Chigwell Village is approximately 11 miles N.E. of London, and has been described as 'the first village out of London'. Chigwell's Location and travel information may be found on the Chigwell Useful Stuff page. Chigwell is mentioned in the Domesday Book and a little more recently in Charles Dickens' Barnaby Rudge - where the scenery of the neighbourhood is described. Mention is also made of the Kings Head Inn (Dickens' "Maypole") which is still open as a Pub and Restaurant. The infamous highwayman Dick Turpin is reputed to have connections with the Kings Head. Sir Alan Sugar - recently starring in the BBC TV show The Apprentice lives here. The TV Series 'Birds of a Feather' featured fictitious residents of Chigwell, although the filming was done elsewhere. William Penn, a former pupil at Chigwell School, was the founder of Pennsylvania in the U.S.A. Sally Gunnell MBE, Olympic Gold Medallist, lived in Chigwell and attended Chigwell Primary and West Hatch schools. Chigwell has connections with Tottenham Hotspur Football club and avid fans can often be found outside the gates of the Luxborough Lane training ground. The RAF had a base in Chigwell, which closed a number of years ago. For details of a fascinating book on the subject, check the link in the Chigwell Connections page. Ronnie O'Sullivan, Embassy World Snooker Championship player, is from Chigwell.
| 
