Car Hire Chelmsford - Mini guide to Chelmsford
With a 15th C cathedral, excellent shopping, great museums and nearby picturesque villages and lovely English countryside to explore, Chelmsford, the County town of Essex really offers something for everyone.
The town, originally founded in Roman times, is a riverside market town with an 800-year-old history and exploring its heritage is a real treat. Highlights include the light and airy sandstone cathedral, once a church dating from the town’s birth, and the Chelmsford Museum set in a lovely Victorian mansion in Oaklands Park, where the story of the town from the Ice Age to the present day can be followed.
In the city centre, the pedestrianised high street runs between two covered shopping malls, offering first class shopping, a retail market, and a weekly antiques market. With great cafes, bars and restaurants, the traffic free centre is also a great place to sit and watch the world go by.
But there’s more than just shopping and eating; for a town of its size, there’s a stunning range of entertainment options. The town’s three Civic theatres host jazz, ballet, film, rock concerts, dance, and plays. For sports and leisure, the Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre, just a short walk from the city centre, offers skating, swimming, a flume, sports hall and high-class gym. Alternatively, for a more leisurely day, why not enjoy the many walkways in the town’s parks and green spaces, including the 4.5-mile riverside walk.
Chelmsford also makes a great base for discovering the beauty of the south east of England. It’s well worth exploring the nearby quaint Essex villages and stately homes, including the impressive Hylands House, a grade II listed mansion featuring Georgian and Victorian rooms and set in a 500-acre park.
London’s Stanstead Airport, giving direct flight access to many UK and European cities, is only 30-minutes drive away and is serviced by a frequent bus service. Trains also depart several times an hour from London Liverpool Street Station (duration: 30 minutes). Motorists can exit the M25 ring road at junction 28 and follow the A12 east.
