What it's like to live in Brentwood

There is a good spread of primary schools close in. Old Big School, St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Primary, St Helen's Infant and Nursery, St Helen's Junior and Hogarth Primary are all within about half a mile of the centre, so most families have a walkable option.

Secondary choice is unusually strong for a town this size. Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School for Girls, Brentwood County High School and Becket Keys Church of England Secondary are all under a mile, with Shenfield High School and St Martin's School a mile and a half or so out. That mix of community, church and single-sex schools is one of the real draws for families moving here.

For younger children there is plenty of outdoor space, plus Brentwood Library and Shenfield Library, and community centres at Merrymeade House, Maple Hall, Bishop's Hall Park and The Knights Way Centre. Just under one in five people in the wider Brentwood council area is under 16.

Brentwood station is about half a mile from the centre and Shenfield is just over a mile out, so you have two options for rail. Shenfield is the bigger interchange of the two. Between them they give you a straightforward route towards London and out into Essex.

Buses run from Brentwood High Street, where there is a cluster of stops lettered A through F right in the middle of town. That means most local services start or pass through within a few minutes' walk of the shops, library and health services.

On foot, the town centre is genuinely walkable. Supermarkets, pharmacies, the shopping centre, gyms and the library are all within a quarter of a mile of each other. If you drive, the town is well placed for the wider Essex road network, though High Street parking is the usual town-centre juggle.

Green space is the best of it. South Weald Deer Enclosure is a few minutes from the centre, and Merrymeade Country Park, Shenfield Common and Brentwood Sports Ground are all within a third of a mile. BASE Brentwood Green adds another patch nearby. For a town this built-up, that is a lot of walking and kicking-a-ball room.

Brentwood has a reputation for going out, and it earns it. Sugar Hut and Zebrano are both in or near the centre, and the pub choice runs from The Dairyman and the Victoria Arms to The Brentwood Kitchen and The Darts Venue. If you want a quiet street, look a little away from the High Street.

For fitness there is Better Gym and PureGym in the centre, plus smaller personal training studios. Rock Now Music Academy is about a mile and a half out.

The Brentwood council area does well on work. Around 60.3% of adults are in employment against 57.4% across England, and unemployment sits at 2.6% compared with 3.5% nationally. Benefit claims among 16 to 64 year olds were 2.5% in August 2026, well below the England figure of 4%.

A lot of that is commuting. With two stations nearby, plenty of residents work in London and travel in, while local jobs cluster around the High Street shops, the shopping centre, health services and schools.

There is a healthy private healthcare presence around the town centre too, including Brentwood Hospital and several clinics and diagnostic centres within a quarter of a mile of the middle of town.

Brentwood is a homeowner's town. Almost 72% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage, 16% are privately rented and only 11.3% are social rented, against 17.1% across England. Council homes make up 8.2% and housing association 3.1%.

Brentwood Borough Council is easily the biggest social landlord with around 2,387 homes. After that come London & Quadrant Housing Trust with 217, Clarion Housing Association with 202, Delta Housing with 151 and Brentwood Housing Trust with 142.

Rents are modest. Average weekly social rents in the council area for 2024/25 were about £106 for a one-bed, £118 for a two-bed and £141 for a three-bed. The age profile is close to the national picture, though slightly more people are 65 and over, at 20.2% against 18.4% for England.