Chelmsford Cathedral
Chelmsford Cathedral is a parish church that became a cathedral. Outside it is a flint and stone town church of the fifteenth century, with a tower, a slender spire and a finely patterned south porch. Inside it is a surprise: a light, calm space full of modern art, from Peter Ball’s gilded Christ above the chancel arch to a sculpture of a child by a refugee artist from Vienna.
From town church to cathedral
A church was probably built here when the town was laid out around 1200. It was rebuilt in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, when the tower and the south porch were added. In 1800 workmen excavating vaults undermined the nave, which partly collapsed; it was rebuilt by the architect John Johnson, who used Coade stone, a hard artificial stone, for the piers and window tracery.
In the 1620s Thomas Hooker was the town lecturer here; he later sailed to New England and founded Hartford, Connecticut. When the Diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914 the church became its cathedral, and in 1954 St Peter and St Cedd, the apostle of the East Saxons, were added to its dedication. A reordering in 1983 gave the interior its present light, uncluttered look.
The visitor's cheat sheet
| Where | New Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1TY |
|---|---|
| Getting there | Under ten minutes’ walk from Chelmsford station (trains from London Liverpool Street); no cathedral car park |
| Opening hours | Monday–Saturday 7.30am–6pm; Sunday 7.30am–5pm; parts may close for events |
| Admission | Free; donations welcome |
| How long | Under an hour |
| Best time | A Thursday or Friday afternoon, staying for Choral Evensong |
| Dress code | None; it is a working cathedral |
| Tours | Group tours by arrangement with the cathedral office; free tours on Heritage Open Days |
Hours and admission checked against the official site in October 2026. They change; the official site is always the last word.
St Cedd. Cedd brought Christianity to Essex in the 650s and built the chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall at Bradwell-on-Sea, which still stands on the Essex coast. On the outside of the cathedral, Thomas Huxley-Jones’s St Peter of 1960 holds a modern Yale key.
What to see, in the order you meet it
The south porch
The fifteenth-century porch is decorated with flushwork, patterns of split flint set into stone, which Pevsner counted among the best in Essex. It was enriched in 1953 as a memorial to Anglo-American friendship.
The nave and the modern art
The nave is the one rebuilt after 1800, with its Coade stone piers. Above the chancel arch hangs Peter Eugene Ball’s “Christ in Glory” of 2000, and in the north transept is Mark Cazalet’s painted “Tree of Life” of 2004. In St Peter’s Chapel is Georg Ehrlich’s bronze “The Bombed Child”, made in 1943.
The Mildmay monuments
In the north transept, the monument to Thomas Mildmay and his wife Avice, erected in 1571, shows the couple with their fifteen children kneeling in rows. In the Mildmay Chapel is the grand monument to Benjamin Mildmay, Earl Fitzwalter, who died in 1756.
St Cedd’s Chapel
A quiet chapel for prayer, with an engraved glass window of St Cedd by Mark Cazalet and a “Mother and Child” by Peter Ball. Look too for the two organs by Mander, of 1994 and 1995.
Visiting
Free to visit
The cathedral is open every day and free to visit. Groups can arrange a guided tour through the cathedral office.
The hotel link goes to Booking.com. This site earns nothing from it at present — it is here because it is the quickest way to check what is actually available.
Don't miss
- The south porch Flint flushwork at its best.
- Christ in Glory Peter Ball’s figure above the chancel arch.
- The Mildmay children Fifteen of them, kneeling in rows.
- The Bombed Child Georg Ehrlich’s bronze of 1943.
- The Tree of Life Mark Cazalet’s painting of 2004.
- Choral Evensong On Sundays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Insider tips
Follow St Cedd to the coast. St Peter-on-the-Wall at Bradwell-on-Sea, the chapel Cedd built in the 650s on the walls of a Roman fort, is about 25 miles east of Chelmsford: one of the oldest churches in England, standing alone above the salt marshes.
Common questions
Is Chelmsford Cathedral free to visit?
Yes. The cathedral is open every day and free to visit; donations are welcome. Groups can arrange a guided tour through the cathedral office.
When is Chelmsford Cathedral open?
It is open from 7.30am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday and from 7.30am to 5pm on Sunday. Parts of the building can be closed for services, concerts and other events, so check the cathedral’s online diary before you go.
Why does Chelmsford Cathedral have American connections?
Thomas Hooker, the town lecturer at Chelmsford in the 1620s, left for New England and founded Hartford, Connecticut. After the Second World War the south porch was enriched as a memorial to Anglo-American friendship and to the American airmen who were based in Essex.
When can you hear Choral Evensong?
Choral Evensong is usually sung on Sundays at 3.30pm and on Thursdays and Fridays at 5.15pm, with a plainsong Evensong on Wednesdays. Special services sometimes replace them, so check the service list.
How do you get to Chelmsford Cathedral?
The cathedral is in the town centre, a walk of under ten minutes from Chelmsford station, which has fast trains from London Liverpool Street. There is no cathedral car park; use the town-centre car parks.
Where to stay and eat nearby
The cathedral is in the town centre, a few minutes from the shops, cafés and restaurants of the High Street. On some Saturday mornings there is coffee in the cathedral.
More English churches
- Thaxted church — a great Essex wool church
- St Albans Cathedral — Roman bricks and medieval wall paintings
- St Edmundsbury Cathedral — another parish church made a cathedral in 1914