Chignal St James
| Chignal St James | |
 Village pump and telephone box |
|
 former parish church St. James |
|
  Chignal St James Chignal St James shown within Essex | |
| District | Chelmsford |
|---|---|
| Shire county | Essex |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHELMSFORD |
| Postcode district | CM1 |
| Dialling code | 01245 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Chignal St James is a small parish, 3½ miles northwest by west of Chelmsford, Essex, containing only around 250 people.
The spelling of the village name is open to discussion. Sometimes it is spelt "Chignall St James" at other times, it is spelt "Chignal St James" or "Chignal Saint James".
Although only a small village, the countryside has attracted a number of businesses and their owners to make this village their home. Amongst the most notable being Ashdown Engineering, Gardening Express & Balance Life Magazine[citation needed]. Together with the local farms, these companies form some of the larger employers in the area.
The area once included a Roman villa site which was discovered in the 1970s. Originally the village was a settlement for farmers and their labour force that worked on the land, but gradually as mechanisation took over, so the farming population left, with the village now being somewhat of a commuter village, but also being resident to the remaining agricultural workers, and retired folk.
The village has a pub, The Three Elms, thought to be over 500 years old, which is a very small but traditional country pub that serves food and drinks, and is open every day of the week, being somewhat the hub of the community.
In 2009, there was a controversial planning proposal to create a quarry close by to the village, but this was turned down by the planning authorities.
The village contains a number of notable buildings, including an old brick built farm barn, with dove-cote, thought to be the oldest and only example of its type in Essex. Other notable buildings include an old red brick school (now a dwelling), the Church, and other large houses such as the Old Rectory.
The village is also rumoured to be home to Black Shuck, a mythical devil dog, that has been sighted between Chignal St James and the neighbouring village of Chignal Smealy.
Sighting of Big Cats (thought to be black leopards or pumas) have also been made by local farmers, although these have not be substantiated by the authorities. The area is very rural, and has large populations of deer, thought to be the food source for these large cats should they exist.
External links
Media related to Chignal St James at Wikimedia Commons
- The Three Elms
- Chignal Parish Council Web Site
- Ashdown Engineering
- Gardening Express
- Balance Life Magazine
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