Museum inRome.[21]
Brentwood railway station was opened in 1840 by theEastern Counties Railway on its main line from London. Brentwood temporarily served as the line's eastern terminus until the rest of the line toColchester was completed in 1843.[22]
In 1917, the Roman Catholic church on Ingrave Road was awarded cathedral status. Between 1989 and 1991 the building was modified to an Italianate Classical style.Brentwood Cathedral is currently the seat of theRoman CatholicBishop of Brentwood. NearbyIngatestone Hall is noted for its Roman Catholic connections through the Petre family. The hall is a 16th-century manor house built by Sir William Petre at Yenge-atte-Stone.[23] The staunch Petres played a significant role in the preservation of the Catholic faith in England. Sir William was assistant toThomas Cromwell whenHenry VIII sought todissolve the monasteries and ascended to the confidential post of Secretary of State, throughout the revolutionary changes of four Tudor monarchs:Henry VIII,Edward VI,Mary I, andElizabeth I.[24] Queen Mary, in 1553, on her way to claim her crown in London, stopped at Ingatestone Hall; later, Queen Elizabeth I spent several nights at the hall on her royal progress of 1561.
Today, Ingatestone Hall, like all other large Tudor houses, is an expression of wealth and status and retains many of the features of a 16th-century knightly residence, despite alterations by descendants who still live in the house.[25] Ingatestone Hall represented the exterior of Bleak House in the 2005 television adaptation ofCharles Dickens' novel, and also appeared in an episode of the television seriesLovejoy. It is open to the public for tours, concerts, and performances; the hall and grounds can be rented for weddings and other occasions.[26]
Brentwood was the location ofWarley Hospital, apsychiatric hospital, from 1853 to 2001. A BritishEast India Company elephant training school was based in Brentwood and this remained an active army base as a depot for theEssex Regiment until 1959,[9] when much of the site was redeveloped as the European headquarters for theFord Motor Company. A few buildings remain from the Barracks – the regimental chapel, the gymnasium (now home to Brentwood Trampoline Club) and the officers' mess (now Marillac Hospital).
The military has associations withWarley going back over 200 years. It also had strategic importance during the time of the Spanish Armada - it was used as a meeting place for contingents from eight eastern and midland counties (900 horsemen assembled here) to then travel on to Tilbury. The local common was used as a military camp in 1742, and became a permanent feature asWarley Barracks in 1804.
DuringWorld War II, over 1,000 bombs were dropped on Brentwood, with 19 flying bombs (V1), 32 long-range rockets (V2) and many incendiary bombs and parachute mines. 5,038 houses were destroyed, 389 people were injured and 43 died. The 15th- and 16th-century pubs, however, survived. Brentwood had been considered a safe enough haven to evacuate London children here - 6,000 children arrived in September 1939 alone.
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The town is increasingly suburban, but it does have a very rural feel, with trees, fields and open spaces all around the town; Shenfield Common is also less than one mile from town centre shops.
Brentwood's high street has also been subject to major redevelopment works costing between £3 million and £7 million.[27][28][29] This included the demolition of theSir Charles Napier pub to build an additional lane to improve traffic flow at the west end of the high street, and re-laying the pavements and road surface in the high street itself.[30]
There is a proposal for creatingDunton Garden Suburb on land between Basildon and Brentwood. This proposal may have 6,000 homes, together with retail, commercial and leisure uses. This is a joint proposal of the two councils and a public consultation ended in March 2015.[31] The proposal has met with criticism from all political parties[32] and the residents group Residents Against Inappropriate Development[33]
Secondary schools include
Primary schools include St Helens Catholic Junior School, St Peters C of E, St Thomas of Canterbury C of E, Warley Primary, Willowbrook Primary, Holly Trees Primary, Hogarth Primary and Larchwood Primary School
TheFord Motor Company's United Kingdom headquarters were located in the suburb ofWarley until 2018,[34] as was a large production facility forIlford Photo (until 1983).
From the financial services sector,Equity Insurance Group, comprising Equity Red Star (ofLloyd's of London), affinity provider Equity Direct Broking Limited and motorcycle insurance broker Bike Team, is headquartered in the town centre. General insurance broker Brents Insurance was established in the town in 1963.[35]The Bank of New York Mellon also has a substantial presence in Brentwood, as doesLV=, employing 350 people there.
The previous headquarters of electronics companyAmstrad were located in Brentwood. The television showThe Apprentice used overhead views of theCanary Wharf business district in London as an accompaniment to interior shots of their previous offices, Amstrad House, which has since been converted into aPremier Inn hotel.[36]
Well-known businesses that used to operate in the town includevacuum flask manufacturer Thermos, andNissen whose UK factory and headquarters were established in the town byTed Blake in the mid-1960s but closed in the 1980s.
There are two tiers of local government covering Brentwood, atdistrict (borough) andcounty level:Brentwood Borough Council, based atBrentwood Town Hall, andEssex County Council, based in Chelmsford.
For national elections, the town forms part of theBrentwood and Ongar constituency.[37]
Brentwood was historically achapelry in the parish ofSouth Weald. From the 17th century onwards, parishes were given various civil functions under thepoor laws. Such civil functions were administered separately for the chapelry of Brentwood and the rest of South Weald parish. Brentwood therefore became a separate civil parish from South Weald in 1866 when the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws.[38] The area ceded from South Weald to Brentwood was modest; the whole ancient parish of South Weald comprised 5,088 acres (2,059 ha), of which just 459 acres (186 ha) comprised the chapelry and subsequent civil parish of Brentwood.[39]
When elected parish and district councils were established in 1894 the parish was included in theBillericay Rural District.[40] In 1899 the parish of Brentwood was removed from the rural district and converted into its ownurban district. The urban district was substantially enlarged in 1934, when the neighbouring parishes ofChilderditch,East Horndon,Hutton,Ingrave,Little Warley,Shenfield,South Weald andWest Horndon were all abolished and absorbed into Brentwood (with some adjustments to the boundaries with other neighbouring parishes).[41]
The urban district council built Brentwood Town Hall on Ingrave Road in 1957 to serve as its headquarters.[42] Brentwood Urban District was abolished in 1974 and replaced by the largerBrentwood District, gaining the neighbouring rural parishes ofBlackmore,Doddinghurst,Ingatestone and Fryerning,Kelvedon Hatch,Mountnessing,Navestock andStondon Massey.[43] Nosuccessor parish was created for the former urban district.[44] The enlarged district has an area of 36,378 acres (147.22 km2) and was awardedborough status in 1993, allowing the chair of the council to take the title ofmayor.[45]
Brentwood is served by a number of bus services, operated predominantly byFirst Essex and also byArriva Herts & Essex,Ensignbus andStagecoach London.London Buses route 498 links Romford with Brentwood and operates daily.[46]
TheA12, which runs between east London and Lowestoft, by-passes the town to the north and the London orbitalM25 motorway is located 1.2 miles (2 km) to the south-west of the town. TheA128, which linksOngar withOrsett, travels through the centre of the town. TheA129 travels through the north and east of the town, connecting Brentwood withBillericay andHadleigh. TheA1023 passes through Brentwood, connecting the town with the A12.
Brentwood railway station is located to the south of the town centre and is served by frequentElizabeth line services betweenShenfield andLondon Paddington, viaLiverpool Street, with two trains per hour continuing toHeathrow Terminal 5.[47]
Also sited within theBorough of Brentwood areIngatestone and Shenfield stations, from whichGreater Anglia provides fast services to Liverpool Street and East Anglia;West Horndon hostsc2c services betweenLondon Fenchurch Street andShoeburyness.
The nearest London Underground station is situated just outside of the borough,Upminster (District line).
The Brentwood Theatre and The Hermitage are the main cultural buildings in the town, located on the same site in the town centre.
Brentwood Theatre is a fully fitted community theatre that serves more than 40 non-professional performing arts groups.[48] Owned and maintained by an independent charity, Brentwood Theatre receives no regular arts funding or subsidy. The Hermitage is used as the centre for Brentwood Youth Service.
The Hermitage youth service operates its own cafe, youth club and a live music venue calledThe Hermit, which has had hosted bands such asMotörhead andInMe. InMe were heavily supported in their early years by the venue, whose purpose is to promote and encourage youth bands. It also plays host to private events such as a weekly jazz club that was run by the saxophonistSpike Robinson until his death. Both venues co-host the Brentwood Blues Festival, a music event that has played host to theBlockheads andBill Wyman.
Local TV coverage is provided byBBC London andITV London which is received from theCrystal Palace TV transmitter.[49] Some areas of town can also receiveBBC East andITV Anglia from theSudbury TV transmitter.[50]
Local radio stations areBBC Essex on 95.3 FM,Heart East on 96.3 FM, andPhoenix FM, a community radio station that serves the Brentwood area. The station was formed in August 1996 and broadcast ten trial broadcasts under a restricted service licence, each lasting 28 days, the first starting on 29 December 1996 and the last ending on 25 February 2006. On 23 March 2007, the station started to broadcast permanently on 98.0 FM, featuring popular music, local musicians and acts, local events, and interviews with key local figures.
The Brentwood Art Trail has become a popular annual summer event which was developed to create an arts experience whereby art created by local people can be recognised and appreciated.
Brentwood is also home to the Brentwood Imperial Youth Band, which perform at many events throughout the year. It is a successful band and attracts youngsters from the age of 10 from Brentwood and surrounding areas. It was the first British band to ever take part in theTournament of Roses Parade[51] inPasadena, California and the first youth band to play theSpasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo onMoscow'sRed Square. It meets twice a week in Warley.[52]
Among the many theatre companies in the region, Brentwood Operatic Society and Shenfield Operatic Society are two that represent the many groups providing excellent theatrical productions for the community. Brentwood Operatic Society also trains young actors with itsBOSSY Youth acting program,[53] headed by Gaynor Wilson, who formerly directed actor Stephen Moyer. David Pickthall was a significant presence in Brentwood's musical output, until his conviction for sexual offences between 1979 and 2021.[54]
Brentwood's Orchestras for Young People was founded in 1990 and grew to include five ensembles for orchestral instrumentalists of school age, who perform regularly in and around the town. Regular rehearsals and workshops introduce the musicians to a wide variety of music, from well-known classical pieces to modern music.[55]
The Brentwood Performing Arts Festival has now been accepted into membership by the British and International Federation of Festivals of which Queen Elizabeth II is patron. With this, the Festival has achieved recognition as the Festival of Performing Arts for Brentwood.
The town is the venue of the Brentwood International Chess Congress which was set up in 2006 and first ran 17–18 February 2007. The congress attracted 235 competitors who included threeGrandmasters and fiveInternational Masters. The prize fund is relatively generous in comparison to many other similar congresses, being around £4,000. In 2007 it was the largest chess competition to be held in Essex and was organised by Brentwood Chess Club.
The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) is a British reality television series based in Brentwood.
Since 1978, Brentwood has beentwinned withRoth in Germany and withMontbazon in France since 1994.[56] It also has a relationship withBrentwood, Tennessee in the United States.
Although close to the extremities ofGreater London, Brentwood is surrounded by open countryside and woodland. This has been cited as showing the success of theMetropolitan Green Belt in halting the outward spread of London's built-up area.[57]
Brentwood has a number of public open spaces includingKing George V Playing Field, Shenfield Common, and two country parks at South Weald and Thorndon.Weald Country Park was first chosen to hold the 2012 Olympics mountain biking but was declared to be "too easy" a course. Brentwood does however host a number of Criterium Cycle Races that attract many of Britain's greatest cyclists. In 2024, work was started onHole Farm Community Woodland, a 100 acre woodland and visitor centre developed byNational Highways andForestry England due to open in 2025.[58]
The town has two large sports centres providing access to a range of sports including badminton, squash, swimming and football. There are a number of golf courses, including a 70-par municipal course very close to the town centre at Hartswood[59] as well as others in the surrounding countryside. A number of cricket clubs exist in and around the town although the County Ground, closest to the town centre,[60] no longer hosts Essex matches. Brentwood is also home tonon-league football clubBrentwood Town F.C. and basketball teamLondon Leopards, who both play at the Brentwood Centre Arena. The town is also home to London league club Brentwood RLFC, the only rugby league club in west Essex. Brentwood Hockey Club is also based in the town at the Old County Ground and fielded 6 men's and 5 ladies' league teams for the 2014–15 season.
Brentwood Running Club, established in 1987 as Thrift Green Trotters, aims to encourage local runners to improve their fitness whilst having fun and meeting like-minded runners. The club night is on Wednesdays, meeting at 7:30PM at the Brentwood Centre. A Beginners' group following the 13-week 'Couch to 5k' programme is run twice a year.[61]
In 2022, a new track and field athletics club was established using the track located at Brentwood School. With more than 250 active members, Brentwood Beagles Athletics Club takes athletes from the age of five through to all masters aged athletes across all track and field, road running and cross country disciplines and event groups. In their first year of operation they have already had athletes competing nationally and also representing the county in a range of events. First year wins and trophies include the U13G 2022/23 Essex XC Relay Champions, six county championship medals, a number of Essex Schools Vests, County vests and national medals. In September 2022, the Beagles appointed former Chief Executive of Brentwood Borough Council, Bob McLintock, as their inaugural President.[62]
Brentwood Netball Club is a community-focused netball club, which caters to players from Year 4 through to adult level, competing in local and regional competitions. Training sessions are held at St Martin's School, using both outdoor netball courts and the indoor sports hall. The club emphasises player development, coaching and inclusivity, and has become an integral part of the local sporting community.[63]
Although no longer manufactured here, Brentwood became the centre oftrampolining in the United Kingdom between 1965 and 1981 afterGeorge Nissen brought the new sport to the town in 1949 and eventually manufactured trampolines in the town, continuing to do so for many years after they ceased production in the US for fear of litigation.Ted Blake, a long-term Brentwood resident, was managing director of Nissen UK from its inception until shortly before it closed and became a leading figure worldwide in the development of modern trampolining. Brentwood still has a thriving trampolining community but no longer a local factory.[64]
The town also has a largevolleyball club and the onlyhandball club in Essex.[65]
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Brentwood School pupils:
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