Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England, and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately north east of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester. The town currently has a population of approximately 102,400.

The main conurbation incorporates all or part of the former parishes of: Broomfield, Great Baddow, Moulsham, Widford and Springfield, including Springfield Barnes, now more commonly know as Chelmer Village.

The town is surrounded by many small villages that retain their original charm (examples of these are Danbury, Writtle, Good and High Easter, Roxwell, Mashbury, Chignal Smealy, Little Baddow, Great and Little Waltham, Howe Street, Pleshey and Bicknacre).

Chelmsford is a modern, well placed town that has a large number of commuters who work in the City of London financial sector, and its residents are known as 'Chelmsfordians'.

History

Early history

In 1199 the Bishop of London was granted a Royal Charter for Chelmsford to hold a market, marking the origin of the modern town. An under-cover market, operating Tuesday to Saturday, is still an important part of the town centre over 800 years later. The town's name is derived from 'Ceolmaer's ford' which was close to the site of the present High Street stone bridge. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the town was called 'Celmeresfort' and by 1189 it had changed to 'Chelmsford'.

Before 1199, there were settlements nearby from ancient times. A Neolithic and a late Bronze Age settlement have been found in the Springfield suburb, and the town was occupied by the Romans. A Roman fort was built in AD 60, and a civilian town grew up around it. The town was given the name of Caesaromagus (the market place of Caesar), although the reason for it being given the great honour of bearing the Imperial prefix is now unclear — possibly as a failed 'planned town' provincial capital to replace Londinium or Camulodunum. The remains of a mansio, a combination post office, civic centre and hotel, lie beneath the streets of modern Moulsham, and the ruins of an octagonal temple are located beneath the Odeon roundabout.

The town became the seat of the local assize during the early 13th century (though assizes were also held at Brentwood) and by 1218 was recognised as the county town of Essex, a position it has retained to the present day. Chelmsford was significantly involved in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, and Richard II moved on to the town after quelling the rebellion in London. Many of the ringleaders were executed on the gallows at what is now Primrose Hill.

An important Anglo-Saxon burial was discovered at Broomfield to the north of Chelmsford in the late 19th century and the finds are now in the British Museum. The road 'Saxon Way' now marks the site. In the 17th century many of the victims of Matthew Hopkins (the self-styled "Witchfinder General") spent their last days imprisoned in Chelmsford, before being tried at the Assizes and hanged for witchcraft.

Henry VIII purchased the Boleyn estate in 1516, and built Beaulieu Palace on the current site of New Hall School. This later became the residence of his then mistress, and later wife Ann. Soon after it became the residence of Henry's daughter, by his first marriage, Mary I.

King Robert I of Scotland, better known as Robert the Bruce had close ties with the nearby village of Writtle and there is some evidence to suggest he was born at Montpeliers Farm in the village, but the story is disputed and possibly conflated with his father, Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale.

World War II

During World War II Chelmsford, an important centre of light engineering war production, was attacked from the air on several occasions, both by aircraft of the Luftwaffe and by missile. The worst single loss of life took place on Tuesday 19 December 1944, when the 367th Vergeltungswaffe 2 or V2 rocket to hit England fell on a residential street (Henry Road) near the Hoffmans ball bearing factory and not far from the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company factory in New Street which may also have been the target. (It is seen being protected by a barrage balloon in a wartime photograph.) Thirty-nine people were killed and 138 injured, 47 seriously. Several dwellings in Henry Road were completely destroyed, and many in nearby streets were badly damaged. A recently restored monument to the dead is in the borough cemetery in Writtle Road.

The GHQ Line part of the British hardened field defences of World War II runs directly through Chelmsford with many pillboxes still in existence to the north and south of the town. Faded camouflage paint still remains on old buildings near Waterhouse Lane.

Hylands Park, the site of the annual V festival, then hosted a Prisoner of war camp, and from 1944 was the headquarters of the Special Air Service (SAS).

Recent history

Since the 1980s Chelmsford has suffered from a decline in its defence-related industries, most notably The Marconi Company with all of its factories closing. However, the town's location close to London and at the centre of Essex has helped it grow in importance as an administrative and distribution centre. The one-time largest employer in Chelmsford, R.H.P. (the former Hoffman ball bearing manufacturing Company) closed its New Street/Rectory Lane site in 1989. Some of the factory remains and have been converted into luxury apartments and a health club although most of the site was demolished to make way for the Rivermead Campus of the Anglia Ruskin University

Beaulieu Park, 'The Village' and Chancellor Park are some of the most recent large scale housing developments built in the town to complement earlier developments such as Chelmer Village which was built throughout the 1980s.

In 2007, the Channel 4 programme "Location, Location, Location" voted Chelmsford as the 8th best place to live in the UK.

Local government and politics

Chelmsford is at the geographic and political centre of Essex and has been the county town since 1215. It is the location of the headquarters of Essex County Council at County Hall on Market Road and the headquarters of Chelmsford Borough Council on Duke Street. The headquarters of Essex Police are located in the Springfield area of the town at Kingston Crescent.

Chelmsford formed part of the ancient Chelmsford hundred of Essex. It was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1888, under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act 1882. In 1934 the borough was enlarged by gaining from Chelmsford Rural District, including parts of the parishes of Broomfield, Springfield, Widford and Writtle.

Several years ago Chelmsford was labelled a mere clone town; however new developments are proving the statement wrong, with new business opportunities around the town. Sizeable businesses are now based in the Chelmsford Business Park at Boreham housing companies such as the Anderson Group. The town also has a low unemployment rate (1.6% in 2002) and a well-educated workforce, with 9% holding a degree or above (in 2002; British average: 7.1%).

Chelmsford has a vibrant nightlife scene with many nightclubs, pubs, wine bars and restaurants in the town centre area, particularly in Duke Street, Moulsham Street, the town centre end of Baddow Road and the bottom section of Springfield Road. Its central Essex location and good public transport links make the town ideal for revellers to visit from surrounding areas.

Marconi

In 1899, Guglielmo Marconi opened the world's first "wireless" factory under the name The Marconi Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company in Hall Street employing around 50 people. The company was later called the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company Ltd. For this reason Chelmsford is credited as the "birthplace of radio", and this phrase can be seen on administrative signs on major roads entering the town although this statement is disputed.

Marconi soon outgrew its Hall Street premises and in June 1912 the company moved to a brand new purpose built factory in New Street that still stands today. On 15 June 1920 the factory was the location of the first official publicised sound broadcast in the United Kingdom, featuring Dame Nellie Melba using two radio broadcasting masts.

In 1922 the world's first regular wireless broadcasts for entertainment began from the Marconi laboratories at Writtle near Chelmsford — Call sign '2MT' in what was little more than a wooden hut.

In 1999 Marconi's defence division, including the Chelmsford facilities, were purchased by British Aerospace to form BAE Systems. Two sites remain under BAE control; the Great Baddow site which is now BAE's Advanced Technology Centre and its Integrated Systems Technologies business at Glebe Road.

The military and secure communications division of Marconi was merged into Selex Communications was based at the New Street factory however they vacated the site in April 2008 with the remaining operations moved to nearby Basildon.This brought to an end of more than 100 years of the Marconi name in Chelmsford.

The New Street factory was scheduled to be redeveloped with work planned to start during 2010, however this fell through after the new site owners Ashwell Property Group entered administration in December 2009. The New Street site including the Grade II listed front façade remains empty, derelict and vandalised with its future uncertain much to the dismay of Marconi Veterans and Chelmsfordians. he built a huge new electrical engineering factory also called the 'Arc Works' in Writtle Road. The Firm was called Crompton and Co. and in 1927 became Crompton Parkinson after Colonel Crompton formed a business partnership with fellow British electrical engineer Frank Parkinson. During World War II the factory was frequently targeted by the Luftwaffe. In 1969 Crompton Parkinson Ltd was downsized and operations moved elsewhere after a takeover by Hawker Siddeley and the site was taken over by the Marconi Company and became the base for the newly formed Marconi Radar Systems Ltd.

After years of decline the Marconi factory finally closed in 1992 was wound down during the 1980s and finally closing for good on December 23, 1989. at its UK base in Newark on Trent with the historic R.H.P name finally disappearing in 2001. The soft drink company began life as the British Vitamin Company in 1948. However, the origins of the company can be traced back to a chemist's in the town's Tindal Street, where flavoured waters were on sale as early as the mid-19th century. The company changed its name to Britvic in 1971 after its successful brand, which was launched in 1949. Britvic has a large factory on Widford Industrial Estate with its head office located in Broomfield Road.

Transport

taxi]]

Rail

The Eastern Counties Railway arrived in Chelmsford in 1842, although owing to the geography of the town, three viaducts had to be constructed, the longest of which is the 18 arch Central Park viaduct. The station was built at the end of the second viaduct with the third viaduct at the River Chelmer at Springfield. The present-day Chelmsford railway station dates from around 1885 and is in the town centre and around 14,000 commuters travel to London Liverpool Street daily by rail making Chelmsford the busiest station outside of London which is completely non-terminus. The station is served by the railway franchise National Express East Anglia.

Services from Chelmsford are operated to London Liverpool Street and Ipswich, Clacton, Harwich, Braintree and Norwich, with alternating hourly services to Peterborough and Lowestoft. Despite having platforms elevated on a viaduct, the station has full disabled access via a lift for each of the two platforms and as well as stair access.This dates from an extensive refurbishment of the station's ground-level facilities in the late 1980s.

Bus

A new bus terminal in Duke Street opened in March 2007 which replaced an ageing 1930s Bus station. It incorporates shops and apartments and has a covered roof for passengers. This is mainly used by the First Essex Bus Company which has many routes around the town and beyond including the X30 Southend to Stansted Airport Flyer.

Essex County Council Highways & Transportation Department have considered the construction of a Bus Rapid Transit System to be built serving the Beaulieu Park/Springfield Area because of the increasing demand for Rapid Transit Plans in Ipswich, Colchester and Southend.

Chelmsford has a Park & Ride service that is based at nearby Sandon, just off the A12 at Junction 18. It runs from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday with five bus stops around the town (one near High Chelmer for shopping) and charges £2.20 per adult and free for old-age pensioners or people under the age of 16. An adult weekly ticket is £11.00 and Adult monthly £42.00. It currently has a capacity of 1,200 cars. Opened in March 2006 it has proved highly successful and is widely used.

Road

The main London to Colchester A12 trunk road which evolved from the Great East Road originally built by the Romans to connect London and Colchester, used to pass through the town but is now diverted around the east. The £34.8m nine-mile (14 km) bypass opened in November 1986. The A414 is the main east-west route through the Borough, and the A130 and A131 run approximately north-south.

Chelmsford is around 25 to 30 minutes' drive from London Stansted Airport (via A130/A120), and London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City, Luton and Southend airports are all within reach.

In the southwest of the town centre, the A138 meets the A414 at The Army and Navy roundabout which is notorious for its traffic congestion, even though the north–south road at this point is no longer part of the A12. Until 1986, when the Chelmsford bypass was opened, the roundabout was in an even worse state. Traffic lights were tried to improve matters in the early 2000s but that scheme was abandoned after a short while however some of the lights where recommissioned for early morning and evening part time use in 2009. The recently built bus lane on the A1114 Great Baddow Bypass and priority to traffic using it has meant traffic queues approaching the roundabout can now be over a mile long during peak periods.

The junction is unusual for its flyover, in a similar manner to the Hogarth Roundabout in Chiswick, London. It is bi-directional, being open where traffic goes one way into town (westerly) until 2.30 pm each day and one way (easterly) out of town after 2.30 pm The flyover is now closed from 9 pm every night. A two-way flyover has been mooted ever since the original was built in 1978: it is very unlikely to happen - the local council has stated that the cost would be prohibitive. The roundabout is still called "The Army and Navy", even though the public house from which the junction got its name has been demolished.

Licensed Hackney Carriage Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles

Following delimitation of the number of Hackney Carriage licences issued by the local authority in Chelmsford in 2005, the number of Hackney Carriage Taxis that can ply for hire within the Borough of Chelmsford has risen from 82 to 169 prompting a long running dispute between Chelmsford Borough Council and Chelmsford Taxi Association over excessive Taxi license numbers within the Borough.

At the privately owned Chelmsford railway station taxi rank,only the 116 Chelmsford Taxi Association affiliated Hackney Carriages are permitted to ply for hire at the station. There are 8 other Taxi ranks located within the town which are designated for all Chelmsford Borough Council licensed Taxis which are located at Barrack Square, Baddow Road, Bond Street, Fairfield Road, Market Road, Tindal Street, Viaduct Road and Victoria Road however the Barrack Square and Viaduct Road taxi ranks mainly operate at night for visitors to the pubs and clubs within that area and the Market Road taxi rank is only used during the daytime.

Licensed hackney carriages in the Borough of Chelmsford are easily identifiable as they are predominately black in colour, have white or light blue local authority license plates on the front/rear and illuminated green 'for hire' signs inside the front windscreen and illuminated rooflights. Any new Hackney Carriage licenses issued by the authority since delimitation in 2005, the vehicle must be purpose built, wheelchair-accessible, black in colour and have a minimum of five seats not including the driver. Licenses issued prior to delimitation the vehicles can be either saloon car design or wheelchair accessible type vehicles. Chelmsford Hackney Carriage Taxis can be flagged down by members of the public anywhere within the Borough.

Licensed Private Hire vehicles in Chelmsford are identifiable by their yellow local authority licence plates on the front/rear of the vehicles and lack of an illuminated rooflight. These vehicles are not permitted to ply for hire and must be pre-booked by telephone. They can be of any colour. All licensed Hackney Carriage Taxis and Private Hire vehicles in Chelmsford will have a large rectangular council identification sticker with its license number on the front doors. Both type of licensed vehicles are required to be tested for mechanical defects by the authority twice yearly in addition to the annual MOT test.

All persons holding a dual Hackney Carriage or Private Hire driver license within the Borough of Chelmsford must meet strict criteria as laid down by the authority which includes license renewal every 2 years, a Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure check every 3 years and a full medical examination every 4 years.

Future transport plans

Proposals for a bypass of Chelmsford connecting the A12 interchange at Boreham (Junction 19) and the A131 were put forward for public consultation by Essex County Council in 2006, the preferred route was announced in March 2007. It comprises the creation of 7.9 km (4.9 miles) of two lane dual carriageway and junctions connecting to the A12 and A131, it will sever 10 footpaths/bridleways and involve almost entirely greenfield construction. The scheme was estimated to cost £138 million in March 2007 The scheme still requires funding and planning permission with applications timetabled for 2009–2011, a public inquiry timetabled for 2012 and with an estimated construction start date of 2014-2016. The Chelmsford North Action Group (NAG) objects to this scheme on the basis stating the Chelmsford was to "be engulfed by huge motorways connecting the Channel Ports, via a new Lower Thames Crossing, A130, on to Stansted, M11 and A14".

A second new Park and Ride scheme on the A130 near Little Waltham in addition to that at Sandon began construction in March 2010 at a price of £7.9 million. There has been criticism of the park and ride as some worry it would be unable to provide a service to the nearby Broomfield Hospital from the new site. The Little Waltham Park and Ride is due for completion in April 2011.

A new second railway station for the town was announced in September 2009 and is due to be built near the Boreham Interchange. Completion for the project is likely to be in 2015.

Redevelopment

A major new development was completed in 2007 in the West End of Chelmsford just off Duke Street called "53 Park Central" which contains a new Bus Station, shops and luxury apartments. The lower level apartments of this development and the Bus Station area are sometimes called 'The Marconi Plaza', while the upper level apartments are part of the "Kings Tower". The Bus Station and shops were opened in January 2007 while the rest of the development was ready in September 2007.

Another site near the large suburb of Springfield is in its planning stages. It will be a new neighbourhood which will be an urban village containing 3,500 homes. This would include a new Chelmsford North East Bypass connecting the A12 interchange at Boreham (Junction 19) and the A131. Melbourne Court in Melbourne Avenue has received an £8,000,000 investment for extensive refurbishment and to create a new Neighbourhood Centre. This was completed early in 2009. Recently plans were revealed for 'Waterside', a large development of shops, bars and restaurants on the banks of the River Chelmer on derelict land near the Essex Records Office at the end of Wharf Road. If this development goes ahead, High Bridge Road connecting Parkway and Springfield Road would be demolished along with the adjacent gasometers and a new central link road would be built.

Another development recently finished is 'The Hub' in Waterloo Lane. This contains luxury apartments and two Restaurants. There are other new developments completed during 2009 including new private flats on the former car dealership on the corner of Rainsford Road and Parkway.

The former Anglia Ruskin University central campus off Victoria Road South was demolished in January/February 2010 and will be redeveloped for retail and leisure use. High Chelmer Shopping Centre underwent a refit during 2008/2009 with new flooring, lighting with a new front entrance and logo re-brand.

Places of interest

There are many places of interest within Chelmsford, including the 18-arch Victorian railway viaduct that spans the River Can in Central Park. One of three railway viaducts in the town that carry the Great Eastern Main Line. The Viaduct was constructed during 1842 by the Eastern Counties Railway Company and opened for passenger traffic on 29 March 1843. Chelmsford Cathedral which is located directly behind The Shire Hall. Originally called St Mary's Church, it became a Cathedral when the Diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914. It is officially the second smallest in England behind Derby Cathedral.

Chelmsford's two tallest buildings are Melbourne Court built in 1962 in Melbourne Avenue, locally known as Melbourne flats, and the new development completed in 2007, the 13-floor "Kings Tower" in Duke Street. They share the same height of . The tallest structure by far in the Chelmsford area is the former Chain Home radar tower in the urban village Great Baddow which rises to . It originally stood at Canewdon but was reassembled in Chelmsford in 1959 and is the only Chain Home tower still in its original unmodified form in the UK. It is a highly visible landmark throughout the town and surrounding area.

The Shire Hall is situated at the top of the High Street. Opened in July 1791 and built by local Architect and Essex County Surveyor John Johnson, it features a Portland Stone façade. One of the oldest and most prominent buildings in Chelmsford, it was built as a courthouse, which it has remained to this day.

Chelmsford Prison is a male prison and Young Offenders Institution, constructed in 1830. The 1979 film special of the TV series Porridge was filmed largely on location at Chelmsford Prison (while it was closed for repairs after a fire). The prison itself courted controversy for many years for its poor conditions, and was branded one of the worst gaols in the country by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in 2003.

Hylands House and Park just to the west of the town is a country house and parkland, saved from dereliction and purchased by the local council in 1966 after the death of the last private owner. Much damaged by fire and vandalism by the time of the sale, the house has now been completely restored by Chelmsford Borough Council. The house dates originally from 1730, and the park, currently was landscaped by Humphry Repton. It is open to the public and used for a wide range of community events, including the annual music festival V Festival. It is also available for weddings and other private hires including conferences etc.

Chelmsford Museum in Oaklands Park, off Moulsham Street, is a local history and industrial heritage museum which also incorporates the Essex Regiment Museum. A major £5 million extension and redevelopment scheme opened in January 2010 and the museum now includes exhibits and interactive displays focusing on Crompton, Marconi, and Hoffmann, as well as illustrating the development of the town from prehistory up to modern times. It also holds pottery including Castle Hedingham ware and the Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry. There is a live beehive and a collection of beautiful 18th century glasses which were featured on the BBC TV programme 'Flog It!'. A second site at Sandon Mill - Chelmsford's former waterworks - displays further exhibits from Chelmsford's telecommunications, electrical engineering and rolling bearings industries.

Geography and climate

Geology

From over 600,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene ice age, until the Anglian Stage around 478,000 to 424,000 years ago, the early River Thames flowed through the area where Chelmsford now stands, from Harlow to Colchester, before crossing what is now the North Sea to become a tributary of the Rhine. Consequently gravel deposits are frequently found in the area and current and former gravel pits in the district are common.

Chelmsford has two rivers, the River Can and the River Chelmer. Although often confused to be the same river in the town centre, they are quite separate until they join together towards the east of the town to form the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation which heads out towards Maldon before flowing into tidal waters at the Blackwater Estuary. In the other direction the Chelmer comes from the north from its source near Thaxted while the Can comes from the West from Writtle where it separates from the River Wid.

Up to the 1960s these rivers were extremely prone to flooding the town centre area including two disastrous floods in August 1888 (known locally as 'The Great Flood') and in September 1958 (which also badly affected nearby Wickford) causing widespread damage. Flood prevention schemes in the 1960s on both rivers have largely prevented any further incidents here although the natural floodplains to the north and east such as The 'Baddow Meads' and The 'Chelmer Valley' continue to see flooding on a regular basis especially after prolonged heavy rainfall.

Climate

Being in the southeast of England, the town enjoys a warmer climate than most of the United Kingdom and has some of the hottest summers in Britain; it is also one of the driest places in the country. Temperatures can often reach 30.0 °C (86.0 °F) in the summer, this figure was last achieved in 2010. The hottest day on record in the town was on the UK-wide temperature record breaking day of Sunday 10 August 2003 when 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) was recorded. Thunderstorms mostly occur during July and August; however, they can occur anytime of the year.

During the winter the temperature rarely stays below 0 °C (32.0 °F) during the day and even with nighttime winter temperatures, it is extremely rare for it to fall below -5.0 °C (23.0 °F); hence air, hoar and ground frost together with freezing fog is very common from November through to March. The coldest temperature recorded in the Borough of Chelmsford is -20.0 °C (-4.0 °F) on December 29th 1947.

Snow although infrequent is sometimes seen in the winter months because the town is near the east coast where cold, moist air is brought in from the North Sea. Snow accumulation is generally seen in the Chelmsford area at least once every winter and snowfall accumulates for an average of . In recent years there has been up to three inches (8 cm) of snow on days in January and February which has resulted in minor disruption to transport and caused some schools to close. However the snow tends not to persist for a significant length of time.

The last substantial snowfalls in Chelmsford were on 14 February 1991 and 7 January 1982 when around to fell.

Education

John Dee, noted Elizabethan philosopher, magician and scientist and also responsible for the introduction to the first English translation of Euclid was educated at the Chantry School (later re-founded as the Grammar School) in the sixteenth century.

Chelmsford is also home to part of the Anglia Ruskin University (formerly called Anglia Polytechnic) and to the grammar schools of Chelmsford County High School and King Edward VI Grammar School, founded in 1551 by charter of King Edward VI on the site of an earlier educational foundation (although evidence suggests it could have been around as early as 1292).

A Catholic Secondary School in the area is St John Payne Catholic Comprehensive School. New Hall School, founded in 1642, is a private, Catholic boarding school which caters to pupils from the age of 3 right through to sixth form. The New Hall building, previously named Palace of Beaulieu has great history including that of Henry VIII.

Chelmsford College is the main provider of further education in the borough. Established in the early 1960s, the college occupies three sites in the town. The main site on Moulsham Street dates from the 1960s and the Princes Road site is a late 1980s building. There are around 2200 fulltime and 2,100 part-time students enrolled on a wide range of academic, vocational and occupational programmes. The College is rated as "GOOD" by OFSTED and holds the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) Champion status and is also an IiP Gold award holder.

Educational establishments in Chelmsford include:

Anglia Ruskin University

King Edward VI Grammar School, known locally as 'KEGS'

St John Payne Catholic Comprehensive School

Writtle College, an agricultural college

Great Baddow High School

Moulsham High School and humanities college

Hylands School Specialist Science and Sixth Form College

The Boswells School

Columbus School and College, a special needs school.

Chelmer Valley High School

New Hall School, established 1642.

Chelmsford County High School for Girls, consistently one of the top five schools in the UK for both GCSE and A-level results.

St Peters College, the former Rainsford High School, which is due for closure in August 2011.

The Sandon School

Chelmsford College a college of further education

Alyonushka, Chelmsford Russian School. Language School in New London Road.

Society and culture

Media

Chelmsford is home to local radio station Chelmsford Radio, but it does not broadcast from the town. The station recently moved to studios in Southend having vacated its Heybridge premises on 12 January 2009. The station was originally situated in Chelmsford until November 2006. This station was previously known as Dream 107.7 until February, and before that, 107.7 Chelmer FM up to 2002. The station began broadcasting on 18 October 1998. It is the local station for mid-Essex. Adventure Radio have owned this station since 2008, where it was purchased from Tindle Radio Ltd.

Chelmsford also has a local opt-out of Heart FM. Heart Essex (previously Essex FM up to June 2009) has been on air since 12 September 1981 and has been owned by Global Radio since 2007. It moved to studios in Glebe Road in late 2004, having previously been based in Southend-on-Sea. In May 2009 the station was rebranded to The Heart of Essex, Essex FM. In June 2009, the popular Essex FM née Essex Radio name brand was dropped after 28 years.

BBC Essex has been on air since 5 November 1986 and its studios are based in New London Road.

Publications based in Chelmsford include the Essex Chronicle, which was founded as the "Chelmsford Chronicle" in 1764. The weekly "Essex Chronicle" newspaper is the longest in continuous publication in the country. Until the closure of the printing plant in 2002, the paper was also printed in the town. It is now printed on presses by the Northcliffe Media Group which now owns the paper. Chelmsford Weekly News is a free local paper delivered to every home.

The fictional town of Framley in the newspaper satire The Framley Examiner is largely based on Chelmsford, along with surrounding areas such as Writtle (called Wripple).

Religion

Chelmsford Cathedral is the second smallest cathedral in England after Derby Cathedral. It was built in the 15th and early 16th centuries, when it was the parish church of the prosperous medieval town. The Diocese of Chelmsford was established in 1914 from part of the Diocese of St Albans. It covers all of Essex and much of East London.

Chelmsford is also situated in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood and the two dioceses are now uniquely (at least within England) conterminous. With the coming of the Reformation the Catholic community of Chelmsford was subjected to the anti-Catholic laws and Chelmsford was the site of the death of a Catholic martyr, Saint John Payne. In the 19th century native Catholics resurfaced and immigrants helped to build up the Catholic community. There are now three Catholic churches within Chelmsford along with a Norbertine canonry situated on New London Road; St. Philip's Priory. There is a synagogue which opened in 2009 in neighbouring Shenfield which serves the Chelmsford Jewish community, there is also a Jewish cemetery which has been there for many years.

Other denominations are also represented, the United Reformed Church, Baptists and the Seventh-day Adventist Church all have places of worship within the town. For the local Muslim community the Main Jamia Masjid mosque is located on Moulsham Street at the junction with Parkway.

Sport

Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic Cricket structure, representing the county of Essex. The club is based at the County Ground in New Writtle Street.

Chelmsford City Football Club play in the Blue Square South Division. The Club's home ground is at the Chelmsford Sport & Athletics Centre, Melbourne Park where they share with Chelmsford Athletic Club. Chelmsford is one of the largest settlements in England without a Football League team.

Chelmsford Hockey Club is a Men's and Ladies' (field) hockey Club based in the County of Essex (England). It has over one hundred and fifty regular adult playing members, of all ages and abilities, as well as a thriving youth section. It fields eight Men's teams and five Ladies' teams every weekend, including two Men's Veterans' XI's. The Ladies' 1st XI compete in the English Hockey League Premier Division and the Men's 1st XI compete in the English Hockey League Division 1. The remaining Men's teams play in the East League while the other Ladies' XIs play in the East Premier League and Essex League. The Club is undoubtedly one of the most successful Hockey Clubs in the country.

The Chelmsford Chieftains are an Ice Hockey Team that are based at the Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre and play in the English National Ice Hockey League.

The Chelmsford Rugby Football Club was established in 1920 and for the last 40 years have been playing rugby at Coronation Park, Timpsons Lane, Chelmsford. At present there are around 330 members and the club fields up to five senior teams each week. Chelmsford currently (2008) play in London Division North East 3 division. In addition to the senior teams there are 150 Mini/Youth members providing teams from under 6’s to under 17’s.

For the last seven years a Ladies' team has been established, although owing to the lack of proper facilities they only play on an irregular basis.

The Chelmsford campus of Anglia Ruskin University also has many sports teams including a football, netball, hockey, fencing, Rugby Union and American Football

Events

Hylands Park hosts the annual V Festival every penultimate weekend in August since 1996. The 21st World Scout Jamboree 2007 was also held at Hylands Park from 27 July to 8 August 2007.

Chelmsford is home of Essex street diversions, East Anglia's largest festival of international street theatre and the 3 foot People Festival, the UK's only 4-day festival exclusively for under-5-year-olds.

Notable people born in Chelmsford

, Tindal Square Chelmsford.]] Najma Akhtar (b.1962), jazz singer. Liam Chilvers (b.1981), professional footballer. Sarah Cracknell (b.1967), singer, Saint Etienne. Hazell Dean (b.1956), singer. James Gibson (b.1980), swimmer. Greg Halford (b.1984), professional footballer. Philemon Holland (b.1552), translator. Geoff Hurst (b.1941), 1966 England World Cup final player. Although born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, he grew up in Chelmsford. Andy Jenkinson (b.1979), musician also known as "Ceephax Acid Crew". Tom Jenkinson (b.1975), musician also known as "Squarepusher". Harry Judd (b.1985), drummer, McFly. George Clift King (b.1848), former Mayor of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Anne Knight (b.1786), anti-slavery campaigner and pioneer of feminism. Malcolm O'Kelly (b.1974) Irish international rugby union player. Tom Payne (b.1982), Waterloo Road actor. Grayson Perry (b.1960) Turner prize-winning artist. Nigel Spink (b.1958), professional footballer and UEFA cup finallist as well as junior goalkeeper at Writtle Minors football club. Joseph Strutt (b.1742), engraver and antiquary.

Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal (b.1776), lawyer, judge and Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

James Harper (b.1980), professional footballer. Peter Collins (b.1948), professional footballer, Chelmsford City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Guthrie Govan (b.1971), professional jazz/rock/fusion guitar player.

Nearest places

Twin towns

Chelmsford's official twin towns are: Backnang, Germany Annonay, France

Further reading

Foreman, Stephen: Hylands — the story of an Essex country house and its owners (Ian Henry Publications, 1999)

Lee, Janet Olivia: Chelmsford — Birthplace of Radio (Chelmsford Borough Council, 2001)

Lowen, Ceri: Hylands House — a brief history and guide (Chelmsford Borough Council, 2005)

Wander, Tim: 2MT Writtle — The birth of British Broadcasting (Capella Publications, 1988)

Weller-Lewis, Hugh: Chelmsford Borough Guide (Macmillan, 1995)

Wickenden, Nick: A Celebration of Chelmsford (Chelmsford Borough Council, 1999)

a town, its people and its past'' (Chelmsford Record Office, 1988)

Grieve, Hilda: The Sleepers and the Shadows Volume 2 Chelmsford: a town, its people and its past (Chelmsford Record Office, 1994)

Begent, Andrew: Chelmsford At War (Ian Henry Publications Ltd, 1999)

Torry, Gilbert: Chelmsford through the ages (East Anglian Magazine Ltd, 1977)

References

External links

Online guide to Chelmsford Local Community website

Weather Forecast for Chelmsford

Chelmsford Skycam

Chelmsford events

The Chelmsford images group on Flickr

Marconi New Street Redevelopment

Chelmsford Mini Guide

skyscrapernews Chelmsford

A Vision of Britain through time

Chelmsford Russian School "ALYONUSHKA"

Category:County towns in England Category:Market towns in Essex Category:Archaeological sites in Essex Category:Towns with cathedrals in the United Kingdom Category:Chelmsford Category:Towns in Essex

Name	Niki Tsongas
Image name	Niki Tsongas, official 110th Congress photo portrait.jpg
Caption	Tsongas in 2007.
Party	Democratic
Date of birth	April 26, 1946
Place of birth	Chico, California
Religion	Greek Orthodox
Alma mater	Smith College Boston University
Spouse	Paul Tsongas
State	Massachusetts
District	5th
Term start	October 16, 2007
Predecessor	Marty Meehan
Successor	Incumbent
Occupation	Social worker, attorney
Residence	Lowell, Massachusetts

Nicola Dickson "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas (; born April 26, 1946) is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

She is the widow of U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas, who had represented the 5th district in the 1970s. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts in 25 years.

Early life, education and career

Tsongas was born Nicola Dickson Sauvage in Chico, California, the daughter of Marian Susan (née Wyman), an artist and copywriter, and Colonel Russell Elmer Sauvage, an engineer in the United States Air Force who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was a 1964 graduate from Narimasu American High School in Japan, while her father was stationed at Fuchu Air Force Base, and then spent one year at Michigan State before attending Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. After graduating from Smith in 1968, she moved to New York City where she took a job as a social worker for the Department of Welfare.

Niki has a law degree from Boston University and started Lowell's first all-female law practice. In 1967, while spending the summer in Arlington, Virginia, she met Paul Tsongas, then an aide for Congressman Brad Morse. She married Tsongas in 1969. They had three daughters: Ashley, Katina, and Molly. Paul was a Massachusetts congressman, senator and in 1992, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination; he died in 1997 due to complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She has worked as the Dean of External Affairs at Middlesex Community College, and actively serving on the Lowell Civic Stadium and Arena Commission (which oversees the Tsongas Arena, the LeLacheur Ballpark, the Merrimack Repertory Theater, and the Lowell Plan).

Congressional career

When Meehan resigned in 2007 to serve as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Niki Tsongas ran for the vacant seat in a special congressional election. She defeated her four opponents in the Democratic primary with a 36% plurality of the vote. Her leading opponent in the general election, on October 16, 2007, was Republican Jim Ogonowski; in addition, there were two independent candidates and one from the Constitution Party. During her campaign she received endorsements from the three major newspapers in the area: the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and the Lowell Sun. Tsongas won the special election with 51% of the vote.

Tsongas faced no opponent in the 2008 election. She was challenged by Republican nominee Jon Golnik, a former Wall Street currency trader and small businessman, in the 2010 election., but kept her seat.

{| class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; width: 30em;" | of Massachusetts, which Tsongas has represented since 2007.]] The fifth congressional district of Massachusetts in the 109th Congress.

---

House committee assignments

Committee on Armed Services

*Subcommittee on Military Personnel

*Strategic Forces Subcommittee

Committee on Budget

Committee on Natural Resources

*Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

*Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands

|}

Economy and budget

Tsongas is a member of the House Budget Committee, and voted to instate the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act in February 2010. She has supported economic stimulus efforts during the late-2000s recession, including the Economic Stimulus Act (a tax rebate and incentive policy) in February 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (which established the Troubled Asset Relief Program) in October 2008, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a $787 billion economic stimulus) in January 2009.

Foreign policy

Tsongas sits on the House Armed Services Committee. In her 2007 election she campaigned on setting a timetable to end the Iraq War. The first bill she introduced in Congress, which died in committee, was to implement a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

Health care

Tsongas is an advocate for universal health care, and supports a public health insurance option as long as it "[is] self-sufficient, relying on the premiums it collects". In January 2009 she voted to reauthorize and expand the Children's Health Insurance Program. She voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act in March 2010. On her website, Tsongas explained her vote for the legislation, saying, "The bill preserves what is best in the current system," in regards to Americans' choices in health care, and that it "will reduce our nation's growing deficit over ten years by $104 billion" but stated that she was "very disappointed" at the restrictions on public funding for abortions built into the bill.

Clean energy

In a press release, Congresswoman Tsongas cited an increase in jobs of more than nine percent in the clean energy sector, more than twice the rate of growth of traditional jobs, over 1998-2007. Tsongas has also voted yes on the Energy Act of 2007, Alternative Energy Tax Incentives, and Energy Law Amendments (Cap and Trade), which aim to mandate increased minimum fuel efficiency cars may have in the U.S.A., reduce taxes for the producers of alternative energy, and institute an Emissions Trading system, respectively.

Social issues

Tsongas is an advocate for abortion rights. Tsongas had a 100% approval rating from Planned Parenthood in 2008. She recently voted against an amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act "that would prohibit all Federal funds... from being used to pay for abortion except in the case of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother".

Interest group ratings

On taxation and financial/budgetary issues:

Tsongas has received low or failing ratings from the National Taxpayer's Union, FreedomWorks, the National Tax Limitation Committee, and Americans for Tax Reform. Several of these groups work to reduce the role of federal government and create a flat tax similar to the one used in Russia and eastern Europe.

References

General biographies

Footnotes

External links

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas official U.S. House site

Niki Tsongas for Congress official campaign site

Blog on Blue Mass. Group

Boston.com: Tsongas receives endorsement from state treasurer August 21, 2007

Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Category:Smith College alumni Category:Boston University School of Law alumni Category:Spouses of United States Senators Category:Spouses of members of the United States House of Representatives Category:Spouses of Massachusetts politicians Category:Massachusetts Democrats Category:Greek Orthodox Christians Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from the United States Category:Female members of the United States House of Representatives Category:Women in Massachusetts politics Category:People from Chico, California Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:People from Lowell, Massachusetts

Jaguar Skills is a British DJ who has gained notoriety since 2002 for his eclectic 'Mash it up like Y.B' style mixtapes. Jaguar Skills has released a number of mixtapes through various outlets, including BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra, and now has a weekly 10 minute mix on The Trevor Nelson Show. He built his profile and learned his craft in clubs across London.

Early career

Skills' breakthrough came in 2002 when he met legendary Southern Exposure member 'Villain' aka Yunga game aka Y.B. He made a mixtape CD for clothing label Maharishi, which was well received. From there he went on to build his profile and learn his craft in clubs across London, with YB as an influential character in the Durrty Durrty South.

Jezebel Residency

In 2004 Skills was asked by Jade Jagger to take up residency at her famous Jezebel nights in Ibiza. Things quickly progressed and Skills started to DJ other Jezebel events across the globe including in Europe, Russia and Hong Kong.

Current Work

Jaguar Skills has a slot on Radio 1's Trevor Nelson show on Saturday night at around 8:00pm (GMT). His mixes are normally around 10 minutes, however he has created a 60 minute "30 years of Hip Hop" mix and two hour gaming and all-star mixes. In 2009 he carried out his second UK tour, visiting universities and nightclubs with the highlight date being in Cargo (club), London. There have also been reports that he will release an album in September 2010. He appears on the 'In New DJs We Trust' circuit on Radio 1, playing a one hour show each time there is a fifth Thursday in a month. The show consists of mash-up mixes and comedic soundbites. On 20 October 2010 Jaguar confirmed that he would be returning to tour in 2011 with a number of tour dates on his 'Revenge of the Ninja' Tour. The dates are as follows:

26 February 2011 – Manchester Club Academy 3 March 2011 – Liverpool O2 Academy 2 10 March 2011 – London Koko 17 March 2011 – Oxford O2 Academy 2 24 March 2011 – Brighton Concorde 2 26 March 2011 – Birmingham O2 Academy 2 31 March 2011 – Nottingham Rescue Rooms 1 April 2011 – Glasgow Arches

Traditions and Character

Jaguar Skills is famously known for playing the character of a ninja. During his live shows he is dressed as a ninja with a full ninja mask so that only his eyes show.

Traditions which have been created around Jaguar Skills include the response to the words "Jaguar Skills" which should be met with "HoooOOO" by the crowd. His identity is also completely hidden and was originally only known by Trevor Nelson. Jaguar Skills also revealed his identity backstage to other BBC Radio 1 DJs Vernon Kay and Chris Moyles as well as the backstage crew at Keele University. His ninja costume is designed to add mystery to his persona.

Discography

#1979-2006: A HipHop Odyssey airdate: 28 December 2006 #Disco King Mix airdate: 16 August 2008 #MOBO After Party Special airdate: 18 October 2008 #Beyonce & Jay-Z Remix Special airdate: 22 November 2008 #Nigerian Taxi Driver D&B; Mix 29 November 2009 #Imma Music Machine Mix airdate: 6 December 2008 #Workout Plan Re-Up 2009 airdate: 3 January 2009 #Blast Off Mash Up airdate: 10 January 2009 #The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air airdate: 17 January 2009 #Make Money Money Mix airdate: 24 January 2009 #Jump Up Mix airdate: 31 January 2009 #It's Time to Get Funky Mix airdate: 7 February 2009 #Official Adventures of Jag Skills on the Wheels of Steel airdate: 21 February 2009 #Drum and Bass Kitchen airdate: 28 February 2009 #Jaguar Skills vs Timbaland Mix airdate: 7 March 2009 #Classic Number One Selection airdate: 14 March 2009 #Trev and Jag's Road Trip airdate: 21 March 2009 #The Illest Emcees of All Time Vol. 1 airdate: 4 April 2009 #30 Years of Hip Hop in 60 Minutes airdate: 6 April 2009 #Motown Mashed airdate: 11 April 2009 #One Big Weekend Festival Rocker airdate: 18 April 2009 #Name That Sample Show airdate: 2 May 2009 #Big Weekend Set airdate: 9 May 2009 #2 Hour Computer Game Mix airdate: 26 May 2009 #In the Mix airdate: 4 July 2009 #Trevor Nelson Airways Mix airdate: 11 July 2009 #The Dubstep Twitter Mix airdate: 18 July 2009 #Ibiza 30 Minute Mix airdate: 1 August 2009 #Carnivale 2009 Mix airdate: 29 August 2009 #Sorry I Didn't Text You Back Trevor Mix airdate: 12 September 2009 #The No Requests: Kill the Heckler Mix airdate: 17 October 2009 #I Am the Rocketman airdate: 7 November 2009 #The VIP Disco Room airdate: 14 November 2009 #Original Pirate Material Mini Mix & BONUS 1xtra LIVE Mix airdate: 1 December 2009 #Mother's Day Mix 13 March 2010 #Sport Relief Mega Mix airdate: 20 March 2010 #Spring Mix airdate: 27 March 2010 #Easter Egg Hunt Mix airdate: 3 April 2010 #Twitter Mix airdate: 11 April 2010 #Classic Number One Mashup airdate: 17 April 2010 #Guru Tribute Mix airdate: 24 April 2010 #In New DJs We Trust airdate: 29 April 2010 #History of Drum and Bass airdate: 3 May 2010 #All Killer No Filler Mix airdate: 29 May 2010 #World Record Breakers Mix airdate: 5 June 2010 #Radio1 All Star Football Mix airdate: 12 June 2010 #Where the Girls At Mix airdate: 19 June 2010 #Michael Jackson Tribute airdate: 26 June 2010 #Back to Bizznizz Mix airdate: 31 July 2010 #Ultimate Holiday Mix 7 August 2010 #10 Years of Ayia Napa Mix airdate: 14 August 2010 #Hot Minute Mix airdate: 21 August 2010 #Carnival 2010 Mix airdate: 28 August 2010 #Hip Hop Till Ya Drop Mix airdate: 4 September 2010 #Classic #1 Mix airdate: 11 September 2011 #1Xtra Live Mix airdate: 18 September 2010 #Kanye West Meets Daft Punk Mix airdate: 16 October 2010 #Welcome to Autumn Mix airdate: 23 October 2010 #Spookalicious Mix (Halloween Special) 30 October 2010 #Access All Areas Mix airdate: 6 November 2010 #1Xtra DJ Takeover Mix airdate: 13 November 2010 #Soundclash Mix airdate: 20 November 2010 #Jag's Gone Bad Mix airdate: 27 November 2010 #Relationship Mix airdate: 4 December 2010

References

External links

Jaguar Skills' official website

Jaguar Skills' official blog

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:British DJs

Name	Guthrie Govan
Landscape	Yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Guthrie Govan
Born	December 27, 1971Chelmsford, Essex
Instrument	Guitar
Genre	Jazz fusion, rock, blues, progressive rock, funk, country, bluegrass
Years active	1991–present
Label	Cornford Records
Associated acts	Erotic Cakes, Young Punx, The Fellowship, GPS, Asia, Dizzee Rascal
Url	Official website
Notable instruments	SuhrStandardsClassicClassic T

Guthrie Govan (born 27 December 1971 in Chelmsford, Essex, England) is a guitarist known for his work with the bands Asia (2001–2006), GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes (a vehicle for his own music). He is a noted guitar teacher through his work with the UK magazine Guitar Techniques, Guildford’s Academy of Contemporary Music and currently the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. He is also a former winner of Guitarist magazine's "Guitarist of the Year" competition.

Biography and early playing career

Govan began playing guitar aged three, encouraged by his father but initially learning mainly by ear. At the age of nine he and his brother Seth Govan played guitar on a Thames Television programme called Ace Reports. At secondary school he was exposed, via older classmates, to "shred" guitarists of the time.) he sent demos of his work to Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records. Varney was impressed and offered him a record deal; ultimately however, Govan declined. Regarding his reasons he has explained: "it was as though all I really wanted to know was that I was good enough […] I found I was getting a bit wary of the shred movement."

In 1993 he won Guitarist magazine’s "Guitarist of the Year" competition with his instrumental piece Wonderful Slippery Thing (a version of which would eventually appear on his debut solo album); the demo of the track earned him a place amongst several other entrants in the live final, which he then won. Subsequently, he submitted a sample transcription (of a Shawn Lane piece) to Guitar Techniques magazine; this earned him a job as a contributor to the magazine, ending a spell working in fast food. Since the late 1990s, Govan has taught at the Guitar Institute in Acton, Thames Valley University, and the Academy of Contemporary Music; he currently teaches at Brighton Institute of Modern Music. In this context, he is known for his ability to teach a wide range of styles.

Playing career in the 2000s

Asia, GPS and The Young Punx

Govan began his involvement with Asia playing on the album Aura. With his work on the album complete, Govan was added to the Asia line-up for the tour to support the new album. Bad Asteroid, an instrumental in the live shows, was a Govan original composition; it dates back to his early 1990s demo. He went on to play on the band’s 2004 album Silent Nation.

In 2006, Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes left to reform an earlier Asia line-up; Govan and the other two band members, John Payne and Jay Schellen, formed GPS (named after the members' initials). After the addition of Ryo Okumoto on keyboards the band released the album Window to the Soul (2006).

Govan performs on a number of tracks on Your Music Is Killing Me, the debut album of UK electronic dance music act The Young Punx and is part of their live act. He also appears in the music video for their track Rockall.

Govan had been a member of Asia featuring John Payne with Payne, Schellen, and Erik Norlander from 2007 until mid-2009 when he was replaced by Mitch Perry.

Govan has played live acoustic guitar for Dizzee Rascal, including a performance on Later With Jools Holland.

Erotic Cakes and The Fellowship

Govan’s debut solo album, Erotic Cakes, was released through Cornford Records in August 2006. In the album's sleeve notes, Govan states the album is named after an episode of The Simpsons; he also explains that when playing live, the band is billed as Erotic Cakes rather than simply Guthrie Govan. In addition to bass by Govan’s brother Seth and drumming by Pete Riley, the album features guitar solos by Richie Kotzen (whose Los Angeles studio was used to record the guitar tracks on the album) on Ner Ner and Bumblefoot on Rhode Island Shred respectively. Seth Govan and Pete Riley also complete the Erotic Cakes live band. Previous versions of Waves and Rhode Island Shred appeared on the compilation Guitar on the Edge, Vol 1. no.4 (Legato Records, 1993).

Influences and technique

Govan’s earliest influences were Jimi Hendrix and Cream-era Eric Clapton; as such he describes himself as coming from a "blues rock background". elsewhere, fellow virtuosos Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert have praised Govan's playing.

Equipment

Govan mainly uses various Suhr guitars: the Guthrie Govan Signature Model, three custom Standards, a Modern 24-fret model, a Classic and Classic T. Govan also favours Cornford amps: the sleeve notes of Erotic Cakes state he has used an RK100, MK50 and Hellcat.

References

External links

Official Guthrie Govan Web Site

Cornford Records on Myspace Samples of the debut album

A YouTube clip of Govan improvising Sample of his fusion-jazz style

Another YouTube clip of Govan improvising Bluesy style showcasing Govan's string overbends to create melody

Category:Living people Category:1971 births Category:Asia (band) members Category:English rock guitarists Category:Academics of Thames Valley University

Name	Danny Dyer
Caption	Dyer at the Gumball 3000 Rally, London 2007
Birthname	Daniel John Dyer
Birthdate	July 24, 1977
Birth place	Canning Town, east London, England
Yearsactive	1993 – the present
Domesticpartner	Joanne Mas
Homepage	http://www.dannydyer.com/

Danny Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor, media personality and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.

Biography

, 02 October 2010]] Danny Dyer was born in Canning Town, an area of east London, he now lives in Debden, Loughton, Essex with his longtime girlfriend, Joanne Mas.

A lifelong player and fan of football, Danny is a big West Ham United fan, in late December 2007, Dyer became the chairman of Kent League's Greenwich Borough in South East London, appointed by fellow actor Tamer Hassan, president of the Kent League football club, stating: "I just love football and the chance of being involved with a club is like a dream come true."

Dyer was discovered at a local school by an agent who auditioned him for the part of Martin Fletcher in the Granada Television series Prime Suspect 3 (1993), beginning his acting career at 16. In 1995, Dyer also appeared in a television commercial for Coca-Cola.

His many other television roles include appearances in the 2003 Channel 4 drama Second Generation, directed by John Sen; as a football player in the second series of Hotel Babylon on BBC television; and as Matt Costello in what was supposed to be the pilot episode for Breathless, a BBC two-part television series in development from BBC Northern Ireland, renamed first "Blood Rush" and then Kiss of Death, when it premiered on BBC One as a one-part drama on 26 May 2008.

Beginning in 2007, Dyer became the presenter of The Real Football Factories and The Real Football Factories International, a TV documentary series on Bravo, for which he travels, in the former throughout the United Kingdom and in the latter throughout the world, to meet and interview football club fans and hooligans..He soon developed a huge cult following with his trademark combination of Parkas and Cockney lingo making him a national treasure.

Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men, "a gritty and hard-hitting documentary series that sees him venturing into the dark depths of the British underworld and hunting down some of the most notorious and feared men in Britain today", began airing on Bravo in the United Kingdom on 20 October 2008.

In April 2009 he turned down a role in EastEnders, claiming that although he thought the role sounded good, he didn't think he could cope with the pressure.

Film

Dyer's first film role was in Human Traffic (1999). His subsequent movie work includes Mel Smith's High Heels and Low Lifes (2001) and starring roles in Borstal Boy (2000), Mean Machine (2002) and in all four films by the British film director Nick Love: Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001); The Football Factory (2004); The Business (2005); and Outlaw (2007). April 2009 saw the straight to DVD release of City Rats. Danny has just completed filming Jack Said, a Brit noir thriller in which he played Nathan alongside Ashlie Walker, Terry Stone, David O'Hara and Simon Phillips which was released in November 2009 by Optimum Releasing. This film is the prequel to Jack Says which was released in 2008 and starred the late Mike Reid. In 2009 he shot several horror films including Doghouse under the direction from Jake West, Basement under the Direction from Asham Kamboj. He played one of the lead roles in the British vampire film Dead Cert. In June 2010 was cast for the lead role in the upcoming remake of the British horror film The Asphyx. Danny has just co-starred with Anna Walton in DEVIATION, a new British dark thriller written and directed by J.K. Amalou.

Theatre

Dyer has performed on stage, most notably in two plays written and directed by 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter: as the Waiter in the London première of Celebration (2000), at the Almeida Theatre, which transferred to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, in New York, as part of the Harold Pinter Festival held there in July and August 2001; and as Foster in the revival of No Man's Land (1975), at the Royal National Theatre, in London, during 2001 and 2002. In March 2008 he played Joey in a revival of Pinter's The Homecoming (1964), directed by Michael Attenborough, at the Almeida Theatre, in London. He also performed in Peter Gill's play Certain Young Men (1999) in London. He was also a regular columnist for Zoo magazine, until the magazine pulled his column after printing a response containing a suggestion to a heartbroken boyfriend to "cut his ex's face, so no one will want her".

He also appears in The Twang's 2007 video for Two Lovers.

I Believe in UFOS: Danny Dyer, a documentary which sees Dyer journey to various 'UFO hotspots' in the UK and the USA in hope of experiencing a UFO sighting, was broadcast on BBC Three on 26 January 2010.

Filmography

Films

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- | rowspan="2"| 1999 | Human Traffic | Moff | |- | The Trench | Lance Cpl. Victor Dell | |- | rowspan="2"| 2000 | Borstal Boy | Charlie Milwall | |- | Greenfingers | Tony | |- | rowspan="3"| 2001 | Goodbye Charlie Bright | Francis | |- | High Heels and Low Lifes | Danny | |- | Mean Machine | Billy the Limpet | |- | rowspan="1"| 2003 | Wasp | Dave | |- | rowspan="2"| 2004 | Free Speech | Mark | |- | The Football Factory | Tommy Johnson | |- | rowspan="2"| 2005 | The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael | Larry Haydn | |- | The Business | Frankie | |- | rowspan="2"| 2006 | The Other Half | Mark Lamanuzzi | |- | Severance | Steve | |- | rowspan="3"| 2007 | Outlaw | Gene Dekker | |- | Straightheads | Adam | |- | The All Together | Dennis Earle | |- | rowspan="1"| 2008 | Adulthood | Hayden | |- | rowspan="11"| 2009 | City Rats | Pete | |- | Malice in Wonderland | Whitey | |- | Doghouse | Neil | |- | Jack Said | Nathan | |- | Dead Man Running | Bing | |- | Just for the Record | Derek La Farge | Post-production |- | Pimp | Stanley | |- | The Rapture | Wraith | Post-production |- | Catwalk | The Photographer | Pre-production |- | Gunned Down | Vinny | Pre-production |- | Stingers | Coleman | In production |- | rowspan="4"| 2010 | Basement | Gary | Straight-to-DVD |- | The Devil's Playground | Joe | |- | Billy | | Pre-production, opposite Roxanne Pallett |- | The Last Seven | Angel of Death | |- |}

TV

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year ! Show ! Role ! Notes |- |rowspan="1"| 1993 | ''Prime Suspect 3 | Martin Fletcher | |- |rowspan="1"| 1994 | Cadfael | Bran | 1 episode: The Leper of St. Giles |- |rowspan="4"| 1995 | Loving | Bert | |- | A Touch of Frost | Shaun Everett | 1 episode: Dead Male One |- | Crown Prosecutor | Shane Cassidy | 1 episode: 1.5 |- | Loved Up | Billy | 1 episode: 2.7 |- |rowspan="3"| 1996 | Thief Takers | Alec | 1 episode: The Outcasts |- | The Bill | Gavin Parker | 2 episodes: Home Truths and Merrily on High |- | Bramwell | Danny | 1 episode: 3.3 |- |rowspan="2"| 1997 | Highlander | Andrew Baines | 1 episode: Avatar |- | Soldier Soldier | Gary Fox | 2 episodes: Line of Departure and Sounds of War |- |rowspan="1"| 2001 | Is Harry on the Boat? | Brad | |- |rowspan="2"| 2002 | Dead Casual | Wayne | |- | Foyle's War | Tony Lucciano | 1 episode: A Lesson in Murder |- |rowspan="2"| 2003 | Serious and Organised | Darren Evans | Recurring |- | Second Generation | Jack | |- |rowspan="1"| 2004 | Family Business | Yankie | |- |rowspan="2"| 2005 | M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team | Marc Sharaff | 1 episode: 2.4 |- | Rose and Maloney | Danny | 1 episode: 2.1 |- |rowspan="1"| 2006 | All in the Game | Martin | |- |rowspan="2"| 2007 | Hotel Babylon | Dave Osbourne | 1 episode: 2.2 |- | Skins | Malcolm | 2 episodes: Cassie and Michelle |- |rowspan="1"| 2008 | Kiss of Death | Matt Costello | |- |}

Stage plays

Certain Young Men (1999), by Peter Gill

Celebration (2000), by Harold Pinter

No Man's Land (2001–2002 revival), by Harold Pinter

The Homecoming (2008 revival), by Harold Pinter

Kurt and Sid (2009), by Roy Smiles

Video games

as Kent Paul (2002)

as Kent Paul (2004)

Notes

References

"Outlaw: The Movie". Gloucester.gov.uk 10 April 2007. Accessed 26 October 2008. (Hyperlinked video clip of interview with Dyer, Sean Bean, and Lennie James on filming Outlaw in Gloucester.)

Tilly, Chris. "Danny Dyer/Chris Smith Q&A;: Chris tilly [sic] Catches Up with the Star and Director of New Horror Flick 'Severance' ". Time Out New York 24 August 2006. Accessed 11 October 2008.

Utichi, Joe. "Exclusive Interview with Danny Dyer – The Business (release date: 2 September 2005)". Filmfocus.co.uk. [September 2005.] Accessed 11 October 2008.

External links

dannydyer.com – Official Website.

Danny Dyer "This is Who I Am" Interview Heat World June 2009

dannydyerfilms.co.uk

Category:English film actors Category:English television actors Category:English stage actors Category:Actors from London Category:People from Canning Town Category:1977 births Category:Living people