Historical background

The Chelmsford French Circle began its life in 1953 and a few years ago, with a membership of over 100, it was the largest French Circle in the UK.  Currently, with a membership of some 85 members, it is still considered one of the largest.

The Mayor of Chelmsford has traditionally accepted being Patron of the club and normally attends at least one function each year.

People join Chelmsford French Circle for all sorts of reasons – to perfect our spoken French, to learn more about France and for the French members, to remind them of their roots. But there is one thing that we all share – a love of France and of things French. Whatever our native language, our country of background, our culture, or our role in the world, we at the Chelmsford French Circle, under the umbrella of the Alliance Française, celebrate every aspect of this extraordinary country and its people.

We have an interesting and eclectic programme of conferences of the highest quality, all in French, which covers a wide range of subjects. All Conférenciers have specialist knowledge and often personal experience of their subject. There are talks on history, the arts, language, people and places. There are theatrical or musical evenings. And, from time to time, there are special themed soirées, such as “Soirée Parisienne”, “Soirée Bretonne”, “Soirée de Noël”, wine tasting and “Soirée Beaujolais”.

Between all these relatively formal activities are our “soirées de conversation”, held in the homes of our members, where we chat in French, taste a drop of wine and generally enjoy one another’s company. All levels of French speakers are there, from relative beginners to French nationals. A good time is had by all and we learn to speak the language in the best possible way short of actually living in the country.

We hope you will come and join us.