Book Review – Secret Chelmsford

Secret Chelmsford by Jim Reeve.
Published by Amberley Publishing.
Jim Reeve is a local historian and has written a number of books on Essex. Secret Chelmsford is his latest. As I spent my formative years in Chelmsford I was looking forward to discovering some of the ‘hidden secrets’ of the town. I was disapointed. The title is misleading. It consists of a number of different aspects of the history of Chelmsford that have been repeated in many other books on the subject. The chapter on Law and Order appears to be composed mainly from the History Notebooks issued by the Essex Police Museum, with little original material being added. Indeed his definition of Chemsford appears to extend to Coggeshal and the exploits of the Coggeshall Gang (yes another History Notebook).
I found the book disjointed and contained a number of factual errors, which is a shame. An example says that the original cathedral was built in the C13th. Unfortunately Chelmsford did not have a Cathedral until 1914. The chapter entitled Secrets of Chelmsford’s Public Houses, lives up to its name, as in the majority of cases he fails to enlighten his reader as the their locations in the town.
I cannot recommend the book, which cost £14.99.