1950

23 February

Mr. Bernard Braine (later Sir) elected Conservative MP for the new Billericay constituency including Basildon. Majority 4,366. Labour win General Election.

1951

Eastern National open a small bus depot at Bull Road (now Clay Hill Road), Vange.

The first new factory to open is South-East Essex Wholesale Dairies, at Cranes Farm Road on the Nevendon Industrial Estate No.1. They were still in occupation up to the 1970s.

18 June

The first new town tenants move into homes at 61, 63 & 59 Redgrave Road, Vange. Redgrave Road was later renumbered in the 1960s.

24 August

The first Master Plan for Basildon was approved by the Minister of Housing Hugh Dalton. It allowed for an anticipated population within the district of 80.000.

25 October

Mr.Bernard Braine (later Sir) re-elected Conservative MP for the Billericay constituency including Basildon. Majority 6,323. Conservatives win General Election.

1952

2 June

The second post-war Laindon Carnival is held at a field in Aston Road, off the High Road. The procession began at the Samuel Road High Road junction in Langdon Hills. The proceeds were in aid of the Laindon Community Hall Fund.

August

The first new shops to be built on a new housing estate were the Co-op and a Grocery store, opened in August, at Pendle Drive, Fryerns.

4 August

The third post-war Vange & Pitsea Carnival held on Bank Holiday Monday. Up to 8,000 people lined the 1½ mile long route beginning at the original Bull Inn in Bull Road (now Clay Hill Road) and the Gun Meadow at Bowers Gifford.

1953

9 October

A large collection of Late Bronze Age metalwork was uncovered at Vange during construction on the site of the new Swan Mead (now Cherry Tree) Infant & Junior school. The finds, which included fragments of axe and sword, dates from the Ewart Park Phase (800-700 BC). They were unearthed in a drainage trench and have subsequently become known as the Vange Hoard. The artefacts are now housed at Southend Museum where a future display is planned.

14 November

The Basildon Standard newspaper launched. Priced at 1½d and available every Saturday, the new tabloid paper followed hot on the heels of the Basildon News - the first new local weekly newspaper - which entered circulation earlier in the month. The long established Laindon Recorder soon followed suit by renaming itself Basildon Recorder. A fourth local paper, the "Basildon Times" appeared shortly after but this soon folded. From around June 1964 its circulation day changed to Friday, and then in 1967 the 'Standard' and the 'Recorder' merged to became the Basildon Standard Recorder. In 1971 the 'Basildon' prefix was dropped as the paper was available in various editions and later still the name Standard would disappear altogther. Today the paper is now known as "Basildon and Wickford Recorder". It is now the 'sister' newspaper to the 'Echo' and available at certain outlets as well as being delivered free to households within the district.

2 December

The 1,000th new home built by the Basildon Development Corporation opened at 32 Denys Drive, Fryerns, by the then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Earnest Marples.

1954

Mr. Charles Boniface succeeds Brigadier W.G.D. Knapton as General Manager of Basildon Development Corporation. He would remain in the post until 1975 and became known locally as "Mr. Basildon".

February

Sir Humfrey Gale succeeds Sir Lancelot Keay as Chairman of Basildon Development Corporation.

14 February

The first inter-town bus service begins. The service, W44 and run by Westcliff-on-Sea Motor Services, ran from Pitsea railway station to the junction with Quendon Road, Whitmore Way. The route was later renamed 244 in 1955 when Eastern National took over and gradually extended to the town centre and finally in 1958 to Laindon railway station via Laindon Link.

April

Fryerns Community Centre opened. This new temporary structure built to a wooden design by volunteer residents and members of Fryerns Area Tenants Association was situated on land adjacent to Southcote Crescent and The Fryth. It was the first new 'social amenity' in the new town. A new permanent community centre was later built in Whitmore Way and opened in 1960.

13 April

First new Public House opened - The Crane, in Denys Drive, by brewers Whitbread & Co. Ltd.

29 April

First new school opened - Swan Mead County Infant & Junior, in Church Road, Vange. Mr. Bernard Goodfellow was appointed the first Headmaster of the junior school. In January 2002 the school was renamed Cherry Tree Primary School.

3 July

The first new church to be built in the new town, Fryerns Baptist Church in Whitmore Way, opened.

6 September

Whitmore Infant & Junior School in Whitmore Way opens.

1955

Greensted County Infant & Junior School in Kirby Road, Barstable opened.

The Jolly Friar public house in Whitmore Way, Fryerns opened.

Basildon Amateur Athletic Club founded. Their current headquarters is at Gloucester Park Arena, Gloucester Park, Basildon.

Basildon R.F.C. (Rugby Football Club) founded. The club was founded by Rev. N. Woodrow of St. Michael's Church, Pitsea. In the late 1960s the club moved to playing fields adjacent to the Murryfield pavilion in Gloucester Park, and then in 1974 moved again to Gardiners Close where they remain today. Regeneration plans for the area will probably mean the club relocating again.

19 March

The second New Town community hall is opened. The new hall in Luncies Road on the Barstable estate was built in part by local residents and completed by Basildon Development Corporation. It's unusual in that it is of timber construction.

1 April

The Billericay Urban District Council becomes The Basildon Urban District Council.

26 May

Mr. Richard Body (later Sir) (24,327) elected Conservative MP for the Billericay constituency including Basildon. Majority 4,206. Conservatives win General Election.

1956

Fryerns Grammar and Technical school become the first new secondary school to open. In 1968 the school merged with nearby Craylands to become Fryerns Comprehensive. Mr Cyril Baggs was appointed the first Headmaster. The school closed in 1999 having been renamed Fryerns Community School in 1994.

19 February

Campbell's Motor Services, bus operators of Station Parade, Pitsea, acquired by Eastern National Omnibus Co. Campbell's had provided local services since the early 1920s from their headquarters at Primrose Villa, Station Parade. The building remained empty for many years, though recently during 2005/6 renovation work was carried out which included a retiled roof.

23 May

St. Andrew's Church in The Fremnells, Fryerns, opened. The service of Dedication was attended by an estimated 500 people. A service and ceremony to mark the laying of the foundation stone had been held the previous year on 15th October.

8 September

Langdon Hills Methodist Church in High Road opened by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. Originally opened in 1907 as the Nightingale Mission, it became the Methodist church in 1919. Along with the new church part of the original frontage was retained.

7 October

The first service is held in the new Catholic church, St. Basil's in Luncies Road, Barstable East.

1957

Timberlog County Secondary School in Timberlog Lane opened. The first Headmaster was Mr. Victor Robson. In 1968 the school merged with nearby Barstable, with the Timberlog site becoming Barstable lower school. The school was later demolished in the 1990s and residential housing can now be seen where it once stood.

The Ford Motor Company open a radiator factory in Honywood Road on the No.1. Nevendon Industrial Estate. This was Ford's first entry into the town and the company would continue to invest heavily in the area throughout the 1960s and 70s. The factory became the Visteon Radiator Plant in 1997 (US automotive parts supplier Visteon becoming a Ford subsidiary until 2000) but closed down in March 2008 when owners Visteon UK went into administration.

The Winged Horse public house in Luncies Road, Barstable, opened.

Hanningfield Reservoir, near Downham, completed. Work on creating the 870 acre reservoir, the second largest in Essex after Abberton, began in 1951 with the aim of providing water for the new town of Basildon and other parts of Essex. The reservoir, a joint construction by the Southend Waterworks Company and South East Waterworks Company, when full holds 27 billion litres of water. A 16th century manor house at Downham called Fremnells was demolished as part of the development which cost around £4,000,000 and mainly covers farmland.

26 June

Basildon town centre's first road Southernhay and Gloucester Park open space are formally opened by the Duke & Duchess of Gloucester who gave their name to the park. The Duke of Gloucester (Prince Henry) was the 3rd son of King George V and uncle to Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess (Princess Alice) was born Lady Alice Christabel Montague Douglas Scott.

5 September

Kingswood County Infant & Junior School in Clay Hill Road, Kingswood, opened. The Headmaster at the time of opening was Mr. John Emrys John. The School was initially established in the infant block while the junior school was being completed. In 1960 Miss D.E. Barber became the first infant Headmistress when the schools separate identities was finally established.

December

The Langdon Hills Sanatorium at Dry Street closes. Opened in 1927 on land purchased by West Ham Borough Council the purpose built hospital was provided with living accommodation for children suffering with tuberculosis. In 1948 it fell under the control of South East Essex Management Committee who converted it to an adult male intake in 1950. Following closure the grounds were at one time considered as a possible site for the future Basildon Hospital. It is now in private ownership and in use as boarding kennels.

1958

Woodlands County Secondary School for Boys' and Girls' opened. Originally separate schools until merging in the 1970s. The first Headmaster of the Boys' school was Mr. Bernard Benjamin.

St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Primary School in Elsenham Crescent, Barstable, opened.

The Long Riding public house in Long Riding, Barstable, opened.

14 February

Basildon Police opened a small section station at a bungalow in Church Road, Basildon near the railway bridge.

16 August

The first shop to open in Basildon town centre is Henbest at 65-67 Market Square. Henbest's were already well known locally through their outfitters and drapery shops in High Road, Laindon. Another early town centre trader from 1958 was Charsleys, who sold shoes, and had also originally begun their business in the Laindon High Road. They would later become one of the first shops to open in phase one of the Eastgate Shopping Centre after its completion in 1980.

6 September

The new 50 stall Basildon market opens. Operated by the Development Corporation with Tuesday, Friday and Saturday opening days. 1983 saw two important changes when a second hand Monday 'Flea Market' opened in January, followed in April with the addition of Thursday for the main traders by which time the Council were in charge. Also on this day saw the opening of the public conveniences building situated opposite the market. Basildon Town Centre Management now control the market.

4 October

Kingswood Baptist Church in Codenham Green, Kingswood opened.

November

An underground monitoring post is constructed at Vange. The underground bunker, constructed of concrete on high ground at Vange, was one of over 1500 built nationwide for use by the Royal Observer Corps as a defence initiative against a nuclear threat during the 'cold war' period. It remained operational until October 1968 when the threat of conventional air attack was considered minimal. The shelter, although still extant and now part of Basildon golf course, has been vandalised and is now fenced off and the ventilation shafts sealed with concrete caps.

17 December

St. Chad's church in Timberlog Lane (now Clay Hill Road) dedicated. Lady Whitmore had previously laid the foundation stone on December 15th, 1957. It was later consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr. Sherard Falkner Allison on November 17th, 1959.

1959

10 January

Roundacre roundabout in Basildon becomes operational. Initially the centre area had only two subways and this was later increased to four. Its size was reduced over the years due to increased traffic, and though plans in the 1970s to create an upper level never reached fruition, it was finally replaced in the 1980s with a double roundabout and duel carriageway link road.

14 April

Laindon Community Centre in Aston Road opened. It was destroyed in a suspected arson attack in 1984. A new centre was built close by and also in Aston Road.

8 October

Mr. Edward Gardner Q.C. (later Sir) (29,224) elected Conservative MP for the Billericay constituency including Basildon. Majority 4,822. Conservatives win General Election.