A chronology built from surviving Essex Record Office catalogue descriptions and oral-history records. Dates below identify the date of the source or recorded club session; they do not claim to be a complete history of every Folk Club night.
Annie Harding's 1999 oral history says she discovered Chelmsford Folk Club in the early 1970s, learned songs through the club circuit and regularly visited Chelmsford, Brentwood, Havering and Blackmore Folk Clubs.
Source: SA 30/7/1/16/1 — interview dated 24 September 1999.
Read Annie Harding oral historyColin Cater's 1999 interview describes his involvement with Chelmsford Folk Club after moving to Essex in 1970, including memories of the club moving to the Three Cups around 1970–71 and later use of the Golden Fleece and DJ clubroom.
Source: SA 30/7/1/7/1 — interview dated 16 April 1999.
Folk Club oral historiesSarah Graves's oral history places her singing with Judy Taylor at Chelmsford Folk Club during 1975–78, alongside her wider involvement with Chelmsford Morris and Lumps of Plum Pudding.
Source: SA 30/7/1/19/1 — interview dated 1 November 1999.
Sarah Graves oral historyThe surviving Jim Etheridge catalogue entry records sides 2 and 4 of four, naming Mick and Sarah Graves and Geoff and Penny Harris.
Reference: SA 30/6/402/1.
Performance recordsThe catalogue contains a detailed performance description for Martin Carthy, listing individual songs and tunes across the surviving recording.
Reference: SA 30/6/425/1.
Martin Carthy performance detailThe catalogue names floor singers introduced by Mick Graves, including Annie Harding singing “Reynardine”, followed by Chelmsford Morris marking its tenth anniversary with three dances.
Reference: SA 30/6/428/1.
Recording detailsThe surviving description names Popular Wobblies, Peter Billing, Geoff Harris, Simon Ritchie and Bobbie?, and Steve Morris, with individual songs and tunes. The question mark after “Bobbie?” is retained.
Reference: SA 30/6/653/1.
Recording detailsThe catalogue describes the first part of a Singers' Night, including introductory music, named singers/groups, dances from Seven Straw Braid and tunes from Phil Heath-Coleman.
Reference: SA 30/6/736/1.
Recording detailsEssex Record Office interviewed Sarah Graves, Colin Cater, Alie Byrne and Annie Harding in 1999. Together, the interviews cover different generations and roles in the Essex folk scene, including club management, performance, Morris dancing and changing audiences.
References: SA 30/7/1/19/1, SA 30/7/1/7/1, SA 30/7/1/10/1, SA 30/7/1/16/1.
Browse oral historiesA surviving catalogue description identifies a recording made at or of a Chelmsford Folk Club session.
A later interview preserves someone's recollection and experience. It may describe earlier years but remains an oral-history source.
The timeline deliberately does not fill gaps between surviving records. Missing dates are left as gaps rather than guessed.