A small parish lying to the north west of Chelmsford. It includes the rural settlements of Chignal Smealey and Chignal St James plus two new neighbourhoods bordering Chelmsford, known as Little Hollows and Copperfield Place, (western part) which together have more than doubled the population of Chignal in less than 10 years.
It’s a community which values its distinct rural identity. Until the last century, the two Chignal villages had always been small farming communities, documented in the Great Survey of 1086. Today, life in the parish is considerably different: most of the houses are now occupied by people who work outside the parish or are retired. Chignal has a very active community with a wide variety of clubs and groups, a modern village hall, community orchard, two village greens, two churches, playing field and cricket ground.
Situated within the Pleshey Farmland Plateau, the landscape of Chignal parish is characterised by pre 18 th century field boundaries, ancient woodland and meadow pasture. Arable farming is the main land use and most of the land is of the highest agricultural value: Grade 2.
Land once extracted for gravel and used as landfill to the south of the former St James Church, Chignal St James has been restored as a Nature Park with managed public access via a permissive bridleway. The establishment with native plants of small woods, hedgerows, wildflower meadows and ponds has provided habitats for a wide range of less common birds, (Lapwings, Skylarks, Reed Warblers, Cuckoos and several raptor species), mammals, (Hares, Deer) reptiles, (Great Crested Newts) and insects.
The number of Listed Buildings (18) is evidence of the value placed on the historic landscape of the parish. Chobbings Farmhouse; St James Church; and, St Nicholas Church are Grade II* and amongst the Grade II buildings you’ll find Gray’s Farmhouse; Brickbarns Farmhouse; Chignal Hall; Stevens Farmhouse; Chancellor’s Barns and a range of farm buildings. In addition, 18 buildings in Chignal do not meet the national criteria for listing but are of local importance by virtue of their positive contribution to the architectural or historic character of the parish.
The site of a large Romano British villa farmstead dating back to the 4th century has been identified and partly excavated near Chignal Hall in Chignal St James. This area is protected as a scheduled Ancient Monument. Within a ten hectare area south of the scheduled Villa, excavations showed continuous development from a middle Iron Age settlement into a prosperous Roman Estate.
Not surprisingly then, people love living in Chignal: the average time resident in the two villages is 22 years!
Enjoy being outdoors, and discover the wide range of wildlife of the parish.
The parish has a range of Clubs and Groups that are always looking for new members.
Find out more about the Parish Council and everything they do.
Some Facts About Us
Area: 747 Hectares
Village Hall Built: 2017
Residents in 2021: 620
Households in 2021: 230