Chignall St James is a village and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

, now in the parish of

Chignall Chignall is a civil parish in the City of Chelmsford in Essex, England. The civil parish has 311 inhabitants (2011). The villages were recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cingehala''. The parish was created in 1888 from the parishes of Ch ...

, in the

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It ...

district in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, England. The village is situated 3½ miles northwest by west from the county town of

. In 1881 the parish had a population of 224. On 24 March 1888 the parish was abolished to form Chignall, parts also went to Broomfield and

Writtle The village and civil parish of Writtle lies west of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It has a traditional village green complete with duck pond and a Norman church, and was once described as "one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravis ...

The village pump and telephone box at Chignall St

The spelling of the village name is open to discussion. Sometimes it is spelt as "Chignall St James" at other times, as "Chignal St James" or "Chignal Saint James". Businesses providing employment in the area include Ashdown Engineering, Gardening Express and local farms. The area once included a Roman villa, the site of which was discovered in the 1970s. Originally the village was a settlement for farmers and their labour force that worked the land, but as mechanisation took over the farming population left. The village is now partly a commuter settlement, and partly resident to remaining agricultural workers and retired people. The village had a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

, The Three Elms, thought to be over 500 years old, which has passed through many hands over the years, but has proved to be unviable financially. The last incumbents took over in March 2019, but closed again in September 2019, after the premises had been closed for an extended period prior to this. The owners of the property have attempted to sell it on the open market since this time, but to date a new owner can not be found since demand and patronage of such premises has declined over the years. In 2009 there was a planning proposal to create a quarry close by to the village, but this was turned down by the planning authorities. Notable village landmarks include an old brick-built farm barn with a dove-cote thought to be the oldest and only example of its type in Essex, an old red brick school (now a dwelling), the former church, and the Old Rectory.

References

External links

Chignal Parish Council Web Site

Ashdown Engineering

Gardening Express
Villages in Essex Former civil parishes in Essex {{Essex-geo-stub