Essex’s county city, where Marconi opened the world’s first radio factory, has a cathedral, a great park and gardens to explore on its doorstep.
Chelmsford has been the county town of Essex for centuries, and it became a city in 2012. It sits on the rivers Chelmer and Can, about thirty miles north east of London, and it is a busy, growing place with good shopping, a lively nightlife and green space all around.
It also has a surprising place in the history of technology, as the place where the world’s first radio factory opened and where some of the first regular radio broadcasts were made. This guide covers six things to see and do in and around the city.
1. Hylands Park and House
Hylands Park is Chelmsford’s great green space, covering around five hundred and seventy acres of parkland on the south western edge of the city. At its centre stands Hylands House, an elegant neoclassical mansion with white columns. It was first built in the 1720s and extended over the following century.
The house has been beautifully restored, and its grand rooms are open to visitors on certain days. It is also a popular venue for weddings and events. Afternoon tea is served in some of the rooms.
The park around the house was landscaped by Humphry Repton, one of the most famous garden designers of the Georgian era. It has woodland, lakes, formal gardens, a walled garden and wide open meadows. There are walking and cycling trails through the grounds.
Hylands Park hosts big outdoor events in summer, including concerts and festivals. At other times it is a peaceful place for a walk, a picnic or a run. There is a café and a play area for children.
2. Chelmsford Cathedral
Chelmsford Cathedral is in the heart of the city, a short walk from the station. It was built as a parish church, mostly in the fifteenth century, and became a cathedral in 1914 when the new Diocese of Chelmsford was created. It is one of the smaller cathedrals in England.
Inside, the cathedral is light and airy, with a mixture of medieval and modern features. Its modern artworks, including a striking tapestry and sculptures, sit alongside the old stonework. The south porch has a room above it that once held a library.
The cathedral holds regular services, concerts and events, and it has a fine musical tradition. It is free to visit. It is a peaceful place to escape the busy shopping streets.
The cathedral’s surroundings, with old buildings and quiet corners, give a sense of what the town was like before it grew into a city. Nearby Tindal Square and the High Street are lined with shops and cafés. The city centre is compact and easy to walk around.
3. The Marconi story
Chelmsford calls itself the birthplace of radio, with good reason. In 1898, the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi opened the world’s first radio factory in a former silk warehouse in Hall Street in Chelmsford. Later, his company moved to a larger factory in New Street.
In 1920, one of the first advertised public broadcasts in Britain was made from the Marconi works, when the famous opera singer Dame Nellie Melba sang live over the airwaves. In 1922, the first regular entertainment broadcasts in Britain were made from a hut in Writtle, a village on the edge of Chelmsford. These led to the creation of the BBC later that year.
The Marconi company employed thousands of people in Chelmsford for most of the twentieth century, and the city’s story is closely tied to radio and electronics. Around the city you will find plaques and memorials marking the sites.
Chelmsford Museum, in Oaklands Park, tells the story of the city and its industries, including the Marconi story, and it is free to visit. It is a good place to learn more about the city’s history. The park itself is a pleasant place for a walk.
4. RHS Garden Hyde Hall
RHS Garden Hyde Hall is one of the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, set on a hilltop a short drive south east of Chelmsford. It covers more than three hundred and sixty acres and is one of the most exciting gardens in the east of England. It has been developed by the RHS since the 1990s.
The garden includes formal gardens, a dry garden full of plants that can survive with little water, a rose garden, meadows and woodland. The Global Growth Vegetable Garden shows how food is grown around the world. There are views across the Essex countryside from the hilltop.
Hyde Hall is lovely in every season, from spring bulbs and summer roses to autumn colours and winter frost. The RHS holds events and flower shows through the year. There is a restaurant, a café and a plant centre.
There is an entry charge, and members of the RHS get in free. Allow at least half a day. It is best reached by car, as public transport links are limited.
5. The River Chelmer and Maldon
The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation is a canal that opened in 1797 to carry goods between Chelmsford and the coast at Heybridge, near Maldon. It runs for about fourteen miles through quiet Essex countryside. Today it is used for leisure, and its towpath is a lovely walking and cycling route.
From the centre of Chelmsford you can follow the towpath out of the city past locks, meadows and old mills. Paper Mill Lock, a few miles along, has a tea room. You can also hire a boat or a canoe.
At the far end of the navigation, Maldon is a historic market town on the Blackwater estuary, famous for its sea salt and its fleet of old Thames sailing barges with their red sails. The waterfront, known as the Hythe, is lovely for a walk. Maldon also has a long promenade park and a medieval church.
Maldon is about ten miles from Chelmsford, an easy drive. The estuary is rich in wildlife, especially birds in winter. Heybridge Basin, where the canal meets the sea, has pubs and cafés by the water.
6. Essex villages and the county cricket
The countryside around Chelmsford is full of pretty villages with village greens, old pubs and timber framed houses. Writtle, on the edge of the city, has a large village green with a duck pond. Danbury, to the east, has a country park with woods and lakes.
Further north, the villages of the Essex and Suffolk border, such as Dedham and Coggeshall, are famous for their medieval buildings. Coggeshall has some of the finest timber framed buildings in the county. Dedham was painted by John Constable.
Chelmsford is also home to Essex County Cricket Club, whose ground is close to the city centre. Watching a match there on a summer’s day is a classic English experience. The club has a long and successful history.
For shopping, the city centre has a large mix of high street names and independent shops. Chelmsford also has a lively evening scene, with bars, restaurants and a theatre. It is a good base for exploring the county.
Getting there and getting around
Chelmsford station is in the centre of the city, with fast trains to London Liverpool Street in around thirty five minutes, and services to Colchester, Norwich and the Essex coast. It is one of the busiest commuter stations in the region.
Stansted Airport is about twenty five miles north west, and London Southend Airport is about twenty miles south east. The A12 runs past the city, linking it to London and the M25. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Chelmsford and the airports, and to reach Hyde Hall, Maldon and the Essex villages.
Ride with ZeroLanes. From your door, the station or the airport to anywhere in Chelmsford, at a price fixed before you confirm. Travelling between cities? Get a fixed price for the journey, or keep a car and driver for the day with hourly hire.