Brentwood was Essex first home ground from the formation of the club in 1876, and it was rented for stlg4 an acre. However hallfway through the 1880's, some people started to consider the ground too dificult to travel to and too remote from London. This and the small crowds the matches were attracting, forced a move of HQ to Leyton. Despite this festival matches continued, and it was only in 1969 with the development of the Chelmsford ground that Brentwood ceased to be a county venue.