1960

The first new library to be built and opened is Fryerns in Whitmore Way.

Lee Chapel Infant and Junior School in The Knares, Lee Chapel South, opened. Part of the original school building is now occupied by the South West Area Education Office. The school is now known as Lee Chapel Primary School.

Keay House in Town Square, Basildon opened. The office block, named after the 1st Chairman of Basildon Development Corporation, Sir Lancelot Keay is located at 88 Town Square in three storeys above shop units 78-104. It became home to various solicitors and there has been a dental practice there since 1960. For many years Basildon Council had some departments there which would later relocate to the Basildon Centre. A Town Square regeneration project; begun in 1996 to create a more open plaza, involved the demolition of part of Keay House that overhung the square. The east facing coloured mosaic wall mural adorning an outer wall was broken up as part of the demolition and the building renamed Southgate House.

4 March

H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh visits Basildon to officially open the new Carreras cigarette making factory in Christopher Martin Road on the Nevendon Industrial Estate No.1. His visit also included a tour of the town centre.

2 April

Trinity Methodist Church in Clay Hill Road, Vange opened. Services had previously been held in nearby Gordon Hall when the New Town Methodist Church merged with the Free Church in 1954.

13 April

Laindon High Road Secondary School open-air swimming pool opened.

September

Fryerns Community Centre in Whitmore Way opened.

17 October

Nevendon Service Station in Honywood Road, opened.

3 December

Arne Court, Laindon, old people's accommodation opened. The new Council run complex off Holst Avenue was opened by the Council's chairman W.H. Davies, J.P. The accommodation consists of a two storey block of 24 bedsitting rooms and a single storey block of 7 bed sitting rooms for aged couples - linked by a lounge and communal rooms with an upper floor warden flat.
The complex is now used as temporary housing for a wide variety of needs.

1961

The Bull public house demolished. This pub originally in Bull Road, Vange (later renamed Clay Hill Road) was replaced by a new public house also called The Bull. The new building built about 50 yards to the East on the corner of the new junction with Timberlog Lane, remained open until 1998 by which time it had been renamed the Powerhouse. After remaining empty for a number of years the building was fenced off and demolished in August/September 2002.

F.W. Woolworth & Co Ltd. open a shop at 23 Town Square, Basildon. Prior to opening, the popular store, later known as Woolworths, sold its goods from a specially adapted mobile van often parked in Market Square. In the 1970s a stairway at the rear of the shop was built to link the store with the new multi-storey car park. In 2008 with the country in recession Woolworths went into administration and the store closed for business on Saturday 27th December, 2008. The shop was then divided into two units with Poundland relocating from 50-52 Town Square into the larger of the two in 2009.

25 March

The Mecca Ltd run Locarno Ballroom in Blenheim House, Market Pavement, Basildon opens. From 1970 the venue was renamed Tiffany's and later still Raquels, and played host to many live attractions including the Dave Clark Five - who had a weekly Sunday residency for much of 1963, Hermans Hermits and in 1981 Basildons' own Depeche Mode. It closed as Club Uropa in January 1998.

April

Basildon bus station in Cherrydown (now Cherrydown East) is formally opened. The old depot at Bull Road, Vange is demolished to make way for the new neighbourhood shopping centre redevelopment.

23 April

Population Census for Basildon district; 48,047.

3 August

A temporary Police Station was opened on land adjacent to the present building in Great Oaks. The beat house at Arterial Road, Nevendon was closed and amalgamated with the Basildon section here. Later, on 26th March 1963, Pitsea's administrative staff would transfer here during construction of the new headquarters.

October

The Commission For The New Towns (CNT) established under provisions of the New Towns Act 1959. They were created as a successor to the New Town development corporations and undertook all responsibilities for the management of housing stock and other assets, including disposal. They were wound up in May 1999 following a merge with the corporate functions of the Urban Regeneration Agency, out of which saw the creation of English Partnerships.

6 November

Following British Railways electrification of the London, Tilbury & Southend railway line, the first electric trains (class 302) begin running on off peak services. These new trains operating on a 25k V ac overhead power system would very soon replace all steam powered services; signalling the end of over 100 years of steam services on this line.

1962

Mundy House, residential care home for the aged and infirm, opened at Church Road, Fryerns.

Lee Chapel South community hall in The Knares opened.

Basildon Swimming Club founded. Still active today and based at Gloucester Park swimming pool, Basildon.

Springfield County Infant and Junior School in Honeypot Lane opened. The school closed in the 1980s and was demolished soon after. The site remained empty for a number of years until the 1990s when a residential development called Ghyllgrove Close was built.

Basildon Bowling Alley opened. The 26 lane purpose built alley in Southernhay was run by TransWorld Bowling and called Basildon Bowl. Interior features included a cafe, juke box and licensed club room. B.D.C. Chairman, Sir Humfrey Gale carried out the opening ceremony. By 1965 it had became Ambassador Bowl, but later in the 1970s was taken over by Basildon Council, reduced to 10 lanes and renamed Basildon Bowl. The remainder of the building was refurbished as a bingo hall. During the 1980s the facility closed and the bingo hall was extended to encompass the remainder of the building. It is still a bingo hall and now called Gala.

January

Fairhouse Infant School in Long Riding opened. The school is now known as Fairhouse Community Infant School.

February

Barstable Grammar and Technical School in Timberlog Lane (now Timberlog Close) opened. The first Headmaster was Mr. Geoffrey Whitehead. In September 1968 the school merged with nearby Timberlog Secondary Modern to become Barstable Comprehensive. Following the merger the Timberlog building became the lower school until the original Barstable site was enlarged, allowing the lower school to be sold off for a housing development during the 1990s. On 30th March, 1993 the main block became a Grade II listed building. In 2005 the school became Federated with Chalvedon and from 1st September, 2009 became the Basildon Lower Academy accommodating students between the ages 11-14.

15 March

Basildon Fire Station in Great Oaks officially opened. Chairman of Essex County Council, Alderman G.F. Chaplin C.B.E. J.P. conducted the ceremony. Also in attendance was local U.D. Council Chairman, Mrs. Gadsdon J.P. and representatives of the development corporation. The station had become operational from 8th December 1961 when the Laindon building was formally closed.

15 June

The last steam train to run between London and Southend was the 18:10 Fenchurch Street to Thorpe Bay service.

18 June

All services on the London, Tilbury & Southend railway are now solely operated by electric trains following the withdrawal of steam locomotion.

July

The Mother and Child water fountain sculpture in the Town Square designed by the late William Lambert R.A. unveiled. It was later adopted in 1984 as the symbol to represent Basildon Council and now has Grade II listed status.

7 July

14 Storey, 84 flats, residential tower block, Brooke House in Basildon Town Centre opened. It was named after the then Conservative Minister for Housing Henry Brooke, 09/04/1903 - 29/03/1984 and stands approximately 160 feet tall, and supported by sixteen, twenty seven feet high, V-shaped angled stilted legs (in pairs of two) which merge together to form eight legs at ground level. It was designed by the Scottish architect Sir Basil Urwin Spence (13/08/1907 - 19/11/1976) in a Modernist style and constructed by Holland, Hannen and Cubbitts at a cost of 283,000. Sir John Ruggles-Brise, Lord Lieutenant of Essex performed the opening ceremony. In 1998, Brooke House was given Grade 11 listed building status by English Heritage.

September

Ghyllgrove County Junior School in The Gore opened. The school is now known as Ghyllgrove Community Infant and Junior School.

17 September

Cranes Farm Road is opened to traffic. The new 'feeder' road linking Upper Mayne with Timberlog Lane (now East Mayne) was built to serve the two industrial estates and the future tractor plant site.

10 November

Church of St. Martin-le-Tours in Pagel Mead, Basildon officially opened. The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt. Rev. John Tiarks, conducted the consecration service. A foundation stone had earlier been laid on 15/10/1960 by then Chairman of Basildon Development Corporation, Lt Gen. Sir Humfrey Gale. Pagel Mead was later renamed St. Martin's Square.

1963

Holy Trinity Catholic Church at Roundacre, Laindon Link, Basildon opened. The new building, built on the fringe of Lee Chapel North, was in use until 1972 when a new larger church and hall was built in nearby Wickhay. The former church at Roundacre remained unused for a number of years and suffered neglect and vandalism and possible demolition before being taken over by Basildon Council and renamed Roundacre Youth House. During this time is was used as an entertainment venue for live bands, stage productions, youth discos and various other activities. It is still in use and now called S.P.A.C.E. for young people.

A new campsite is established called Kingston Ridge off Lee Chapel Lane, Langdon Hills. It becomes the new home of Basildon Scouts who previously used a site in Pipps Hill Road, Laindon. The site is still in use today.

The Basildon Players amateur dramatics group formed. Still active today, their roots can be traced back to the Langdon Players.

3 July

Basildon town centre Post Office in East Square opened.

6 July

South Essex Motors service station opens in Cherrydown, Basildon. The Ford main dealer complex includes an Esso petrol station, car showroom, workshops and parts department. The dealership was later renamed Essex Ford. In the late 1960s a seven storey office block was added to the site. This new building remained unoccupied for many years until being given the name Essex House, and was home to among others Social Services, before being demolished in the late 1990s.

10 September

Nicholas County Secondary school in Leinster Road, Laindon opened. First Headmaster appointed is Mr John Goodier. An indoor swimming pool was a later addition, which opened on 1st October 1968, as was a long rectangular three story block, completed in the late 1960s. The school would survive in name to 1998. The building is now home to the James Hornsby High School.

26 September

The Castle Mayne public house opened. The new pub, sited on The Knares at Lee Chapel South was designed by architect E.B. Musman. Its name originates from a crenallated farm house that once stood close by. The opening ceremony was attended by members of Whitbread and Basildon Development Corporation General Manager, Charles Boniface.

2 December

Basildon Police Station in Great Oaks becomes operational. Construction company Costain were involved in its construction.

1964

Sir John MacPherson succeeds Sir Humfrey Gale as Chairman of Basildon Development Corporation.

Television manufacturer and broadcasting company Rediffusion London Ltd begin installing a cable and piped television service into all Basildon Development Corporation homes. This new 'aerial less' service utilised the basement of the town centre tower block Brooke House which also provided the necessary height for the aerials which were erected on the roof. The system was designed to eliminate the appearance of "unsightly" television aerials and thus giving the new housing estates a less cluttered look and was still being installed in new homes well into the 1980s. The system, which included some radio stations, proved very popular and was extended to Urban District Council tenants from 1967. The service was later taken over by Metro Cable but by the 1990s with the advent of underground cable networks and satellite communications and a relaxing of aerial rules had all but rendered the service obsolete.

The Church of Saint Gabriel opens in Rectory Road, Pitsea. The church was built as a replacement for St. Michael's Church on land that once formed part of Shophouse Farm. The architect was Donald Corder, A.R.I.B.A.

February

Ford Motor Company open their new Tractor Plant factory in Cranes Farm Road on a 100 acre site. Its 125ft "onion" shaped water tower, holding 200,000 gallons, has since become a local landmark. Prior to opening, the company's Dagenham site had been home to tractor plant production since 1933. In 1986 following an amalgamation with New Holland the operation became Ford New Holland and from 1991 Fiat New Holland when Ford sold off the remaining interest in their tractor division. Today it is owned by Case-New Holland (CNH) after a business takeover of Case Corporation in 1999.

15 February

Basildon Ambulance station in Great Oaks opens. The opening ceremony was performed by the Chairman of Basildon Council, Councillor Alf Dove. The station had previously been attached to the clinic facility at Craylands County Secondary School in Timberlog Lane.

April

The Plough and Tractor public house in Great Knightleys opened. In attendance at the official opening was Major A.G. Mann, managing director of the brewery company Mann, Crossman & Paulin. A large "Manns" sign adorned an outer wall for many years. It was built by J.M. Hill & Sons Ltd. Included in the design was a stage for live attractions, an upstairs 'Hayloft Bar', and an off licence, which later closed in the early 1980s. For a time in the 1980s the main saloon area was halved, creating an extra bar, and around 1987 the pub had a name change, becoming The Stores for a number of years into the early 1990s, but has since reverted back to its original name.

15 April

15th Century farmhouse Laindon Hall in Church Hill destroyed by fire.

11 August

The Bulls Eye public house in Southernhay, Basildon opened. Run by brewers Cope's Taverns, it was later renamed The Beehive. The upper bar area is now called Colors.

September

Blessed Anne Line Roman Catholic Primary School in Wickhay opened. The school, built in Lee Chapel North at Wickhay, was later extended when a separate Infant school opened in 1968. The first Headmaster was Mr J. Fox. The schools name was later shortened to Anne Line and is now known as St. Anne Line Catholic Junior and Infant School.

October

Markhams Chase Infant & Junior School renamed Janet Duke in honour of the former headmistress's 31 years service.

3 October

The Lee Chapel North Community Centre officially opened. The new facility at Ballards Walk attracted a large gathering which included recently retired headmistress of Markhams Chase primary school, Janet Duke, who gave out prizes. A children's Saturday morning film show would prove popular there for many years.

15 October

Mr. Edward Gardner Q.C. (later Sir) (35,347) re-elected Conservative MP for the Billericay constituency including Basildon. Majority 1,592. Labour win General Election.

3 November

H.R.H.The Queen Mother opens Southwood Court in Great Spenders, Basildon as retirement homes for the Printers Pension Corporation. Also in attendance was the president of the charity, the late Sir Billy Butlin, founder of Butlins holiday camps.

1965

Basildon Development Corporation revised Master Plan for a Basildon population of 140.000 published.

18 June

Standard Telephones and Cables (S.T.C.) open a new factory at Miles Gray Road on the Industrial estate No. 2. The Governments Postmaster General Rt. Hon. Anthony Wedgewood Benn MP. carried out the opening duties. In the 1990s the site was levelled and the Argos distribution centre now stands in its place.

9 July

The Who (pop group) perform at Mecca's Locarno Ballroom in Market Pavement. They appear again there in 1966 on 18th March and 2nd September. The Kinks had played the venue in 1964, and much later in 1982, Culture Club, fronted by Boy George, would appear there, by which time the venue was known as Raquels.

14 August

Kingdom Hall in Tylers Avenue, Laindon dedicated. The new hall, costing £2,500, was built and funded by voluntary contributions from local members of the Jehovah Witness congregation. Previously meetings were held in a hall in Laindon High Road.

1 September

Chalvedon County Comprehensive school in Wickford Avenue, Pitsea opened. Chalvedon is the first Comprehensive school to open in the Basildon District. Mr. Robert Ford is appointed the school's first Headmaster.

5 November

Basildon Round Table hold their first charity Firework Fiesta on a site adjacent to Laindon Link. The event would continue here through to the early 1970s before transferring to Markhams Chase Recreation Ground and then finally moving to Gloucester Park, where it has remained since.

31 December

The Basildon town centre clock unveiled. Costing £4,800, the modern and possibly unique clock sits around 20ft atop a polished tubular column. The stainless steel sphere has four faces making it visible from all points of the compass. Unfortunately the clock has proved problematic with all four faces often out of sync, and has rarely, if at all in recent years, told the time. In late August early September 2007 the clock was taken down as part of a refurbishment of Town Square that also saw the removal of the High Pavement escalator. It was then sent away for repair and returned to the town centre on Tuesday 30th March, 2010 at a new location in St. Martin's Square.

1966

31 March

Eric Moonman (40,013) elected Labour MP for the Billericay constituency including Basildon. Majority 1.642. Labour win General Election.

22 April

Laindon Traffic Police building opened at Chaplin Close, Laindon. The previous headquarters at Arterial Road were considered cramped and out-of-date compared to the new £68,000 purpose built building.

30 April

Graham Bonney becomes the first Basildon pop artist to have a hit record. His recording of the song 'Supergirl', released by Columbia records on 18th February, spent five weeks in the uk top 40 peaking at No.19. His subsequent releases failed to chart, but the former Basildon boy, born Graham Bradley, who once lived at Beeleigh East on the Fryerns estate, continues to be successful on the continent, particularly in Germany.

1 September

Ghyllgrove Junior School in The Gore, opened. The first appointed Headmaster was Mr. Eric Rand, who previously held the post at Laindon Park Primary School.

1 September

Bardfield County Primary School in Clay Hill Road, Vange, opened. For many years the school was run as an infant and junior until 2002 when the school became a Primary again after the infant and junior schools amalgamated.

1967

Mr. William Balch succeeds Sir John MacPherson as Chairman of Basildon Development Corporation.

January

Chowdhary County Primary School in Markhams Chase, Laindon opened. Named after popular local doctor Dharam Sheel Chowdhary (1902-1959), who for over 25 years kept a practice at High Road, Laindon. Mrs. Griffiths was the schools first headmistress. The school closed in 1996.

22 June

Basildon Golf Course off Clay Hill Lane in Kingswood is officially opened. Chairman of both the council and the development corporation, Arthur Burn and Sir John Macpherson respectively were in attendance. The 164 acre par-72 municipal course is also home to the privately run Basildon Golf Club. The course had actually opened on 10th May with Chairman of Basildon Council, Arthur Burn, making the first drive, and Sir Richard Bonallack taking part in the first game.

August

Basildon junior football club Armada Sports renamed Basildon United. First game is a pre-season friendly on August 19th against Bowers United at The Gun ground in London Road, Bowers Gifford. Home matches until 1970, when United acquired their own ground at Gardiners Close, were played at Gloucester Park Bowl.

12 October

Ford Motor Company open a Research & Engineering Centre on 268 acres of land at Dunton. Costing over £10 million to complete, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, as special guest of honour, carried out the opening duties. The new centre, built where Southfields Farm once stood, even has its own test track facility. It brought together some 2,500 engineers and technicians who had previously worked at scattered locations. On 24th July, 2007 H.R.H. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, was guest of honour at a ceremony to mark 40 years of the centre.

25 October

Kingswood Squash Club at Clay Hill Lane, Kingswood opens. Government Minister for Sport, Denis Howell, carried out the opening ceremony in the new £60,000 building. The club is now known as Club Kingswood and offers a variety of health and fitness activites from squash to swimming.

13 November

Laindon Police Station in Victoria Road and Pitsea Police Station in Rectory Road both close with all operations now centralised at Great Oaks in Basildon. The Laindon building was later demolished when Victoria Road was slightly shortened to accommodate a new roundabout at the junction with St. Nicholas Lane. The Pitsea building was also later demolished, though years later a new police station opened in Rectory Road.

December

Two 10 & 8 storey tower blocks in Laindon named Royal Court opened by Basildon Urban District Council. Originally conceived as three blocks, the plan was later revised to provide 18 three bedroomed flats and 36 two bedroomed flats with the smaller block having 14 three bedroomed and 28 two bedroomed flats. An enclosed play area and underground garages were also part of the development. Later a shop opened and the flats become known as Block A and B. Basildon Council also established an area office. In the late 2000s following years of antisocial behaviour a new development scheme to replace the two blocks with new housing was given the go ahead and by December 2010 the last residents of Royal Court had vacated. Demolition looks set to take place in mid 2011.

December

Link, the Basildon District Council's free quarterly information newspaper begins distribution. The first edition is delivered to around 37,000 homes in the district. In the 1990s Link was replaced with the District Diary which in December 2010 became the Borough Diary reflecting the council's new status as a borough.

29 December

Revised Master Plan for 134.000 population gets Government approval.

1968

Blessed Anne Line Infant School opened. The first Headmistress was Miss Brenda Doherty who remained in charge until the early 1990s when she retired. Her successor was Gillian Durnian. Sometime in the 1970s the schools' name was shortened to Anne Line and changed again to St. Anne Line which it remains today. In the 2000s a detached classroom was added which from January 2007 became a nursery. A small addition to the infant block was also completed in 2008.

Basildon Natural History Society formed. Still active today.

10 April

A new 33⅓ metre Championship size swimming pool at Gloucester Park in Broadmayne opens. Built to a depth of 12½ft and featuring 3 diving boards, the facility also includes a second teaching pool, spectator gallery, cafe and since the 1990s a gym called The Pulse Fitness Centre. The pool closed on Sunday 24th April, 2011 when the Basildon Sporting Village, which included a new 50metre swimming pool, was completed opening the following weekend 30th April, 2011.

19 May

The Basildon Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in High Road, Langdon Hills opened. The Congregation had previously held services in various local halls over a 12 year period. In attendance was local MP. Eric Moonman and the Chairman of Basildon Council Coun. Arthur Baron Burn. The building was later demolished when the High Road was realigned in the late 1970s.

June

St. Paul's Methodist Church in Ballards Walk, Lee Chapel North officially opened & dedicated. A foundation stone, seen to the left of the front entrance, was laid on 7th October, 1967.

19 June

Gloucester Park Swimming Pool officially opened. Chairman of Basildon Council Arthur Baron Burn carried out the opening duties. The championship size pool was designed by Council architect Kenneth Cotton.

1 September

Local reorganisation of secondary education along comprehensive lines introduced. Two immediate changes implemented are the mergers of Barstable Grammar & Technical School and Timberlog County Secondary School to form Barstable Comprehensive, and Fryerns Grammar & Technical School and Craylands County Secondary School to become Fryerns Comprehensive School.

1 September

Northlands Junior School in Winifred Road, Pitsea, opened. Mr. Leslie Inman is appointed the first Headmaster.

21 September

Basildon Arts Centre in Towngate opened by Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, Lord Goodman. Built as a temporary theatre with seating for approx 500, it became the Towngate Theatre around 1974 and lasted until the new permanent Towngate Theatre opened in April 1988. Additional features included a fully licensed restaurant and an upstairs bar.

9 October

H.R.H. The Duchess of Kent visits St. Martin's Church in Basildon to officially dedicate the porch and a modern sculpture of Christ by the artist Thomas Baylis Huxley-Jones. It was his last completed work.

1969

The first shops at the new Laindon Shopping Centre begin opening. The complex would later include a public house, and also house the local library until the early 2000s.

25 January

The Salvation Army building in Fauners, Basildon opened. The new centre cost around £25,000.

3 February

The Radion cinema (formerly Laindon Picture Theatre) in High Road, Laindon closes. The final film is the thriller 'Wait until dark' starring Audrey Hepburn. The building, which was situated on the corner of New Century Road and owned by former chairman of Basildon Council Bert Phelps, was then used for Bingo sessions before being demolished during 1969 as part of a road widening project that saw the creation of two roundabouts and a length of duel carriageway between Laindon Link and St. Nicholas Lane.

19 February

The new Pitsea Market opens. Situated on the southern side of the High Road, the new market, housed in four 30ft high domes marked A to D, replaces the original market site which was required to allow the new South Mayne A132 feeder road to link with Pitsea. The Wednesday and Saturday market was initially held solely within the domes until permission was given to allow traditional outdoor stalls to be used as well. In the mid 1970s the market moved again, this time to the rear of the Railway public house and Broadway where it remains today.

29 September

The Evening Echo newspaper launched. Covering daily news stories from the Southend, Canvey Island, Rayleigh and Basildon areas of Essex, the 'Echo', initially available in broadsheet, switched to tabloid size in 1984, and has continued to provide local news right up to the present. In the 1990s a Basildon edition became available, which from 29th November 2004 had become 'Basildon Echo' having lost its evening prefix as a result of being sold earlier in the day. From June 12th, 2006 its front banner changed again, this time to Echo, though from 17th May, 2010 the word Basildon in small light black capital letters returned and the paper now includes news from the Thurrock district. From 10/08/2009 its tabloid size was slighly reduced. The Echo also launched its own website in the 2000s offering on-line news stories and an archive as well as many other interactive features.