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To Modern Times

The outline of the modern town was beginning to appear. The population grew steadily after 1800; there were 1,007 inhabitants in 1801, 1,642 in 1831 and 2,364 in 1841. The decisive year in the history of the town was 1843, when the Eastern Counties Railway opened. As a result, the town which had confined itself to the crest of the hill, along which the High Street ran, began to spread down to the station (pictured below) in the valley.

A Parish Council was formed in 1888, which assumed most of the duties of the former church vestry, but it was not until 1899, following establishment of an Urban District Council, that modern Brentwood began to appear. The Urban District was considerably enlarged as a result of the Essex Review Order in 1934, and finally with the passage of the Local Government Act in 1972, the new District of Brentwood came into being with an area of nearly 40,000 acres (16,194 hectares) and a population approaching 75,000.

On 27 April 1993, Brentwood's first Mayor was inaugurated and celebrations took place throughout the Borough in recognition of its attainment of Borough status. The Borough of Brentwood entered a new phase in its historical development.

Further reading on this subject: Fireside Talks about Brentwood by John Larkin is available from local bookshops.