Brentwood, a Town and the Main Community in the Brentwood Borough in the English County of Essex
The town of Brentwood in the Brentwood Borough of the Essex County in East England is also the main settlement of the borough. It is within the London commuter belt and is 20 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross. The town is still mostly rural with woodlands and open countryside just outside residential estates and a small but expanding high street and shopping area. Its twin cities are Roth in Germany and Montbazon in France.
Antiquarians of the 16th Century assumed that the name of the town came from the adulteration of the words “burnt” and “wood” with “Burntwood” evident on some maps of the 18th Century. The Middle English word for “burnt” is brent. This could be an allusion to charcoal burning, the main occupation of the people who settled in that part of the Forest of Essex. The “holy one” is another meaning of the word “brent” which may have been referring to the chapel in honour of Thomas Becket, for Canterbury pilgrims.
Food, Shopping and Accommodation in Brentwood
Although the town is still considered suburban or rural because of the fields, trees and open spaces in and around the town, it has the amenities of urban living such as shopping centres, public houses and wider roads. The main shopping centre in this town is the Baytree Shopping Centre. But there are very excellent independent shops on the High Street as well as in other side streets such as the Crown Street. A Friday and Saturday markets are also held on the High Street. The town’s high street has been undergoing a major revamp and development that costs from £3 million to £7 million.
Things to See and Do in Brentwood
The public open spaces in Brentwood include the Shenfield Common and the King George V Playing Field. At Thorndon and South Weald there are also two country parks. The Weald Country Park was the first choice for the mountain biking race of the 2012 Olympics. The course, however, was declared “too easy”, thus it was transferred to Hadleigh Farm. The town, however, continues to host several Criterium or Crit Bike Races that beckon to a lot of great cyclists in the UK.