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Brentwood, Essex

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Brentwood is a town in Essex, England and part of the London commuter belt. Its centre is situated 2 miles (3.2 km) east north-east of junction 28 of the M25 motorway and 20 miles (32.2 km) east north-east of Charing Cross in London.

The borough of Brentwood, which is the local government of the area, is both named after and based in the town, although it also encompasses the surrounding smaller towns and villages. The council is Conservative dominated and the parliamentary constituency that engulfs Brentwood has been a safe Conservative seat for over thirty years.

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History

The name derives from a corruption of the words 'Burnt Wood', with the name Burntwood still visible on some old maps. This 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.

Robert Graves claims that Brentwood was the site of the battle where Claudius defeated the Ancient Britons in 44AD.

Brentwood was also 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, one of the oldest buildings in Brentwood, and a pub has stood on the site for over 500 years (in 2004 it was converted to a new pub, the Sugarhut Village).

Brentwood is also 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 -- itself a building of much historical interest.

Hospital For The Mentally Ill

Originally destined for Chelmsford, plans were drawn up as early as 1819, for a hospital for the mentally ill, serving South East Essex. Finally on the 23 September1853, Warley Hospital was opened in Brentwood. The sinister reddish brown building stood on a hillside overlooking the Southern approach to the town and the expression, "Gone to Brentwood", took on a new meaning. In order to provide 'discreet' access to and from the hospital the builders included an underground tunnel from the town's railway station up the hill to the hospital; this tunnel was still accessible to hospital staff as recently as 1990 although the railway end had long been closed down. The institution was finally closed down in June 2001.

Business

Several businesses have come and gone in Brentwood. Thermos, the famous vacuum flask manufacuter once produced their product in Brentwood. Current SOSS hinge manfucaturers, NV Tools, also originated in Brentwood. Prior to Ford Motor Company installing their European HQ in Brentwood a quirky East-Indian elephant training school was based in Brentwood.

The headquarters of the Amstrad company are also to be found in Brentwood. It is incorrectly believed that their HQ is located in London, a belief stemming from the popular television show The Apprentice, which seems to have a distinct aversion to committing the King's Road in Brentwood to film. This has since become a subject of ridicule for Amstrad who appear ashamed to be placed in Brentwood.

Criticism

In the mid 1990s there began a controversy that has plagued Brentwood ever since... "is Brentwood boring?" This now notorious question even made the national news, sparking amused debate nationwide, especially when it was noticed that Brentwood is in fact an anagram of 'Bored Town.'

The comments were initially sparked by David McClucky, the manager of Brentwood Theatre at the time who, while being interviewed by a local reporter about what theme he was choosing for the upcoming Brentwood Festival (a parade and general street festival which now seems sadly defunct), that it was "hard to pick something interesting about Brentwood" to celebrate. He later said he had meant it was hard to pick from the many interesting historical events in Brentwood's history. Some people have speculated that his true meaning was portrayed correctly, and his later comments were backtracking.

Either way Brentwood now has this spectre hanging over it. The demise of its local cinema around that time did not help matters. Even today -- while overstocked with pubs, bars and restaurants -- Brentwood still seems to have these events hanging over its head, and the residents seems split as to which side is correct. Honeypot Lane is a very famous road which Brentwood enholds.

Schools in Brentwood

There are a number of Secondary and Primary Schools in Brentwood, the following is a list of all the Secondary Schools in Brentwood:

List of Primary Schools-

All information on Schools without an official website can be found on the [Official Brentwood Council Website]

Other information

Brentwood is twined with Roth bei Nürnberg in Germany and Montbazon in France. Brentwood is also noted for its small but significant catholic population. In fact, Brentwood Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brentwood.

Arts

The Brentwood Theatre is just off the High Street and has a growing reputation for high quality productions. Mark Reed and David Zelly work hard to keep the theatre going - without any subsidy. On the same site sits The Hermitage, the centre for Brentwood Youth Service, with which the theatre is very much involved. 

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 an announcement from Ofcom that it had been successful in its application for a permanent radio licence.


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 in fact 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 famous saxophonist Spike Robinson


Both venues co-host The Brentwood Blues Festival, a well respected music event that has played host to The Blockheads, Bill Wyman and many more.



Sports and Recreation


Brentwood has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V and two vast country parks at South Weald and Thorndon.


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, sadly, no longer a local factory.  More can be learnt about Brentwood Trampolining at [Brentwood Trampoline Club's] website.


Brentwood is also home to Brentwood Town F.C., who play at the Brentwood Centre.



Nuclear Bunker


Brentwood is also home to the biggest and deepest cold war bunker open to the public in southeast England. Hidden in a wood off the A128 Ongar, Brentwood Road, is a small bungalow which hides a three floored bunker complex 125ft underground, in which 600 people would have been confined behind blast proof doors in the event of a nuclear war. The bunker was sold in the 1990s and is now a tourist attraction and film location.



Notable institutions



Nearest places



Nearest railway stations



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