20 Attractions to Explore Near Chelmsford Cathedral

Central Park is one of the oldest public parks in Chelmsford. It also includes Central Park Memorial Gardens, Frank Whitmore Place, Bell Meadow and Sky Blue Pasture with over 35.6 acres of parkland together with a Nature Reserve. Here you can enjoy beautiful flowerbeds, riverside walks and cycle paths, a model railway, children’s play areas, a lake, a skateboard ramp, tennis courts, a multi-use games area, and table tennis.

Chelmsford Museum is a majestic museum which will take you through Chelmsford's history, from the Ice Age, right through to the present day. From the chance to see a mammoth, or watch a princely Anglo-Saxon buriel, to finding out what used to be on your street, the museum has something for everyone.

Hylands Estate is a prestigious grade II* listed public park encompassing 574 acres of historic parkland. The beautifully renovated Neo-Classical elegant villa Hylands House can be hired for any occasion including Weddings, Celebrations and Business Events and is open to the public. Since 1966 the House and its surrounding grounds have been owned and maintained by Chelmsford City Council.

Danbury Country Park is a Green Flag award-winning and grade II listed park and garden set in the remains of the 13th century Danbury Palace. It offers ornamental gardens and lakes, woodland and meadows. Surviving historic structures include an ice house where before refrigerators, ice was collected from the lakes in winter and stored for the palace kitchens. One of the nice trekking destination and also you can spend some beautiful time here.

Hanningfield Reservoir is a 402.9 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Billericay and Chelmsford in Essex. It is owned by Essex and Suffolk Water and run by them in conjunction with the Essex Wildlife Trust. The reservoir is covered by a Bird Sanctuary Order. The Nature Discovery Centre is set in mature woodland and has proved a popular bat roost, with a beautiful carpet of Bluebells in the spring.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall is a public display garden run by the Royal Horticultural Society in the English county of Essex. It is one of five public gardens run by the Society, alongside Wisley in Surrey, Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, Rosemoor in Devon, and Bridgewater in Greater Manchester. The 360-acre Hyde Hall site encompasses a range of garden styles, from the Dry Garden with drought-resistant plants to the Hilltop Garden with roses and herbaceous borders.

The Museum of Power is a Museum that contains a fascinating collection which ranges from a working overhead machine shop to a petrol powered iron. The jewel in our crown is the 'Lilleshall' triple expansion steam pump now back on steam after 50 years. The museum hosts major events such as the Easter Transport Fest, Classic Vehicle & Vintage Show, American Car Show, and Bike Meet, which see a large array of visiting vintage cars, motorbikes, and American and custom vehicles on display.

The Combined Military Services Museum holds a nationally important collection of military artefacts. The Museum tells the story of the British fighting force from the English Civil War to the present day with unashamed pride. Spread over three floors the Museum offers the visitor the opportunity to discover our military history in their own time. The collection includes medals, uniforms, firearms, swords and one of the finest displays of Special Forces equipment anywhere in the country.

A beautiful country park which was covering 100 acres of open space the park is home to Sky Ropes, the fun, family-friendly high ropes adventure course as well as Essex’s longest kid’s play trail. It also includes giant see-saw, climbing forest, tyre swings, sandpits, rope climbers, slides, forts and a water play area, making it a great place for all ages to explore.

Cressing Temple Barns is a site rich in ancient history. Built in the 13th century, the magnificent Grade I listed Barley and Wheat Barns were part of large farmstead built by the Knights Templar. It was amongst the very earliest and largest of the possessions of the Knights Templar in England,[2][3] and is currently open to the public as a visitor site.

The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation is the canalization of the Rivers Chelmer and Blackwater in Essex. It runs through a largely unspoilt part of rural Essex with a footpath along its full length. The waterway passes highlights such as the lock at Paper Mill and All Saints Church in Ulting, joining the sea at Heybridge.

Marsh Farm Country Park is a great place for walks and superb river views. Its 300 acres of grazing marsh together with over 10 miles of footpaths is ideal for walking, running, cycling and dog-walking, and it is a great site for wildlife-spotting opportunities. An exciting array of activities and experiences await visitors including tractor and trailer rides, a bouncy castle, ride on tractors, craft activities, and a magic show.

Barleylands Farm Park in Billericay is Essex's real family farm park experience. With adorable farm animals, kids play areas and fun farmyard activites. Barleylands has a range of farm animals, reptiles, birds of prey, craft workshops and restaurants. They are well known for their animal care, popular children's birthday parties and events such as Lambing Live, Easter and Toddler Fireworks.

One of the unique and beautiful parks which was around 100 years old. It features an ornamental lake, kids splash park, beach huts, sandpits, a galleon play-ship area, zip-wire, and several picnic areas. The park hosts events throughout the year and provides spectacular river views over the Blackwater Estuary. One of the iconic locations where you can spend a good time.

The Epping Ongar Railway is a preserved railway, which runs along the last section of the old Great Eastern Railway and London Underground Central line branch line. Take one seat in one of the period coaches and watch the train pass through beautiful countryside from Ongar to North Weald, from here you can catch the heritage rail shuttle which takes you through Epping Forest and so more.

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker is a large underground bunker used during the Cold War as a Regional Government Headquarters. Since being decommissioned in 1992, the bunker has been open to the public as a tourist attraction, with a museum focusing on its Cold War history. It was originally built for air defence but turned into a regional government headquarters as the Cold War progressed. Now open to visitors as a museum.

Hopefield Animal Sanctuary sits on 53 acres of beautiful countryside in the heart of Brentwood, Essex. The sanctuary currently cares for over 500 sick, unwanted, and mistreated animals. It was one of the iconic attractions in this area and attracts a lot of tourists here.

Northey Island is an island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex. It is a Site of special scientific interest with a large area of undisturbed Saltmarsh. It is also the site of the Battle of the Maldon in AD991 making it Britain's oldest recorded battlefield site. Guided tours can be organised only by prior arrangement.

A beautiful nature discovery centre with some fantastic walks through ancient woodland and historic deer parks which lie close alongside recently planted woodland and a landscape of small pastures. It has 500 acres of beautiful woods and parkland with meadows and ponds. It's an ideal place for family visits as well as spotting wildlife. The Childerditch area is particularly good for birds and butterflies.

Weald Country Park in Brentwood, enjoy over 520 acres of woodland, lakes, hay and wildflower meadows, deer park, open grassland and spectacular views. The park started life as a medieval deer park during the 12th century and you can get up close to their resident herds of deer in the deer enclosure.