Valerie Webb came in to talk to Keith Rogers about the new sign. Listen to her interview below:
Local schoolchildren and residents, working with the Shenfield Environmental Partnership, have unveiled a new village sign for Shenfield depicting 2,000 years of history of the old village.
Shenfield has been unique as a route for travel and transport for centuries and a local group, Shenfield Environmental Partnership, has launched a village sign to capture and celebrate some of the history of the village over 2000 years. On 22 July the village sign was installed on the Chelmsford Road, the road that Roman soldiers built for their journey to Colchester and beyond. It represents the first proper road built into Essex and East Anglia.
The sign celebrates the history of the old village. Funding from Brentwood Community Fund and Essex County Council’s Community Initiative Fund made it possible to create the sign, which can be seen by visitors to Shenfield from the A12 and M25. Also featured is the logo for the new Elizabeth Line, which is scheduled to terminate in Shenfield in December 2018.
Local young people from Shenfield High School and St. Mary’s C of E Primary School have worked together to create ideas for the sign which also shows Shenfield’s entry in the Domesday Book of 1086 when the village was called Chenefield which means “good lands”. There were 6 households, 40 pigs in woodland, 2 cattle and 15 goats. Other significant additions to the sign are St. Mary’s Church, which was established in 13th century, The Olde Green Dragon Pub, Shenfield Cricket Club and the logos of both schools.
The sign was launched by Charles Courage whose family have been benefactors to Shenfield over several hundreds of years. Charles shared memories of his family’s association with Shenfield
Also attending was Cllr John Aldridge, Chair of Essex County Council who explained more about the community funds available; the Mayor of Brentwood, Cllr Will Russell, and Cllr Barry Aspinell who had supported funding for the sign at County level. Students from Shenfield High School, Charlotte Simpson and Sophia Morgan also attended. Cllr John Newberry, chair of Shenfield Environmental Partnership, reiterated the importance of sharing and celebrating Shenfield’s history.
Guests were welcomed by Valerie Webb who commented that the project was a community effort which captures and celebrates the history of the village at a time of significant change.
