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Chelmsford is a town in the county of Essex, in the United Kingdom. It lies 30 miles northeast of London, approximately halfway between there and Colchester. It is almost exactly in the centre of the county and it is the county town of Essex, although it is neither the largest nor the oldest town in the county. It is also the seat of the borough of Chelmsford, which covers a wider area than the town.
Chelmsford is home to the Diocese of Chelmsford, and has the smallest cathedral in England. John Dee, responsible for the English translation of Euclid, was educated at the Cathedral school in the sixteenth century. Chelmsford is also home to part of the Anglia Polytechnic University and King Edward VI Grammar SchoolKing Edward VI Grammar School or KEGS is a British grammar school located in the town of Chelmsford, roughly in the middle of the county of Essex. It takes boys from the ages of 11 ("Year 7") to 18 ("Year 13"), although it becomes mixed in the sixth form.
The population of the area covered by the district councilA Council is a group of people who usually possess some powers of governance. Examples: A City council or other Council in the system of Local Government in the United Kingdom, for example. The United Nations Security Council The United States Council on is 156,000 (2001), approximately one third of that number living within the area of the town itself.
About 10,000 commuters travel to London daily, making Chelmsford the busiest through railway station in England (the busiest overall being Clapham JunctionClapham Junction is a railway junction and station located on St. John's Hill in the south-west of Battersea in London, England; the area around the station is by now commonly known as Clapham Junction, reflecting the influence of the station upon its loc).
The A12 road from London, originally built by the RomansRoman Britain is the term applied to the historical period when Britain was under Roman rule, usually considered AD 44 to 410. Background to the invasion Julius Caesar made two campaigns to Britain, in 55 and 54 BC. While not resulting in the conquest of to connect London and Colchester, used to pass through the town, but is now diverted around the east.
Chelmsford has been an important centre for industry since the 19th century. It became home to the UK's first electrical engineering works (in 1878), and its first ball bearing factory (in 1898).
In 1898, Guglielmo Marconi, the "father of radio" opened the World's first "wireless" factory in Hall Street, employing around 50 people. In 1920 the factory was also the location of the first officially publicised sound broadcasts in the UK, one of them featuring Dame Nellie Melba. In 1922 the World's first regular wireless broadcasts for entertainment commenced from the Marconi Research Centre at Writtle near Chelmsford.