Brentwood, Essex

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Brentwood
Brentwood, Essex (Greater London)
Brentwood, Essex
Population 44,800
OS grid reference TQ605935
District Brentwood
Shire county Essex
Region East
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BRENTWOOD
Postcode district CM13
Dial code 01277
Police Essex
Fire Essex
Ambulance East of England
UK Parliament Brentwood and Ongar
European Parliament East of England
List of places: UK • England • Essex

Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, part of Essex in England.[1] It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles (30 km) east north-east of Charing Cross in London and near to the M25 motorway.

Brentwood is a suburban town with a small shopping area and high street. Beyond this is extensive sprawling residential development entirely surrounded by open countryside and woodland; some penetrating to within only a few hundred yards of the town centre. It is perhaps most widely known for Brentwood School and for several businesses based in the town.

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[edit] Business

Several notable businesses have been located in Brentwood. Thermos, the famous vacuum flask manufacturer once produced their product here and SOSS hinge manufacturers, NV Tools, also originated in the town. The Ford Motor Company European headquarters are located in nearby Warley.

The headquarters of the Amstrad company are located in Brentwood. It is incorrectly believed that their HQ is located at Canary Wharf in London, as indicated in the television show The Apprentice, which only briefly features the frontage of the "Brentwood House" office at King's Road in Brentwood on film.

[edit] History

[edit] Etymology

The name derives from a corruption of the words 'Burnt Wood', with the name Burntwood still visible on some old maps. The old name describes the presumed reason for settlement in the part of the Forest of Essex (later Epping Forest) that would have covered the area.

[edit] Early history

Robert Graves in his book I, Claudius refers to Brentwood as the site of the battle where Claudius defeated the Ancient Britons in 44AD.[citation needed] However, Graves also states that names and places in the book are sometimes fiction.

Brentwood was the meeting place of some of the instigators of the Peasants' Revolt such as John Ball and Jack Straw. They, apparently, met regularly in local pubs and inns. The Essex assizes were sometimes held here, as well as at Chelmsford. One such pub is the White Hart (now known as the Sugar Hut and showing little of its original historic interest), which is one of the oldest buildings in Brentwood, and a pub has stood on the site for over 500 years.

[edit] Religion

Brentwood is the site of the 12th Century ruin of Thomas à Becket Chapel, and was a popular stopping point for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. Indeed, one local village is called Pilgrims Hatch, which means 'Pilgrims Gate'. The ruin stands in the centre of the High Street, next to the tourist information office, and the nearby parish church of Brentwood retains the dedication to St Thomas of Canterbury.[2]

Brentwood Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brentwood.

[edit] Modern history

Brentwood originated as an ancient parish of 460 acres (1.86 km²). In 1891 the population was 4,949.[3] Under the Local Government Act 1894, the Brentwood parish formed part of the Billericay Rural District of Essex. In 1899 the parish was removed from the rural district and formed the Brentwood Urban District. In 1934 the parish and district were enlarged by gaining Hutton, Ingrave and South Weald.[4] The district was abolished in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 and Brentwood became part of a further enlarged Brentwood district, which in 1993 gained borough status.

Brentwood was the location of Warley Hospital from 1853 to 2001. A British East India Company elephant training school was based in Brentwood.

[edit] Bored town

Brentwood gained some notoriety and national attention in the 1990s as the most boring town in Britain. The controversy was initially caused by David McClucky, the manager of Brentwood Theatre who, while being interviewed by a local reporter, said it was "hard to pick something interesting about Brentwood" to celebrate in the upcoming Brentwood Festival (a now-defunct parade and street festival). He later claimed he meant it was hard to pick from the many interesting historical events in Brentwood's history.[5] The amusing trivia that 'Bored town' is an anagram of Brentwood just fueled the fire in the press.

[edit] Local government and politics

Brentwood forms part of the larger borough of Brentwood of Essex which also encompasses the surrounding smaller towns and villages. It is located in the East of England region of the United Kingdom. For elections to Westminster, Brentwood forms part of the Brentwood and Ongar constituency.

[edit] Arts and media

The Brentwood Theatre and The Hermit are the main cultural buildings in Brentwood; located on the same site. The theatre is operated without subsidy by Mark Reed and David Zelly. The Hermitage is used a the centre for Brentwood Youth Service, with which the theatre is also involved.

The youth service operates its own cafe, youth club and a live music venue called The Hermit, which has had bands such as Motörhead and InMe play there. 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, until his death, run by the saxophonist Spike Robinson. Both venues co-host the Brentwood Blues Festival, a music event that has played host to the Blockheads and Bill Wyman.

The town is served by a community radio station, Phoenix FM. 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 16 February 2006 the group received confirmation from Ofcom that it had been successful in its application for a permanent radio licence.

Brentwood is also home to the Royal British Legion Youth Band Brentwood, which perform at many events throughout the year, including the military tattoo at Haileybury and Swanage Carnival. It is a successful band and attracts youngsters from the age of 8 from around Brentwood. It meets twice a week in Warley.

[edit] Sport, parks and open spaces

Brentwood has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V and two vast country parks at South Weald and Thorndon. Weald Country Park has been chosen to hold the 2012 Olympics mountain bike race. It is surrounded by open countryside and woodland. Brentwood is home to Brentwood Town F.C., who play at the Brentwood Centre. Although no longer manufactured here, Brentwood became the centre of trampolining in the UK when George Nissen brought the new sport here in 1949 and even manufactured trampolines in Brentwood for many years. Brentwood still has a thriving trampolining community but no longer a local factory.[6]

[edit] Transport

Brentwood does not have a railway station in its town centre because it is situated on a hill. Brentwood railway station is located to the south of the town and is served by 'one' stopping services between Liverpool Street in the City of London and Shenfield railway station, which is located to the north of Brentwood. 'one' also operate fast direct services from Shenfield to Liverpool Street. The area is served by a network or local bus routes. The A12 road bypasses the town to the north and the M25 motorway is located 2 miles (3 km) to the south west of the town.

[edit] Nearest railway stations

[edit] Nearest places

[edit] References

  1. ^ Brentwood Borough Council - About Brentwood
  2. ^ Anglican Parish of St Thomas of Canterbury
  3. ^ Vision of Britain - Brentwood: Total Population
  4. ^ Vision of Britain - Parish boundaries with 1934 enlargement shown
  5. ^ Interview in Brentwood Gazzette - 1998
  6. ^ Brentwood Trampoline Club

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 51.61744° N 0.31690° E

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