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Chelmsford Tourist Information Centres
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About Chelmsford - show infohide info
Chelmsford is the county town of the county of Essex, lying halfway between London and Colchester. The town has a population of approximately 60,000, with a total of 157,748 inhabitants in the county borough. Chelmsford was granted a Royal Charter by the Bishop of London in 1199, which allowed the town to hold a weekly market. Over 800 years later, the town still holds an undercover market on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Prior to the granting of the charter, Chelmsford had been settled by Neolithic and late Bronze age tribes. A Roman fort had been built in AD60, and a civilian town grew around it. The town was recognised as the county town of Essex in 1218, a position Chelmsford has retained to the present day. The town was heavily attacked during World War II, as it was an important centre of light industry, with ball bearing and electronics factories in the town. Both the Luftwaffe and V2 missiles were used against the town, with the worst attack being on December 19th 1944 when a V2 rocket fell on a residential area not far from the Hoffman's ball bearing factory, thought to be the target. 39 people were killed, and 138 injured. After the war, manufacturing in the town declined as in many English towns. However, thanks to its proximity to London, Chemsford has become a commuter town, as well as an administrative and distribution centre for Essex. Chelmsford sees frequent trains to London Liverpool Street, Norwich, Ipswich and Clacton, as it lies on the Great Eastern Main Line. All services are operated by 'one'. Trains to London run at a frequency of up to six an hour. Nearby towns include Colchester, Brentwood, Basildon, Romford, Ilford, Harlow, Southend-on-Sea, Braintree, Clacton-on-Sea, Cheshunt and Bishops Stortford.
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