is a town in
Essex ,
England and part of the
London Commuter Belt . Its center 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 name derives from a corruption of the words 'Burnt Wood', the name Burntwood can still be seen on some old maps. This old name describes the presumed reason for settlement in the part of
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
44 AD.
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. 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. 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.
It is the former home of
Thermos , the manufacturers of the
Vacuum Flask s.
Amstrad headquarters are found in Brentwood. It is incorrectly believed their HQ is located in London, a belief stemming from the television show
The Apprentice .
Brentwood was also the home of the
East India Company's Elephant training school - the site, based in Warley, is now headquarters of
Ford UK.
The engineering company
NV Tools famous for creating the SOSS hinge originated in Brentwood.
In the mid 1990s there sparked a controversy that has plagued Brentwood ever since. Is Brentwood boring? This question even made the national news, and sparked 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.
It is frequently used as a survey site for GCSE Geography Coursework, which encompasses surveys examining Shop Type, Type of Customer, Pedestrian Flow and Quality of Environment.
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 webstie can be found on the
Official Brentwood Council Website
Brentwood is twined with
Roth Bei Nürnberg in
Germany and Montbazon in
France .
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.
Brentwood Cathedral is the seat of the
Roman Catholic Bishop Of Brentwood .
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 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.
Brentwood is also home to
Brentwood Town F.C. , who play at the Brentwood Centre.
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.
