Site of Napoleomic Chelmsford Entrenchments, between Widford & Galleywood (EHER 8931)

Part of the Napoleonic defences of Chelmsford, constructed 1803, disused 1815. Mostly destroyed; small areas survive as earthworks and cropmarks.

Part of the Napoleonic defences of Chelmsford, constructed 1803. The bastion trace ran for 2.8 km between Star Fort at Widford and artillery fort at Galleywood. The defences were never used, and dismantled by 1813. The bastion trace comprised of ditch and rampart, and zig-zagged from the Star fort at Widford, through the grounds of the present St Johns Hospital, across Wood St and onto Galleywood between the present Galleywood Rd and Beehive Lane. Some survive on the golf course as golfing hazards. <1> <2> Elsewhere some survived until as late as the 1950's, but most were levelled during the course of the C19. Although observed in APs, most of the area where the trace was located is now under housing development. A parchmark of a section of the trace beneath the present Chelmer Park is visible on AP <3> <1>.<4>. In 2024 a short section of the defensive line was archaeologically excavated and recorded in advance of a residential development at Pyms Road, which showed its profile and various lenses of backfilling. It also allowed for a reassessment of the line's alignment; the excavation did not expose an entranceway through the defences as anticipated, but did identify a return to the west, suggesting the entranceway actually lies to the north of the excavation area. <5> Information from NRHE During the Napoleonic Wars a comprehensive system of earthworks and batteries was built at Chelmsford. The defences appear to have been begun prior to the peace of 1802 and were completed after the renewal of hostilities. Their course is shown on a copy of a lost plan dated to c1804. A bastion trace ran from the base of Wood Street and the London Road, ascending the strategic rise of Moulsham to Galleywood fort and redoubts (TL 70 SW 21). The roads to London, Colchester, Billericay and Maldon were covered on the left of the bastion trace by 'Star Battery' (TL 60 SE 14). The defences were being dismantled by 1813, with the ordnance shipped out at the termination of the war in 1815. Almost nothing now survives. The OS show traces of embankments to the south of St John's Hospital and the western end of these is still visible on the golf course. The rest of the bastion trace is lost under the Moulsham, Tile-Kiln, Galley-End and Galley-Dean developments although there may be some traces of the southernmost redoubt on private ground. <6> (TL 6993 0489) Batteries (Disused) (NAT). <7> a great entrenched camp was built on the heights above Chelmsford, designed to protect the left flank of the east coast army. <8> A plan dated 1804 survives in Essex Record Office (D/DU 289/47) showing an entrenched camp to the south of Chelmsford stretching from the high ground of the Old Barracks at Widford - now the site of St John's Hospital - to the summit of Galleywood Common. Construction began in August 1803. <9> TL 707038 (GCE) A unified system of defence works c 3.7m long, comprising two artillery forts with outlying gun batteries all linked by a bastion trace with supporting redoubts. The defences were constructed by military authorities in 1803 as a temporary fieldwork protecting London and were designed to block an advance along the main roads leading to London from Clacton and Maldon. South of Chelmsford these approaches converged and these defensive works were planned and constructed by the Royal Engineers whose original plan and report survives in the Public Records office (MR 1401). The two forts - one at Widford and the other at Galleywood commanded the roads from the coast. The bastion trace running between the forts protected against and outflanking manoeuvre and commanded the northern and eastern crests of the intervening plateau of land. The only parts of the entrenchments still to survive as earthworks are situated on Chelmsford Golf Course and the fort plus two outwork gun batteries on Galleywood Common. The traces of the bastion on the Golf Course comprises the northern flank and part of the north-western face of the first bastion centred at TL 6986 0488, on the front edge of the first tee. The west face and most of the north-west face have been destroyed by a wide sunken way running parallel to the fairway. Immediately to the north the north-west face of the bastion survives as an overgrown flat-topped mound up to 1.5m high and defaced on both sides by small quarries or disused bunkers, the course was redesigned in 1936 (5a). After 13m it is cut through by a path, the rampart emerging on the far side reduced in height roughly to the level of the tee and running east-west showing that it is now the northern flank. Just past the easternmost corner of the tee the inner face of the rampart turns to the north-east and runs for a few metres before it is cut through by a path to St John's Hospital grounds: this marks the start of the short length of curtain which originally linked this bastion to the next one in the trace. The ditch in front of the bastion has been infilled and lies beneath the tee. Two grassy mounds at right angles to the rear of the northern flank are gun platforms. Both are now very rounded and have been partly disfigured by disused bunkers, but are still recognisable from their near level tops and sloping ramp to the rear. Parts of the entrenchments are visible as cropmarks on APs (see archive text in NMR). All the earthwork remains of the entrenchments were surveyed at 1:1000 scale by RCHME. See archive in NMR for complete earthwork and survey descriptions. <10> Additional references <2> <11> - <15>