Chelmsford
§ This page gives an overview of the Chelmsford local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Chelmsford, in central Essex, is a vibrant city surrounded by villages and countryside, with the River Chelmer flowing through its centre. Known for Chelmsford Cathedral, Hylands House and Estate, and its bustling retail and cultural scene, it is a thriving urban hub with parks and waterways weaving through. The city blends modern developments with historic areas, while villages such as Writtle and Galleywood provide rural charm on its edges. Central Park and nearby countryside offer green escapes, while its history as a birthplace of radio technology adds to its character.
Chelmsford Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Chelmsford local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Chelmsford can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Chelmsford.
Key Facts about Chelmsford
What region is Chelmsford in? Chelmsford is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Chelmsford in? Chelmsford is located in the county of Essex.
Is Chelmsford a city? Yes, Chelmsford is a city. Chelmsford holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.
Who governs Chelmsford? The local authority for this district is: Chelmsford City Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Essex is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Essex County Council.
▶ Official website of Chelmsford City Council 🔗 chelmsford.gov.uk
Which police force covers Chelmsford? Policing in Chelmsford is provided by Essex Police 🔗 essex.police.uk, which serves 14 local authority districts: Basildon ⁞ Braintree ⁞ Brentwood ⁞ Castle Point ⁞ Chelmsford ⁞ Colchester ⁞ Epping Forest ⁞ Harlow ⁞ Maldon ⁞ Rochford ⁞ Southend-on-Sea ⁞ Tendring ⁞ Thurrock ⁞ Uttlesford.
Constituencies in Chelmsford
Chelmsford is divided into 3 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Chelmsford
Chelmsford is divided into 24 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bicknacre and East and West Hanningfield
- Boreham and The Leighs
- Broomfield and The Walthams
- Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park
- Chelmsford Rural West
- Galleywood
- Goat Hall
- Great Baddow East
- Great Baddow West
- Little Baddow, Danbury and Sandon
- Marconi
- Moulsham and Central
- Moulsham Lodge
- Patching Hall
- Rettendon and Runwell
- South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting
- South Woodham-Chetwood and Collingwood
- South Woodham-Elmwood and Woodville
- Springfield North
- St Andrews
- The Lawns
- Trinity
- Waterhouse Farm
- Writtle
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Chelmsford
Chelmsford is part-parished: 29 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Boreham
- Broomfield
- Chelmer
- Chelmsford Garden
- Chignall
- Danbury
- East Hanningfield
- Galleywood
- Good Easter
- Great and Little Leighs
- Great Baddow
- Great Waltham
- Highwood
- Little Baddow
- Little Waltham
- Margaretting
- Mashbury
- Pleshey
- Rettendon
- Roxwell
- Runwell
- Sandon
- South Hanningfield
- South Woodham Ferrers
- Springfield
- Stock
- West Hanningfield
- Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre
- Writtle
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Chelmsford
Below is a list of post towns in Chelmsford, grouped by postcode area:
CM ▸ Chelmsford (CM1 / CM2 / CM3 / CM92 / CM98 / CM99)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Chelmsford
Chelmsford covers 32 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Battlesbridge *
- Bicknacre
- Billericay *
- Boreham
- Brock Hill
- Broomfield
- Chelmsford
- Coalhill
- Danbury *
- Downham
- East Hanningfield
- Ford End
- Galleywood
- Gay Bowers *
- Great Leighs
- Great Waltham
- Howe Green
- Little Waltham
- Margaretting
- Ramsden Bellhouse *
- Ramsden Heath
- Rettendon
- Roxwell
- Runwell *
- Sandon
- South Woodham Ferrers
- Stock
- West Hanningfield
- Wickford *
- Woodham Ferrers
- Writtle
- Young's End *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Chelmsford.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Chelmsford
Chelmsford is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Chelmsford Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Greater Anglia ▸ Chelmsford (CM1 1HT) ⁞ South Woodham Ferrers (CM3 5NQ) ⁞ Battlesbridge (SS11 7RG) ⁞ Beaulieu Park (CM3 3QW)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Chelmsford compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Chelmsford compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Chelmsford has 24 electoral wards.
Chelmsford has a population of 188,803 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Chelmsford
This chart shows the population trend for Chelmsford from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Chelmsford can be found on the ONS statistics for Chelmsford.