Chignal Smealy is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Chignall, on the north-western outskirts of Chelmsford, in the Chelmsford district, in the county of Essex, England. The local church (St. Nicholas) is a red brick building, containing an unusual red brick baptismal font which has been used for many christenings. In 1881 the parish had a population of 134.[1] On 24 March 1888 the parish was abolished to form Chignall.[2]

Chignal Smealy
Village of Chignall Smealy
The church of St Nicholas
Chignal Smealy is located in Essex
Chignal Smealy
Chignal Smealy
Location within Essex
OS grid referenceTL663113
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCHELMSFORD
Postcode districtCM1
Dialling code01245
PoliceEssex
FireEssex
AmbulanceEast of England
List of places
UK
England
Essex
51°46′41″N 0°24′58″E / 51.778°N 0.416°E / 51.778; 0.416

The village was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.[3]

The spelling of the village name is open to discussion. Sometimes it is spelt "Chignall Smealy" other times, it is spelt "Chignal Smealy".

The Queen's Birthday Flypast

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The open views from the village give an opportunity to watch the Queen's Birthday Flypast in June each year. The route is classified but in previous years the flight has been routed over the village then on to Hainault Country Park, Fairlop station and finally to the Mall. A flypast 14 miles long passed overhead at a speed of 310 mph, concluded by Concorde escorted by the Red Arrows.

The Village

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Chignall Smealy has a number of different clubs and groups including: Bowls Club, Chignal 4 Art, Cricket Club, Gardening Club, Wine Discovery, Women's Institute.

The Pig and Whistle is a traditional rural village pub, dating back to the mid-19th century[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Population statistics Chignall Smealy AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Chelmsford Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  3. ^ "European Severe Weather Database".
  4. ^ http://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/pub/chelmsford/pig-whistle.aspx Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine.
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