This seat is just outside Greater London and shares a sizeable border with Upminster. The typical voter is middle-class and middle-aged, the seat having one of the highest proportions of voters over 40 and a majority of workers in managerial, technical and professional jobs.
Brentwood, the largest town in the constituency, is 19 miles from London and many of its inhabitants commute on the train to Liverpool Street.
A settlement was first recorded here in 1177 as Burnt Wood. Its derives from the fact that many houses sprung up after a clearing in a forest, where there had been a fire.
The second half of the constituency name is taken from the small town of Chipping Ongar, which is in the northern half of the constituency.
The Liberal Democrats do well in local elections here. At the 1997 general election the Cory vote dropped by over 12%, with the Liberal Democrat vote also falling by several percent, and Labour were the principal beneficiaries; but they still remained in third place.
In addition, the Referendum Party managed to hold onto their deposit here.