Shenfield

The old village, by the church and Green Dragon pub, lies along the original Roman road (now the A1023) which linked London and Colchester.

Nathaniel Ward, a Puritan clergyman and author, was made minister of the Shenfield church in 1648 and held that office until his death in 1652.

In 1870–72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Shenfield like this:[3]

SHENFIELD, a village and a parish in Billericay district, Essex. The village stands near the Eastern Counties railway, 1 mile NE of Brentwood; and dates from at least the time of Edward the Confessor. The parish comprises 2,397 acres. Post town, Brentwood. Rated property, £7,316. Pop. in 1851, 938; in 1861, 1,149 Houses, 229. The property is much subdivided. The manor of Fitzwalters was formerly held on the tenure of presenting gilt spurs at the king's coronation. Roman antiquities have been found. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Rochester. Value, £580.* Patron, Countess Cowper. The church is very ancient; was restored in 1863, and enlarged in 1867. National schools were built in 1865. Charities, £3.

Shenfield is a former civil parish; in 1931, it had a population of 3501.[4] On 1 April 1934 the parish was abolished. Most of the area, including the village, was added to the parish and urban district of Brentwood, whilst a smaller area was added to Mountnessing.[5]

Canola fields in Shenfield

The greenbelt behind the northernmost row of houses off Chelmsford Road.

Shenfield, with Hutton, is part of the conurbation of Brentwood. The original town centre[6] is located one mile (1.6 km) north-east of the centre of Brentwood. Apart from some small industrial areas and a modest but busy shopping area.

The parish church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin[7] and St Mary's primary school[8] is located nearby.

The town of Hutton, to the east of Shenfield, is now largely part of the built-up area.

Row of houses in Chelmsford Road, Shenfield.

Shenfield from above

The town is host to the Shenfield Cricket Club, founded in 1921[9] and situated on the Courage Playing Fields. The land was granted by the Courage brewing family for use by the cricket club. The club's badge is a cockerel, which echoes both the trade mark of the Courage brand and the weathervane on St Mary's church.

The Courage Playing Fields also contain a children's playing area.There are additional playing fields on Alexander Lane, next to Shenfield High School.

There are two state secondary schools and two state primary schools. These are Shenfield High School and St Martins School, Shenfield St Mary's, Church of England school, and Long Ridings just on the edge of town between Shenfield and Hutton.

The shopping area in Shenfield consists primarily of independent stores and bars. Bars include Vault,[10] the Lot Bar and Restaurant,[11] as well as Hollands Wine Bar. There is a Tesco Express, a refurbished and en-larged Co-Op,[12] a Costa Coffee, Subway, a Barnardos Charity shop and a plethora of other stores including takeaways, small restaurants, cafes, banks and hair salons. McDonalds on Chelmsford Road closed in 2018[13] and has since become a Marks and Spencer Simply Food, one of two within Shenfield. There are just two remaining pubs in Shenfield, the Green Dragon and The Rose. The Eagle & Child shut down in 2020 and is being redeveloped into flats.

Shenfield has a library, which was at risk of closure. However this was averted and a new library is being built in its place with retail and residential facilities.[14] Brentwood Community Hospital serves both Shenfield and the wider borough, and is on Crescent Drive. It was rebuilt in 2008 and is very modern. There is also the private Nuffield Health hospital on Shenfield Road, less than a minute away from the NHS hospital.

Shenfield is set to house the borough's second largest residential development as part of its Local Development Plan (LDP), Officers Meadow with 825 homes.[15] These will be built on land around Chelmsford Road near the A12 and the railway line. A new primary school, day nursery, and care home is planned, and there are hopes that retail and a health centre will also be provided. Opposite, new grounds for Hutton FC are being built. Several smaller residential developments have sprung up, on Crescent Drive, Shenfield Road and Chelmsford Road. 75 homes are also earmarked for land at the end of Bishop Walk, just off Priests Lane, not far from the town of Brentwood itself.