On the very northerly tip of Chelmsford city, lies the small village and civil parish of Great Waltham, Essex. This parish covers much of the neighbouring localities and villages, namely: Broad’s Green, Howe Street, Littley Green, North End and Fanner’s Green. The Great Waltham parish is one of the largest in the whole of Essex, covering over 6,000 acres of land with a combined population of over 2,000! As a designated Rural Parish however, much of the vernacular identity of Great Waltham has been preserved by the Chelmsford City Council; felt in the proliferation of large country homes with significant acerage that make up the parish’s fabric.

In ancient Britain, most of Essex was populated by dense forestry. This is only really seen today with Hatfield Forest and Epping Forest, however traces of this forest history are seen throughout Essex, including with Great Waltham. The name Waltham, separated into ‘Walt’ and ‘ham’ means ‘wood’ and ‘home’ respectively, meaning Waltham translates to ‘wood-home’. It’s believed that Great Waltham was once home to the Romans, and that the Romans even had vineyards in Great Waltham! This carried on through to the Norman Conquest, when Geoffrey de Mandeville owned the Great Waltham area, which was attributed to nearly 6 acres of vineyards.

Much of the Great Waltham parish is dominated by rural villages set with medieval buildings; with over a hundred listed builings in this parish! One of which is the Blackchapel, located in the North End village. Blackchapel is a truly remarkably building, and its origins are thought to have come from an Augustinian monastery that may have operated out of the chapel. Dating from the 15th century, the building is entirely timber-framed, with a darkly coloured bell cote adorned with cedar shingles. It is a very unique building, and has been protected as a Grade I listed property since 1967!

Due to its designated rural status and prolieration of protected buildings in the Great Waltham locale; development in this area is heavily restricted and therefore is often slow. Most of the area of Great Waltham is protected under conservation policies also. Therefore, there is limited scope in developing for large-scale housing projects or infrastructural developments; however there is potential for single-use housing rennovations and single housing projects that reflect the identity of the Great Waltham locale.