HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT Chelmsford Borough Historic Environment Characterisation Project abc Front Cover: Aerial View of the historic settlement of Pleshey ii Contents FIGURES...................................................................................................................................................................... X ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................................................XII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................... XIII 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT ............................................................................................................................ 2 2 THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHELMSFORD DISTRICT .................................................................................. 4 2.1 PALAEOLITHIC THROUGH TO THE MESOLITHIC PERIOD ............................................................................... 4 2.2 NEOLITHIC................................................................................................................................................... 4 2.3 BRONZE AGE ............................................................................................................................................... 5 2.4 IRON AGE .................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.5 ROMAN ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 2.6 SAXON ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.7 MEDIEVAL ................................................................................................................................................. 10 2.8 POST-MEDIEVAL ........................................................................................................................................ 14 2.9 MODERN.................................................................................................................................................... 15 3 CHARACTERISATION OF THE RESOURCE ............................................................................................... 19 3.1 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTER AREAS .......................................................................................... 20 HECA 1: THE HISTORIC CORE OF CHELMSFORD ............................................................................................. 21 HECA 2: CHELMSFORD URBAN AREA ................................................................................................................ 22 HECA 3: HISTORIC CORE OF GREAT BADDOW ................................................................................................ 23 HECA 4: MIDDLE CHELMER VALLEY ................................................................................................................ 24 HECA 5: DANBURY RIDGE..................................................................................................................................... 25 HECA 6: SOUTH EAST –EAST HANNINGFIELD, BICKNACRE, WOODHAM FERRERS............................... 26 HECA 7: SOUTH WOODHAM FERRERS ............................................................................................................... 27 HECA 8: THE COASTAL ZONE............................................................................................................................... 28 HECA 9: CROUCH VALLEY SLOPES, RETTENDON, RUNWELL, DOWNHAM.............................................. 29 HECA 10: SOUTH OF CHELMSFORD – HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, STOCK AND MARGARETTING .. 30 HECA 11: HYLANDS PARK, WRITTLE AND HIGHWOOD................................................................................ 31 HECA 12: WEST OF CHELMSFORD AND THE CAN VALLEY .......................................................................... 32 iii HECA 13: THE UPPER CHELMER VALLEY.......................................................................................................... 33 HECA 14: NORTHEAST OF CHELMSFORD – BOREHAM – LEIGHS PLATEAU ............................................. 34 4 CREATION OF HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTER ZONES........................................................ 36 4.1 GENERAL BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................... 36 4.2 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................................... 36 4.3 THE SCORING OF THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTER ZONES......................................................... 37 4.3.1 Diversity of historic environment assets............................................................................................... 37 4.3.2 Survival ................................................................................................................................................ 38 4.3.3 Documentation ..................................................................................................................................... 38 4.3.4 Group Value Association ..................................................................................................................... 39 4.3.5 Potential............................................................................................................................................... 39 4.3.6 Sensitivity to Change............................................................................................................................ 40 4.3.7 Amenity Value ...................................................................................................................................... 40 4.4 KEY ISSUES................................................................................................................................................ 41 5 CHELMSFORD HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERISATION ZONES ................................. 42 1 HECA 1 ............................................................................................................................................................. 42 1.1 THE HISTORIC CORE OF CHELMSFORD ....................................................................................................... 43 1.2 MOULSHAM STREET .................................................................................................................................. 46 2 HECA 2 ............................................................................................................................................................. 50 2.1 RESIDENTIAL EXPANSION TO EAST OF MILDMAY ROAD ............................................................................ 50 2.2 GREAT BADDOW........................................................................................................................................ 51 2.3 NEW LONDON ROAD ZONE........................................................................................................................ 52 2.4 AREA TO THE EAST OF THE RAILWAY LINE AND WEST OF NEW LONDON ROAD......................................... 56 2.5 COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES AROUND WATEHOUSE LANE. .......................................................................... 57 2.6 WIDFORD................................................................................................................................................... 59 2.7 RESIDENTIAL ZONE WEST OF WATERHOUSE LANE ................................................................................... 61 2.8 NORTHERN CENTRAL CHELMSFORD.......................................................................................................... 62 2.9 CHELMSFORD UNIVERSITY ZONE .............................................................................................................. 63 2.10 AREA TO THE NORTH OF VICTORIA ROAD ................................................................................................. 65 2.11 RESIDENTIAL EXPANSION ALONG SPRINGFIELD ROAD............................................................................... 66 2.12 SPRINGFIELD ROAD ................................................................................................................................... 67 2.13 COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT BY THE CHELMER AND BLACKWATER NAVIGATION................................... 69 2.14 EAST SPRINGFIELD .................................................................................................................................... 70 2.15 SPRINGFIELD COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AREA ..................................................................................... 72 2.16 SPRINGFIELD GREEN.................................................................................................................................. 75 iv 2.17 NORTH SPRINGFIELD ................................................................................................................................. 76 2.18 EAST OF BROOMFIELD ROAD....................................................................................................................