Shenfield, with Hutton, is part of the conurbation of Brentwood. The original town centre is located north-east of the centre of Brentwood. Apart from some small industrial areas and a modest but busy shopping area, Shenfield serves predominantly as a dormitory town for commuters to London and surrounding towns such as Romford and Basildon. This is facilitated by easy access to the A12 and the M25 and rail services. The parish church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and St Mary's primary school is located nearby. The town of Hutton, to the east of Shenfield, is now largely part of the built-up area.
Sport and Leisure
The village is host to the Shenfield Cricket Club, founded in 1921 and situated on the Courage Playing Fields. The land was granted by the Courage brewing family for use by the cricket club. The club's badge is a cockerel, which echoes both the trade mark of the Courage brand and the weathervane on St Mary's church. The Courage Playing Fields also contain a children's playing area and are planned to be upgraded by Brentwood Borough Council. There are additional playing fields on Alexander Lane, next to Shenfield High School.
Transport
is on the Great Eastern Main Line and is a junction for services for the Southend. Services are operated byAbellio Greater Anglia. Shenfield is also the terminus for the all stops service to London Liverpool Street operated by TfL Rail, with off-peak frequencies of 6 trains per hour. The station is at the eastern end of the high street. Shenfield's significance in the London commuter belt will increase as the Crossrail project proceeds, since it is intended to remain the eastern terminus. Currently, fast train services reach Liverpool Street in between 20–25 minutes. Slow train services, currently operating as TfL Rail before becoming part of the Elizabeth Line under the Crossrail project, take 40 minutes to reach Liverpool Street. The building of Crossrail has led to significant disruption to the train operations running through Shenfield in the last few years, particularly at weekends and bank holidays. Journey times are significantly impacted due to rail replacement services being in operation. Fast train services are most often replaced with a bus to Newbury Park station, where passengers can connect to the Central Line. Bus routes in Shenfield 9A 81 X81 339 351 251 608
Schools
There are two state secondary schools and two state primary schools. These are Shenfield High School and St Martins School, Shenfield St Mary's, Church of England school, and Long Ridings just on the edge of town between Shenfield and Hutton.
Retail and shopping
The shopping area in Shenfield is very suburban and was built in the 1930s. The shops include many bespoke local shops and business and some national chains.
Community spaces
Shenfield has a library, but it is at risk of closure as part of the Essex future library services strategy, in which it was designated a Tier 3 library.
Development
With CrossRail arriving in Shenfield in the near futurethe town centre, especially Hutton Road, is being redeveloped. The station forecourt will be changed drastically. The busy congested taxi rank will be relocated as well as the road being cobbled and new trees being planted and an information point added. Street lights in Hutton Road are being upgraded.
