Springfield, Essex

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Springfield
Springfield Place, Springfield, Essex - geograph.org.uk - 132627.jpg
Springfield Place
All Saints church, Springfield, Essex - geograph.org.uk - 132617.jpg
Springfield All Saints' Church
Essex UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Springfield
Location within Essex
Area3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2)
Population17,405 (in 2008) [1]
•  Density 5,439/sq mi (2,100/km2)
OS grid reference TL724086
•  Charing Cross 31 mi (50 km)
Civil parish
  • Springfield
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CHELMSFORD
Postcode district CM1, CM2
Dialling code 01245
Police Essex
Fire Essex
Ambulance East of England
UK Parliament
Website Parish Council
List of places
UK
England
Essex
51°45′00″N0°29′49″E / 51.750°N 0.497°E / 51.750; 0.497

Springfield is a settlement and civil parish of the borough of Chelmsford in Essex, England, which is now a north-eastern suburb of the city of Chelmsford. In 2008 it had a population of 17,405.

Contents

History

Until the 1950s, the parish was a semi-rural village lying one mile north east of Chelmsford, on the old Roman Road, with little to attract the visitor outside of the annual Essex show, a half dozen pubs and the town's prison and Essex Police headquarters, both of which still lie to the east of the Roman road. The Essex show-ground was once sited on fields north of The Green, and south of Pump Lane. Since this time, the former show site along with a thousand or so acres of surrounding arable land have been developed to create the most populous suburb of Chelmsford.

An area in the north of the parish was transferred to Broomfield in 1888. [2] Larger areas were transferred to Chelmsford in 1907 and 1934. [2] The historic heart of the parish, now within Chelmsford's unparished area, [3] is centred on the Anglican All Saints' Church, [4] Springfield Place [5] and Springfield Green. This area is one of the few not to have been visibly transformed in the last 50 years. From 1894 to 1974 it was in Chelmsford Rural District. [2] In 1974 it became part of the non-metropolitan district of Chelmsford.

Listed buildings in Springfield include Springfield Hall, [6] The Old Rectory, Springfield Place (purchased by Thomas Brograve in 1781) and Dukes Cottages.

Geography

The parish originally took in the portion of the town north of the River Chelmer and west of the A12 road, and comprised the manors of Springfield Hall, Springfield Barnes (now Chelmer Village), Cuton Hall, and part of New Hall (now Beaulieu Park). [7] Now that Chelmer Village is a separate parish, Springfield extends north-west from the A138 road as far as the river. [3]

Influence on the City of Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts; named after Springfield, Essex Downtown Springfield, MA.jpg
Springfield, Massachusetts; named after Springfield, Essex

A former resident of the village of Springfield, William Pynchon, went on to become one of the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony – a group of New World settlers whose capital city was Boston. In 1636, Pynchon and a group of pioneers founded Springfield, Massachusetts, beside New England's greatest river, the Connecticut River, amidst New England's most fertile soil. Originally named Agawam (now a suburb of the city itself, featuring the Six Flags New England amusement park), the settlement was renamed "Springfield" in Pynchon's honour, after he had suffered indignities from Connecticut's Captain John Mason – the notorious "Indian Killer" of British America's Pequot War – who expressed disdain at Pynchon's "delicate treatment" of the region's Native People. After this, Springfield forever aligned with Boston, although 89 miles separate the two, instead of aligning with Hartford, Connecticut, now the state capital of Connecticut – only 23 miles south of Springfield.

This city was the first of many across the English-speaking world to take the name of the Essex village. Among places named after Springfield, Massachusetts, is Springfield, Illinois, the capital of that state.

Education

The parish hosts a number of schools:

New Hall School (independent, RC) is nearby at Boreham.

Related Research Articles

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The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation is the canalisation of the Rivers Chelmer and Blackwater in Essex, in the east of England. The navigation runs for 13.75 miles (22.13 km) from Springfield Basin in Chelmsford to the sea lock at Heybridge Basin near Maldon. Initial plans faced spirited opposition from Maldon, which were overcome by avoiding the town and terminating at Heybridge, and the navigation opened in 1797. There were some teething problems, and the engineer John Rennie was called back on two occasions to recommend improvements. The impact of the railways was less severe than on many canals, as there was never a direct line between Chelmsford and Maldon. The sea lock at Heybridge was enlarged after the Second World War, but trade gradually declined and ceased in 1972.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Pynchon</span> Founder of Springfield, Massachusetts

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broomfield, Essex</span> Village in Essex, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelmsford (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2010 onwards

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Baddow</span> Village in Essex, England

Little Baddow is a village to the east of Chelmsford, Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelmer Village</span> Housing development in Chelmsford, England

Chelmer Village is a housing, retail and industrial development in the east of Chelmsford, Essex. The development was started by Countryside Residential PLC in 1978, using a holistic approach to create a self-contained community on previously greenfield land, of the manors of Springfield Barnes and Cuton Hall. It comprises a variety of modern suburban dwellings, the Chelmer Village Retail Park and Dukes Park Industrial Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Waltham</span> Village in Essex, England

Little Waltham is a village and civil parish just north of Chelmsford, in Essex, England. It is adjacent to the village of Great Waltham. The Domesday Book refers to the two villages as Waltham, consisting of several manors. The site of an Iron Age village was excavated before upgrading the main road north between the current villages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moulsham</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Waltham</span> Village in Essex, England

Great Waltham, also known as Church End, is a village and civil parish in the Chelmsford district, in the county of Essex, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxwell</span> Village in Essex, England

Roxwell is a village and civil parish in the Chelmsford district of Essex, England. The village is approximately 4 miles (6 km) west from the centre of the county town of Chelmsford, and to the south of the A1060 road, on which are the parish hamlets of Boyton Cross and Chalk End. Further Roxwell hamlets are Peppers Green at the north of the parish and Radley Green at the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts</span>

Metro Center is the original colonial settlement of Springfield, Massachusetts, located beside a bend in the Connecticut River. As of 2019, Metro Center features a majority of Western Massachusetts' most important cultural, business, and civic venues. Metro Center includes Springfield's Central Business District, its Club Quarter, its government center, its convention headquarters, and in recent years, it has become an increasingly popular residential district, especially among young professionals, empty-nesters, and creative types, with a population of approximately 7,000 (2010.)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Springfield, Massachusetts</span>

The history of Springfield, Massachusetts dates back to the colonial period, when it was founded in 1636 as Agawam Plantation, named after a nearby village of Algonkian-speaking Native Americans. It was the northernmost settlement of the Connecticut Colony. The settlement defected from Connecticut after four years, however, later joining forces with the coastal Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town changed its name to Springfield, and changed the political boundaries among what later became the states of New England. The decision to establish a settlement sprang in large part from its favorable geography, situated on a steep bluff overlooking the Connecticut River's confluence with three tributaries. It was a Native American crossroad for two major trade routes: Boston-to-Albany and New York City-to-Montreal. Springfield also sits on some of the northeastern United States' most fertile soil.

References

  1. ↑ Springfield Parish Population Statistics – February 2008
  2. 1 2 3 "Springfield". A Vision of Britain through Time . University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Election Maps: Great Britain". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "All Saints' Springfield" . Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Historic England. "Springfield Place (1141317)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Springfield Hall (1141318)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Tory, Gilbert (1977). Chelmsford through the ages. East Anglian Magazine Ltd. ISBN   0-900227-26-5.
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