Postcards from Basildon - Francis Frith

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Basildon Postcards

Francis Frith

The Francis Frith Basildon collection began in the 1950s and continued into the 1960s. Their collection, at over 80, is far and away the largest to feature the town centre and other new town locations. A separate series of cards appear for Pitsea, Laindon and Langdon Hills but oddly there are no postcards from Vange or Nevendon. A lettercard of Kingswood exists featuring 6 views of previously available postcards.

Various examples were produced, in (real photograph) black and white, sepia tone, and retouched colour, though no genuine colour examples appear to exist. Some cards have a copyright notice on the front in capitals (COPYRIGHT FRITH LTD), and on the back. Others just carry the notice on the back. Their address, F. Frith & Co., Ltd. Reigate and the title Frith's Series is also printed on the back of some cards, or just Frith's Series Reigate on others.

The company is named after its founder, the photographer Francis Frith (31st October 1822 – 25th February 1898). He established the company around 1859 at Reigate in Surrey with the aim of photographing every town and village in England. Following his death the company remained in the family and continued through to 1968 when it was sold leading to closure in 1970.

Their extensive collection, totalling over 150 different views, has been featured in two local history books: Basildon Living Memories by Russell Thompson, published in 2002, and Basildon A History & Celebration by Mara Cottrell, published in 2005.

The two Basildon series available are prefixed BSN (Basildon) and BNT (Basildon New Town) followed by a number.

BSN Series (Basildon)

Title	Number	Colour	Date	View	Detail
	BSN. 1
	BSN. 2
Market Place, Basildon	BSN. 3	B/W	1960s	View of the market looking west. Example of BSN. 3 with Town Square view (pre-clock) and white border known to exist.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges. B & W standard size with serrated edges. Standard size retouched to colour.
	BSN. 4
	BSN. 5
	BSN. 6
Long Riding, Basildon	BSN. 7	B/W	1960s	Town centre end of Long Riding.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
	BSN. 8
Southernhay, Basildon	BSN. 9	B/W	1960s	View of Southernhay (later paved), Basildon.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
	BSN. 10
	BSN. 11
Town Square, Keay House, Basildon	BSN. 12	B/W	c.1960	Early Town Square shot still under completion.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
	BSN. 13
Market Pavement, Basildon	BSN. 14	B/W	c.1961	Market Pavement view taken from Town Square. Locarno (later Raquels) seen in distance.	Standard size black & white with serrated edges.
Blenheim House and Bus Terminus, Basildon	BSN. 15	B/W	c.1960	Original bus terminus seen from eastern end.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges. Standard size retouched to colour examples.
	BSN. 16
Blenheim House and Bus Terminus, Basildon	BSN. 17	B/W	c.1960	Original bus terminus seen from the southern end.	Standard size black & white with serrated edges.
Market Place, Basildon	BSN. 18	B/W	c.1960	Southernhay view, taken from the railway bank, of Basildon market.	Standard size black & white with serrated edges.
	BSN. 19
	BSN. 20
	BSN. 21
	BSN. 22
	BSN. 23
East Walk, Basildon	BSN. 24		c.1961	East Walk shops view taken from the Southernhay zebra crossing.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
East Walk, Basildon	BSN. 25	B/W	c.1961	East Walk shops.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
Southernhay, Basildon	BSN. 26	B/W	c.1961	Southernhay duel carriageway & zebra crossing view looking south.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
Whitmore Way, Basildon	BSN. 27	B/W	c.1960	Eastern National FLF Lodekka seen.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges. Variant black & white standard size numbered BSN 27F.
	BSN. 28
	BSN. 29
	BSN. 30
	BSN. 31
	BSN. 32
	BSN. 33
Woodlands Boys School, Basildon	BSN. 34			Rear view taken from the playing field of Woodlands School (Boys).	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
	BSN. 35
	BSN. 36
	BSN. 37
Kingswood County Primary School, Basildon	BSN. 38	B/W	1960s	Playing fields view of the school.	Larger (5½ x 4") with serrated edges.
	BSN. 39	B/W
Market Place, Basildon	BSN. 40	B/W	1960s	Market scene viewed from Market Pavement.	Standard size black & white with serrated edges. Closely resembles BSN. 3, probably taken same day.
Town Square, Basildon	BSN. 41	B/W	c.1963	View of Town Square shops 19-25. Fine Fare, Timothy Whites, F. W. Woolworth and J. Sainsbury.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
	BSN. 42
	BSN. 43
	BSN. 44
	BSN. 45
	BSN. 46
	BSN. 47
	BSN. 48
Waldegrave, Kingswood, Basildon	BSN. 49	Colour	1960s	Street scene.	Retouched to colour.
Kingswood Parade and Baptist Church, Basildon	BSN. 50	Colour	1960s	Shops and church seen from Clay Hill Road.	Retouched to colour.
Langley's and Latchetts Shaw, Kingswood, Basildon	BSN. 51	Colour	1960s	Street scene.	Retouched to colour.
Sparrows Herne, Kingswood, Basildon	BSN. 52	Colour	1960s	Street scene.	Retouched to colour.
	BSN. 53
	BSN. 54
	BSN. 55
	BSN. 56
	BSN. 57
	BSN. 58
	BSN. 59
Clayhill Road and Kingswood Primary School, Basildon	BSN. 60	Colour	1960s	Pre Clay Hill Road overbridge view of Kingswood Primary school.	Retouched to colour.
Kingswood Baptist Church, Basildon	BSN. 61	Colour	1960s	View of Baptist Church and Codenham Straight houses.	Retouched to colour.
	BSN. 62
Greetings From Basildon	BSN. 63F	B/W	1960s	5 picture multiview comprised of: 1) Whitmore Way (BSN. 27); 2) Town Square (BSN. 3); 3) Market Place (BSN. ??); 4) Market Place (BSN. 3); 5) Southernhay (BNT. 5).	Standard size black and white.

Lettercard Francis Frith also produced a lettercard with 6 previously issued postcard views of the Kingswood area of Basildon. This has the wording: Printed & Published by F. Frith & Co., Reigate. The details are given below.

Title	Colour	Date	View	Detail
All Best Wishes and Greetings to You from KINGSWOOD, BASILDON	Colour	1960s	6 views taken from: BSN.49, BSN.50, BSN.51, BSN.60, BSN.61 and BSN.62.	Card when opened is 582 x 139mm. Retouched to colour. Entirely British Production.

BNT Series (Basildon New Town)

Title	Number	Colour	Date	View	Detail
The Statue, Town Square, Basildon New Town	BNT. 1	B/W	1960s	View of the Mother and Child statue looking towards East Square.	Standard size black and white with white border.
The Fountain, Town Square, Basildon New Town	BNT. 2	B/W	1960s	Full view of the fountain looking towards East Walk.	Larger (5½ x 4") black & white with serrated edges.
Town Square, Basildon	BSN. 3	B/W	1960s	Town Square looking east from green that is now paved in front of M & S.	Standard size with white border. Believed misnumbered as BSN 3 is a Market Place view.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 4	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Southernhay, Basildon New Town	BNT. 5	B/W	c.1961	Southernhay Zebra crossing looking south with Bristol K or L series double dekker bus.	Standard size black and white. Retouched to colour examples.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 6	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 7	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 8	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 9	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 10	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 11	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 12	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 13	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Town Centre, Basildon New Town	BNT. 14F	B/W	c.1966	East Walk shops looking west.	Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 15	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 16	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Town Square, Basildon New Town	BNT. 17F	B/W	c.1966	West looking view of the East Square slope and stairs.	Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 18	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 19	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Town Square, Basildon New Town	BNT. 20F	B/W	c.1966	East looking town Square view with Keay House mural.	Standard size black and white.
Town Square, Basildon New Town	BNT. 21	B/W	c.1966	View of Town Square post new town clock.	Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 22	B/W			Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 23	B/W			Standard size black and white.
The Clock, Basildon New Town	BNT. 24F	B/W	c.1966	View looking west of the new Town Square clock.	Standard size black and white.
Town Square, Basildon New Town	BNT. 25F	B/W	c.1966	View looking east of the Town Square with the mother and child fountain to the left foreground.	Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 26F	B/W	c.1966		Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 27F	B/W	c.1966		Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 28F	B/W	c.1966		Standard size black and white.
Basildon New Town	BNT. 29F	B/W	c.1966		Standard size black and white.
Bus Station, Basildon New Town	BNT. 30F	B/W	c.1966	South Walk bus station view following the new 'saw tooth' arrangement created in mid 1966.	Standard size black and white.

Page added: 2008

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