1920

1921

Bill Watson and Fred Hinton own the first bus in Laindon when they purchase a second hand open top double dekker. The first service, possibly begun in 1922, was to Billericay Hospital via Noak Hill. A second bus joined the fleet, which had become known as Hinton's Laindon & District Motor Services, but by 1924 they had sold out to Tom Webster of Old Tom Motor Services.

Tom Webster establishes a bus service from Laindon Station to Wash Road. Old Tom Motor Services, as his business became known, operated from premises at Manor Road in Laindon until 1936, when he sold out to 'New Empress Saloons Ltd' - operators of the City services.

The Vange and Pitsea Working Men's Social Club established. The club and headquarters, based in the High Road, Vange, is still active and a notable venue for live entertainment.

19 June

1921 Census statistics for Basildon district now stand at 4,489.

1922

Pitsea War Memorial unveiled in the Broadway. Years later in 1969 it was moved to Howard Park, Pitsea, where it can be seen today. It is also Grade II listed.

15 November

Mr. Frank Hilder elected Conservative MP for the Essex South Eastern parliamentary constituency - including Basildon. Conservatives win General Election.

1923

6 December

Mr. Philip Christopher Hoffman elected Labour MP for the Essex South Eastern parliamentary constituency - including Basildon. Majority 1,600. The General Election produced a hung parliament. The Conservative party won the most seats but the first ever Labour government was formed which lasted until October 1924.

1924

Gifford House, a large residential home is built in London Road, Bowers Gifford. The property, built originally for the Rector of Bowers Gifford and standing in one acre of land, would later acquire singular importance in the Basildon New Town story following acquisition and occupation by Basildon Development Corporation in 1949. It remained their headquarters until 1984 and was further used by their successor the Commission for The New Towns through to 1995. The house was demolished in 2002 and is now the site of Bowers Gifford Care Home.

1st Pitsea and Vange Scout Group formed. They are the oldest scout group still in existence in the Basildon area having been active since their formation.

A Post Office is established at Henderson's General Stores in Lower Dunton Road, Dunton, between First and Second Avenues. Run as a family concern, a further store & cafe opened at the Junction of Hillcrest Avenue and First Avenue in a house called 'Everest'. Although both had closed by the mid 1960s, Everest, which stood on the Dunton Hills estate, was among the last properties to be demolished (following a fire), during the final wave of Development Corporation compulsory purchase orders issued in 1984.

3 July

An auction of plots on the Dunton Hills Estate is scheduled to take place. The auction, conducted in a marquee on the Estate, was for the first portion of 183 plots. These were being offered as choice freehold building land on former agricultural farmland.

18 September

First edition of the "Laindon Weekly News" newspaper appears. Priced at 1d, it is believed to have only lasted 3 or 4 editions. The proprietors, E.J. Baigent and Son of High Road, Laindon, later produced "The Laindon Advertiser and Timetable".

29 October

Mr. Herbert William Looker elected Unionist MP for the Essex South Eastern parliamentary constituency including Basildon. Conservatives win General Election.

1925

In 1925 a chapel that had been used for daily Mass at the Wembley Exhibition (1924-25) was transferred to Laindon and dedicated to St Therese of Lisieux.

The first Pitsea Market is opened on land at Station Lane. The market would later move in 1969 to the former field abounding Station Lane and High Road, before a second move in the mid 1970s, which saw it resited to the rear of the Railway Hotel public house.

25 March

London to Southend A127 Arterial Road opened by H.R.H. Prince Henry. Work on building the new purpose built road, the first of its kind in England, began in 1921. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place at Rayleigh Weir; the Prince, 3rd son of King George V, then departing to Southend to conclude the event. Initially single carriageway through Basildon, it was later duelled and a cycle path added around 1937. In 1936 it became a Trunk Road as defined under the new Trunk Roads Act 1936. A planned realignment of the section between the Dunton Wayletts junction and the Nevendon A132 junction was proposed in the 1990s, but was rejected on a number of issues.

1926

3 April

Manor Mission in Manor Road, Laindon, opened. The original church began as a hut in the grounds of Laindon Manor Hall and was called Manor Hall Mission. Manor Mission was built on land originally owned by the Manor and since completion of the new building, was renamed Manor Mission. The Manor House was demolished many years ago and the area redeveloped.

1927

The Jolly Cricketers public house in Nevendon opened. It replaced an earlier pub of the same name that once stood in Nevendon Road, and probably to take advantage of the recently opened A127, Southend Arterial Road. Its direct position facing the London bound carriageway of the A127 changed in the early 1970s when the Nevendon flyover was constructed though for many years could still be accessed via Nevendon Road. It remained open until 2002 and was later acquired for redevelopment. A fire in 2003 destroyed much of the building which was demolished soon after in September 2003. Business units have now replaced the former pub.

26 October

A purpose-built Sanatorium for children suffering from tuberculosis opens at Dry Street in Langdon Hills. The opening ceremony was performed by the Mayor of West Ham, Alderman Ernest Reed, whose council had purchased the 100 acre site including a large farmhouse. Years later in the 1950s, the hospital closed and the building found a new use - this time for dogs - as the privately owned Wootton House Boarding Kennels. A service it still provides today. In 1964 much of the grounds were purchased by Essex County Council for conservation.

1928

The 'new' Fortune of War Hotel public house opens. This public house sited on the corner of the former roundabout where the Laindon High Road once crossed the A127 London/Southend road was built to replace an earlier building also called 'Fortune of War' that still stands at the northern end of High Road (now Wash Road West), Laindon. During the 1980s it was briefly known as The Hustlers before spending its final years as 'The Fortune'. It closed in August 2003 and was demolished during September/October 2003. The site now comprises residential homes and flats.

Hickley established. Known locally for years as Hickley's & Sons, this long established business specialised in motor repairs and garage services in the High Road, Pitsea. They also had an electrical outlet adjacent to the garage, offering radio/television sales and repair, plus another shop at Vange, and from 1959 a shop at 2 Broadway North. They survived until at least the mid 1990s.

1929

Joseph Toomey opens a new business selling motor cycles called Laindon Accumulators.

Laindon High Road school opened. The school, situated in the High Road, Laindon, originally took pupils of all ages until 1933 when a new primary school opened at Markhams Chase. The school became a secondary modern until the reorganisation of secondary education which changed its status to comprehensive from September 1968. The first headmaster was Mr. George Radford who remained in charge until retiring in 1949. The school closed in August 1998 and for two years became the site of the James Hornsby High School. When that school vacated to another site the majority of the school remained unused and was finally sold by Essex County Council and demolished in May 2007. A housing estate now stands on the site of the former school.

March

The Laindon Picture Theatre opens in High Road, Laindon. Later renamed the Picture Palace and later still The Radion, it provided seating for 680 and a stage where variety shows would often take place. The cinema would remain open until 1969 when the building was demolished to make way for a new High Road dual carriageway.

30 May

Mr. John Richard Oldfield elected Labour MP for the Essex South Eastern parliamentary constituency - including Basildon. Majority 626. The General Election produced a hung parliament. The Labour Party won the most seats and a second minority Labour government was formed.