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Brentwood is a town in the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east-north-east of Charing Cross, and near the M25 motorway. City workers put down roots in Brentwood because of its easy commute to Liverpool Street. This Essex town has two historic institutions – Brentwood School, founded in 1577, and the Catholic cathedral, which began life as a parish church in 1861. Brentwood has a rich pilgrimage history, as the town used to be a stop-off point for pilgrims who were on their travels to Thomas Becket’s shrine in Canterbury, Kent. Today on the High Street, remains old ruins of a chapel dedicated to Thomas Becket, providing local residents with a reminder of the pilgrim’s history from years ago. Today, Brentwood stands to be a major beneficiary of the new Crossrail, with Shenfield, the town’s northern suburb, being chosen for the eastern terminus. This addition will undoubtedly make Brentwood a desirable property spot with the Shenfield service running from 2018.

Shopping and Culture

Brentwood has a good variety of shopping venues throughout the town. The Baytree Centre, a small shopping centre, has branches of high street names and more can be found on the High Street, as well as a selection of charity shops. Brentwood is also home to other venues aside from shopping centres. The Brentwood Theatre and The Hermitage are the main cultural buildings in Brentwood, located on the same site in the town centre. Brentwood Theatre is a fully fitted community theatre that serves more than 40 non-professional performing arts groups. The Theatre is owned by an independent charity. The Hermitage is used as the centre for Brentwood Youth Service. Brentwood also hosts a number of events throughout the year. The Brentwood Art Trail has become a popular annual summer event which was developed to create and arts experience whereby art created by local people can be recognised and appreciated. The performing arts festival has also been accepted into membership by the British and International Federation of Festivals of which Queen Elizabeth II is patron.

Sport and Leisure

Although close to the extremities of Greater London, Brentwood is surrounded by countryside and greenery. The town has a number of public open spaces including King George V Playing Field, Shenfield Common, and two country parks at South Weald and Thorndon. There is also two large sports centres providing access to a range of sports including badminton, squash, swimming, and football, as well as a number of golf courses and cricket clubs in and around the town.

Primary and Secondary Education

1. St. Peters CofE Voluntary Aided School is larger than average primary school with pupils from a large range of social and economic backgrounds. The majority of students start the school with standards that are above those normally expected for their age.

2. St. Helen’s Catholic Junior School Academy converted to an academy in August 2011 and is run by the governors of the school. The school was rebuilt in 1974 and replaced the original buildings which were sited in the centre of the town. The school is larger than average and situated on the outskirts of Brentwood.

3. Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School is an all-girls secondary school with just over 25% of pupils from minority backgrounds. The school also makes use of the Essex Alternative Education Scheme.

4. Shenfield High School is a mixed gender secondary school. A small minority of students in Year 11 follow an alternative curriculum and attend vocational courses at BEP, Motorvation and Havering College for part of the week. The school enters students for the core science examinations at the end of Year 10.

Transport

Brentwood is a few miles outside the M25 close to the A12 London to Chelmsford and Colchester road. There are also fast trains to Liverpool Street from Shenfield station that takes about 28 minutes, while trains from Brentwood to Liverpool Street take about 38 minutes. When the Crossrail is finished, commuters will have direct access to central London, with journey times to Bond Street taking 48 minutes from Shenfield, the last station on the line, and 44 minutes from Brentwood.

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