Broomfield: A Village with a Saxon Princely Tomb
Broomfield is a village and civil parish in the Chelmsford district of Essex, England, lying on the northern edge of Chelmsford city, approximately 2.5 miles from the city centre along the River Chelmer. Its name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Brumfelda".
Human activity in the area predates the Romans: flint arrowheads and Celtic coins have been found in the parish, and the Romans established a villa of some importance here, with coins, brooches, and equine artefacts recovered from the site. Many of the large Roman bricks are visible in the walls of the local church. The village's most remarkable archaeological discovery was made in 1888, when workmen uncovered an Anglo-Saxon princely burial containing weapons, gold ornaments, glassware, cups and buckets — finds now held in the British Museum. Grave goods including garnet, gold, and blue glassware bear similarities to the famous Sutton Hoo burial, and the iron lamp discovered is even larger than its Sutton Hoo counterpart.
Several of the village's historic buildings survive: Broomfield Hall retains 15th-century timbers; the Angel public house on Church Green dates to the 15th century; and the church of St Mary with St Leonard, notable for its unusual round flint tower (rare in Essex), stands at the centre of the Conservation Area. The village is today also home to Broomfield Hospital, one of the largest in the East of England and a national specialist centre for Plastics and Burns treatment.
Points of interest: - Population: Approx. 6,756 inhabitants (2021 census). - Distance: 2.5 miles north of Chelmsford city centre. - Attractions: Church of St Mary with St Leonard (round tower), Anglo-Saxon burial site, historic village greens (Church Green, Angel Green, Parsonage Green).