Blogs > A snapshot of UK Cities
A Snapshot into.. Chelmsford
- June 28, 2021
Chelmsford is one of the newest cities in the UK, located to the East of England in the county of Essex. Chelmsford is known for being for the birthplace of radio, and also for its cathedral which stands out because of its beautiful stained-glass windows. Being close enough to London to commute, it’s no surprise that Chelmsford has a fantastic reputation and a population of 123,821.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust comprises of three large acute hospitals, which are located in Basildon, Chelmsford and Southend.
The Trust provides a wide range of first class services across our mid and south Essex hospitals, including A&E, emergency medicine and surgery, elective surgery in most specialities, and maternity and paediatric services.
The Broomfield Hospital site is based in Chelmsford and is home to the internationally renowned St Andrew's burns and plastics centre, which provides a supra-regional burns service to a population of 9.8 million people.
Facts About Chelmsford
- As previously mentioned, Chelmsford is one of the newest cities in the UK, having only been granted city status in 2012 as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and was previously considered to be a town.
- The birthplace of radio, it has received this title due to its connections with a man named Guglielmo Marconi, who opened the world’s first wireless factory in 1899 in Chelmsford.
- The UK Channel 4 TV programme, ‘Location, Location, Location’ voted Chelmsford as the 8th best place to live in the UK in 2007, and in 2019, The Times newspaper included Chelmsford in an article listing it as one of the best places to live in the UK for its excellent education, culture and food.
- Chelmsford Cathedral is considered to be the second smallest cathedral in England, but as mentioned at the beginning of this blog, its size doesn’t make it any less beautiful.
- 600 years ago, Chelmsford became England’s capital city for a few days. The reason for this was that the seat of Government was temporarily moved to Chelmsford.
- BioCare, a food supplement manufacturer based in Birmingham has stated that Chelmsford is the second healthiest place to live in the UK!
- Hylands House (which you’ll learn more about later in this blog!) featured in the Netflix series, The Crown, as a setting for the White House.
- Henry VIII visited Chelmsford in the 1520s to stay at Palace Beaulieu, which belonged to Anne Boleyn’s family.
Cost of Living in Chelmsford
Renting Accommodation per Month
|
One-bedroom apartment in the city centre |
£833.33 |
|
One-bedroom apartment outside of the city centre |
£725 |
|
Three-bedroom apartment in the city centre |
£1,400 |
|
Three-bedroom apartment outside of the city centre |
£1,100 |
Transportation
|
1ltr Petrol |
£1.30 |
|
One-way public transport ticket |
£2.30 |
|
Monthly public transport ticket |
£80 |
|
1km Taxi journey |
£5.00 |
Entertainment
|
Meal out for two in a local pub |
£24.00 |
|
Meal out for two in a mid-range restaurant, 3 courses |
£47.50 |
|
Cinema tickets for two people |
£24.00 |
|
One-month gym membership |
£42.50 |
|
Beer 0.5ltr bottle |
£3.50 |
|
Coke/Pepsi 0.33 ltr bottle |
£1.25 |
|
Cappuccino |
£2.79 |
Time it Takes to Travel from Chelmsford to other Cities in the UK by Train
|
City |
Time it Takes to Travel |
|
London |
37 Minutes |
|
Manchester |
3 Hours 25 Minutes |
|
Newcastle |
3 Hours 55 Minutes |
|
Birmingham |
2 Hours 45 Minutes |
|
Liverpool |
3 Hours 40 Minutes |
|
Edinburgh |
5 Hours 25 Minutes |
|
Bristol |
2 Hours 56 Minutes |
|
Cardiff |
3 Hours 37 Minutes |
Education in Chelmsford
There are 37 primary schools, 11 secondary schools and 10 colleges and sixth forms in Chelmsford. There is also an Anglia Ruskin University campus located there. Most of the schools have an Ofsted rating of ‘Good’ but many have also been awarded a rating of ‘Outstanding’ making it an excellent location for education. If you’d like to see the Ofsted ratings for individual schools in the area, you can visit the Gov.UK website.
Things to do in Chelmsford
Jump Street
Jump Street is an indoor activity park boasting Essex’s biggest climbing wall, soft play area and trampoline! A great way to get active whilst also having a fun family day out, they have an ‘Open Jump’ trampoline area, dodgeball courts, climbing areas, drop slides, rope bridges and more, so there should be something to suit family members of all ages and abilities. If you need a break, or simply want to enjoy a coffee whilst your children try out the activities available, there’s a café overlooking the activity areas where you can relax and grab a snack. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Prices do vary depending on the activities you choose, but their ‘Open Jump’ sessions cost £10 if you book in advance, and £12 if you walk-in on the day. Their tots sessions, for children under 4 years of age, costs £5 if you book in advance and £7 if you walk-in. If you’d like to see a full list of activities and prices, you can find them on the Jump Street website.
Chelmsford Civic Theatre
If you’re a fan of theatre, then Chelmsford Civic Theatre is a perfect night out to relax and unwind. The theatre has 500 seats, providing an intimate performance space with no restricted views, and an adjoining studio space where you can watch live performances as well as movie screenings. The seating was refurbished in 2016, making it modern and comfortable. If you’d like to enjoy a drink before the performance, the Civic bar opens an hour prior to shows starting. There are also wheelchair spaces and accessibility for less able guests. See what’s playing at Chelmsford Civic Theatre here.
Chelmsford Museum
Step into Chelmsford’s history and take a journey back in time at Chelmsford Museum. Travel through the Ice Age and witness a mammoth and explore the history of the natural world. With the history of pottery, clothing and toys, you can learn about all aspects of Chelmsford’s history. They even have child-friendly activities to get them excited about learning. The museum has accessibility for less able guests, a hearing loop, as well as a café and gift shop where you can grab some lunch and souvenirs. Entry to the museum is free. If you’d like to know more about what you can explore at Chelmsford Museum, visit their website.
Hylands House
As previously mentioned, Hylands House was used as a filming location for Netflix series The Crown, so if you’re a fan, you might like a to pay a visit to this Neo-Classical villa. It was originally built in 1730 by MP Sir John Comyns. Even if you don’t watch The Crown, you can take a guided tour around the house and take in its beautiful architecture. There are also several events that take place throughout the year at the house, park and stables. Admission to the house is free, and there is a café onsite where you can enjoy a hot meal and snacks. If you’d like to learn more about Hylands House, you can visit their website.
Hanningfield Waterside Park
If you’d like to spend a day in the great outdoors with the family, take a trip to Hanningfield Waterside Park. Take a stroll through Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserve, try your hand at fishing or let the children explore the number of play facilities available. It’s the perfect location for a picnic on a sunny day, but there is also a café and gift shop onsite where you can purchase refreshments. If you’d like to learn more about the events on offer at Hanningfield Waterside Park, visit their website.
Escape Live
Whether you’re a pro, or you’d like to try your hand for the first time, Chelmsford boasts state of the art immersive escape-rooms. Each room allows you 60 minutes to try and escape by solving puzzles and answering questions. There are three themed rooms available, Escape the Jungle, Sword in the Throne and Star Quest, so there’s sure to be a theme that appeals to everyone in the family, the escape rooms are suitable for children and adults. Can you escape in 60 minutes? Prices vary, but start at £15 per person. If you’d like to book your escape adventure, check out Escape Live’s website.
Relocation to Chelmsford
If you are an international doctor who would like to relocate to Chelmsford, or any other location in the UK, email your CV to [email protected] and we can support you in securing an NHS post and on your journey to relocate to the UK.
Are you a member of our Facebook group? When you join IMG Advisor, you join a community of doctors all looking to join the NHS and relocate to the UK. We post a series of blogs and vlogs to the group every day. We will also be on hand to answer all of your relocation queries.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 60 videos covering everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS.
Listen to BDI Resourcing on the go with IMG Advisor the Podcast. You can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Buzzsprout. We have a number of episodes with tips and advice on relocating to the UK and the routes you can take to achieve this.
References
Bailey, H. and Webber, D. (2020). The 19 things you didn't know about Chelmsford. [online] essexlive. Available at: https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/19-things-you-didnt-know-473356
Living, C. and Kingdom, U. (2020). Cost of Living in Chelmsford. [online] Numbeo.com. Available at: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Chelmsford
Ukpopulation2019.com. (2020). Population Of Chelmsford 2019. [online] Available at: https://ukpopulation2019.com/population-of-chelmsford-2019.html
Aru.ac.uk. (2020). Top ten facts about Chelmsford - ARU. [online] Available at: https://aru.ac.uk/student-life/life-on-campus/chelmsford-campus/top-ten-facts-about-chelmsford
Trust, M., 2021. Work and learn. [online] Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Available at:
