<P> County councils were created in England in 1889 . Essex County Council was based in Chelmsford, although it met in London until 1938 . Its control did not cover the entire county . The London suburb of West Ham and later East Ham and the resort of Southend - on - Sea became county boroughs independent of county council control . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Municipal boroughs </Th> <Td> Chelmsford, Colchester, Maldon, Saffron Walden, Southend - on - Sea </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Urban districts </Th> <Td> Barking Town, Braintree, Buckhurst Hill, Chingford, Clacton, East Ham, Grays, Halstead, Ilford, Leyton, Romford, Shoeburyness, Waltham Holy Cross, Walthamstow, Walton on the Naze, Wanstead, Witham, Woodford </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Rural districts </Th> <Td> Belchamp, Billericay, Braintree, Bumpstead, Chelmsford, Dunmow, Epping, Halstead, Lexden and Winstree, Maldon, Ongar, Orsett, Rochford, Romford, Saffron Walden, Stanstead, Tendring </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Municipal boroughs </Th> <Td> Chelmsford, Colchester, Maldon, Saffron Walden, Southend - on - Sea </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Urban districts </Th> <Td> Barking Town, Braintree, Buckhurst Hill, Chingford, Clacton, East Ham, Grays, Halstead, Ilford, Leyton, Romford, Shoeburyness, Waltham Holy Cross, Walthamstow, Walton on the Naze, Wanstead, Witham, Woodford </Td> </Tr>

What was chelmsford like in the victorian era