North of Brentwood’s centre, sits the rural locale of Doddinghurst. A quaint civil parish and rural village - only 3 miles north of the hub of Brentwood - Doddinghurst is defined by its pastoral charm. Whilst part of Brentwoods council, Doddinghurst maintains its unique rural identity. Even in its residential architecture Doddinghurst remains unique to Brentwood; with its proliferation of bungalows, large detached houses, and semi-detached cottages.

Similar to the nearby villages of Kelvedon Hatch and Shenfield, Doddinghurst seems to have blossomed with the advent of the All Saints Church construction. With the knave and south doorway dated to the 13th century, this church appears to have remained a staple in Doddinghursts’ character; with the church itself being renovated in the 18th century.

.

With the church standing for over 800 years, the connecting churchyard is filled with lost familial histories and genealogies. But one grave particularly stands out; the burial ground of Princess Helen Rundeer Singh Ahluwalia of Kapurthala, an Indian princess, curiously buried in Doddinghurst. Peter Bance, a Sikh historian, became curious about this when seeing her name, Karpurthala, which relates to a kingdom in Punjab. According to the history, Princess Helen’s mother Rani divorced the Raja in 1869, and moved to London. There, she became a fixture of London high-society and was often muse to the painter Edwin Long. She died at the age of 23 from tuberculosis, and was buried in Doddinghurst’s All Saints Church.

Doddinghurst has a small population of around 5,000 inhabitants. Due to its rural locale and atmosphere, developments around the area are largely slow. Developments are largely objected to by local residents, due to concerns about the levels of traffic congestion in the area, and the proliferation of wildlife unique to Doddinghurst. However Doddinghurst has been targeted as one of the areas for development in Brentwood’s Adopted Local Plan, with the proposal of 200 new homes to be built within area between 2022 and 2026.